Brow Wizardry

You know, normally I give my brows a modest tending to: I trim, I wax, occasionally fill them in with a brow pencil or dark-brown eyeshadow and call it a day.  They're usually covered up by my bangs anyway, so I really don't even bother making too much of a fuss over them.  But after surveying some products as well as speaking with my sister, a self-professed eyebrow aficionado, I decided perhaps it was time to put in a little more effort.  I remembered becoming enamored with Anastasia's Dipbrow Pomade after trying it out during an excursion to Ulta, so I copped a jar to see it in action.  And boy, oh boy, am I super glad I did...

   

Dipbrow Pomade is a smudge-free, waterproof cream formulated to add color and definition to eyebrows.  It is just one of the standouts in a stable of brow-centric products from Beverly Hills based eyebrow guru Anastasia.  Boasting a range of shades to deftly accommodate a multitude of skin tones, Dipbrow dually acts as a primer, adhering to brow hairs while effortlessly depositing long lasting color.  Chocolate was my shade of choice, which is a warm, dark-brown.

  

For application, I used an off-brand, medium sized angle brush with a narrow tip for precision.  I only needed to tap it into the Dipbrow to collect an ample amount of product to both line and shade my brow, and the cream was a dream to apply as it simply glided across my skin without tugging, pulling or patching.

Unadulterated brow (left)

Dipbrow (left)

Unadulterated brow (right)

Dipbrow (right)

Dipbrow (right)

I played around with the shaping of my left brow and made it slightly more boxy just to see how it would suit me.  And the pic above is the total amount of product I used to fill in both eyebrows.  BOTH!  Umm... yeah, so I see this jarful lasting me a long, loooong time, which is definitely a great thing!  Oh, and when they say "waterproof", they're not playing.  My brows not only stayed put throughout the day without a single smudge in sight, but also remained immaculate after taking a shower!  #IMPRESSIVE!

Whether going for the dramatic or something a bit more natural (like I prefer), Dipbrow Pomade certainly delivers big on gorgeous, manicured looking brows.  I really like how natural it looks on and now that I've tried Chocolate, I think I want to try the Auburn and go for something even warmer/redder.  But for right now, I'm completely fine being stationed under the spell of my current shade.  Dipbrow Pomade has upgraded my entire eyebrow game and I'm so happy to have it in my cosmetic collection. 

Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade is available at Ulta, Sephora and beauty.com, and retails for $18.

It's Almost Christmas, Y'all!

Hey, guys!  Tomorrow is Christmas!  Wow, can you believe it?  I hardly can.  This year has absolutely flown by with incredible speed (at least for me it has!).  Yikes... 

Anywho, I want to wish each and every one of you a very happy holiday.  Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, whether you'll be flying solo or be amidst a crowd of family and/or friends, I hope your day is filled with unspeakable love, laughter and joy.  And for all those who have taken time out of their day to read the weekly "goings on" in my blog - THANK YOU!  I appreciate every casual glance, every perusal and every thorough reading of the words that have tumbled out of my head and found their way onto Dolce's Closet.  Reading your comments and conversing with you guys has been a genuine pleasure, and knowing that there's even a faint interest in my Closet-ful of antics and shenanigans keeps me going.  So, again, from the bottom (and top) of my heart - THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Have a wonderful Christmas, y'all!  Please be safe and enjoy!!
    

An Evening Quickie

It's not even the end of the week (not even close!) and I'm already up to some tomfoolery thanks to my part-time partner in crime, Birthday Boy.  But this one's a quickie.  Yep.  Without warning or any type of notice, he came by, scooped me and whisked me off to the movies.  Oh, but let me not get so ahead of myself.  When B-Boy came, he didn't come empty-handed.  He came bearing gifts... Caribbean gifts... gifts of the edible persuasion.  Scantily clad in the thin, white, plastic takeout bags he had swinging from each of his hands were filled-to-the-brim, styrofoam boxes of Jamaican goodness!  And you already know that I was more than happy to take part in the spicy spoils! 

He handed me a box and when I opened it, my jaw nearly hit the floor as the culinary vision of rice and beans, cabbage, and oxtails danced before my eyes.  He knows me oh, but too well to have ordered this for me on his own.  And so I indulged, delighting all five of my senses in the process.  I savored every morsel, every bite.  And it was so good, y'all.  Mmm!  And do you see the lavish portion of my platter?  The box was barely able to contain it all; it was overflowing!  It was so much that, alas, poor Dolce could not finish it all.  But don't cry me a river yet 'cause I, of course, saved the surplus so I could revisit it the next day and pleasure my palate all over again.     

OK, do you see this?  This is a boxful of Jamaican patties, both chicken and beef.  OH-MA-HEAVENS!  What can I say, guys?  Yeah, mon!  (sorry, guys!  It just slipped out...)  Anywho, if you've never had an authentic Jamaican patty and love spicy food then you should definitely treat yourself to one.  They are awesome!  It's what we Americans would consider a meat turnover... only BETTER.  So, yes, you are certainly missing out if you've never tasted one.  It should go on your bucket list under "Foods To Try Before I Die".  Yep.  I said it.  They're that good.

For his main meal, B-Boy had the jerk chicken served with the same sides I had.  He caught me eyeing his plate so he shared a bit of it with me... and when I tell you that the chicken was so off tha chain that it made you wanna slap somebody's mama and scream bloody murder in patois, please believe it!  It was so smoky and spicy that my woefully under-sophisticated tongue thought it was ribs.  That's what it tasted like to me; it didn't taste at all like chicken, but some of the best tasting, spiced down ribs you ever had in your life -  #YUM!  Oh, and he also brought two huge mounds of coco bread, which is a slightly sweetened bread made with coconut milk, but we tore that up on sight so, unfortunately, I wasn't quite able to visually capture its golden goodness quick enough.  Umm... yeah.  #MYBAD

(A Christmas-themed advert shown before the film)

Anywho, after filling our bellies, we shuffled over to the local theater and saw Chris Rock's current feature Top Five.  In my opinion, it was just OK.  I saw what Chris was trying to do with the film, but it meandered too much, jetted awkwardly back and forth between tones (serious-comedic) and just wasn't as funny as I had hoped it would be.

But still, a good time was had by all.  Or by the both of us, I should say.  Yep, the Awesome Twosome of B-Boy and Dolce has struck again.  Late night shenanigans are our specialty!  We laugh in the face of weekday curfews!  (HA!)  Where will our next adventure lead us?  Who knows?  But one thing is for sure: whether it's a weekend excursion or a weekday quickie, we're always down for whatever.  I'm the Darla to his Alfalfa -  just a couple of crazy kids trying to live life to the fullest... one adventure at a time.

Weekend Report: Purple Haze

Hey, guys!  Well, another week in December has come and gone, which means that we're quickly inching towards the Christmas holiday as well as *gasp* the end of the year!  I can hardly believe how fast time is flying by (at least by my clock).  Having already had a brimful of "busy" this week, I'm so thankful that my weekend will be pretty bland in comparison.  Bland, that is, except for the purple party I'll be throwing on my eyes (and lips).  Coupled with a subdued wardrobe palette, my focus will ultimately be on three "C's": comfort, cozy and color.

Black, white and gray are the hues I'll be body-rocking, pairing slim-fit black denims with a white and gray knit sweater, and black leather boots.

Rounding out the ensemble will be a staple leather handbag, charcoal-gray knitted tam and a vintage pair of Laura Biagiotti sunglasses, one of my treasured "blasts from the past" that I was actually able to hold on to after all these years.

And now for the face.  True to my word in my previous post, I'm recruiting Inglot's glorious #441 along with #439 and #440, which is a pearly lilac, to ombré my lids with.  Accompanying them will be MAC's Carbon and Shadowy Lady to lend a bit of depth.  My cheeks will be flushed with MAC's Vintage Grape blush and on my lips will be a MAC fiend's fave, Violetta - which is a deep, iridescent purple-fuchsia.  

So, there you have it, guys!  That's the complete mock-up of my makeup and threads for this weekend.  Not too fussy, but definitely chock-full of vibrant violets to keep me from fading into winter's traditional palette.  And next week I plan on doing a little more of the same - combing over my vast array of cosmetic wares just to see what other color-filled shenanigans I can get into...

Ahhh, the joys of makeup! 

Radiant Violet - 441

Hey, guys!  I'm thinking of going bright and colorful this weekend.  Not sure, though.  For my eyes, it's kind of a toss up between a playful shade from one of my Stila palettes and this ravishing number from Inglot.  Neither color have I worn before; however, both are certainly deserving of my attention.   I don't know, but I think I may be leaning more towards this one a tad.  It's Inglot's #441.  And, if you have a few moments to spare, I'd like to show you why it's such a strong contender.      

#441 is a rich, luminescent violet that hails from Inglot's Freedom System lineup of individual eyeshadows.  It yields copious amounts of color in every swatch and feels like cashmere to the touch.  All of Inglot's eyeshadows have fared well on me without fading or turning into a convoluted, muddy mess and I anticipate having the same success with this little beauty, which boasts a pearl finish.

I'm contemplating using this as a pop of color in the middle of the lid... Yeah, perhaps.   Or maybe as part of an ensemble where it can shine as the headliner.  It's rather shameful that I haven't put this shadow to use yet.  It's ever so lovely, and even lovelier in person.  But I do plan on correcting that wrong fairly soon.  (Hopefully this weekend, if time permits.)

So, can you see why this is such a strong contender?  #441 is most definitely the bee's knees and I'm so glad to have it perched amongst the other Inglot notables in my collection.

Inglot #441 is available at Inglot boutiques and select Macy's, and retails for $7.

Infusium 23 Moisture Replenisher

Curiosity has gotten the better of me again, y'all.  See, what had happened was... *takes breath* I ran out of my Phyto conditioner, didn't order/grab another one in time enough, got a coupon in the mail for another conditioner, which conveniently coincided with said conditioner going on sale at my local grocery store and sooooo I decided to give it a go.  (Whew!)  Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's take a look at the new hair product I'll be trying out, shall we?  It's the Moisture Replenisher Conditioner from hair repair expert Infusium 23.

Moisture Replenisher is just one of the collections Infusium 23 offers from its restorative haircare line of shampoos, conditioners and leave-ins.  Touted as a vitamin-infused hydrator, the Moisture Replenisher Conditioner contains both avocado and olive oil to help nourish the hair as well as provide softness and shine to parched tresses. 

Laced with a light fragrance that I didn't find to be too invasive or overwhelming, Moisture Replenisher has a nice, thick consistency and a seemingly fair amount of "slip" as it felt very smooth and silk-like while working it between my fingertips.

Already a fan of their popular Infusium 23 Leave-In, I have high hopes for this one.  But I do wonder whether it will weigh my hair down since my locks can sometimes be finicky when it comes to putting certain oils in/on it.  Well, we shall definitely see... and see very shortly as I plan on giving this creamy concoction a whirl this weekend.  And when I do, I'll be sure to come back to give you my thoughts (and maybe pics) on the final results!    

Infusium 23 Moisture Replenisher Conditioner is available at most drugstores, including Target and Walmart, and retails for around $6.00.

**UPDATE: 12/24/14 - OK, I have used this conditioner for about two wash cycles and I am happy to report that I really, really like it.  The first time I used it, I used it in conjunction with the Infusium Leave-In, which left my hair very shiny and feeling soft, but my strands looked somewhat "pixelated" or textured near my crown after flat ironing.  However, pairing it with my Lacio leave-in the following week proved to be the better combo... a combo that not only left my hair soft and shiny, but allowed my chemically treated/permed strands to look much smoother and more "relaxed".  Moisture Replenisher has not weighed my hair down as I had originally feared it would do and, instead, has left it feeling light and healthy looking.  And I only need to use about a dime-sized worth of product to achieve all of this, which I think is awesome.  My only con?  I'm not particularly fond of its smell, which does dissipate after about a day's wear.  Yeah, after several uses, I've grown weary of the scent.  Olfactory nuisance aside, I think it's a good conditioner and will likely purchase it again.

Artistic Endeavors, Pt. 2

OK, I think I'm officially done now.  I recently procured another three of the MUFE Artist Shadows and I'm more than happy with my total score.  For the initiated (and like before), two of my three eyeshadows will look familiar; however, there's one I bought on a whim purely based on its name.  And I like it mucho.  So, we're gonna go light on the verbal pomp and circumstance, and get right to the visual splendor of my latest trio of Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows.

First up is ME-512 Golden Beige, which immediately captured my heart when I saw it in person.  Imagine a beach with a stretch of pristine, sugar-fine sand glistening under a mid-morning sun.  That's what it reminds me of.  It's so pretty, so pigmented and has an MUFE Metallic finish.

Next up is I-340 Lime Green, which is a retina bursting chartreuse.  Now you guys already know how I tend to gravitate to bright colors and this one was a no-brainer for me.  Consistent with all the others in the Artist family, this eyeshadow is potently pigmented, smooth to the touch and is an MUFE Iridescent.

Last, but not least, is ME-230 Peacock Blue, which is a nuanced, deep water blue with hints of green and turquoise.  Although it may look like one flat color in the picture, it's really not - a fact that becomes more evident in the sun's light.  This Metallic beauty is pigmented, soft and totally ab-fab, y'all!  Ab-fab, I tell ya...

(L to R: ME-230 Peacock Blue, I-340 Lime Green, ME-512 Golden Beige)

So, there you have it - my final installment of Artist Shadows and I must say that I am very happy with each and every one of my choices.  I did have my eye on one other color that seems to only be available via purchase online, however, has yet to be available for purchase online.  But that's OK.  I'm not sweating it.  I'll survive.  I've got plenty to play with and being that the majority of what I wanted ended up finding their way into my stash, I'm going to confidently count this one as yet another notch in my belt labelled #MissionAccomplished!   

Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows and Palettes are available at Sephora and sephora.com, individually retailing for $21 and $1, respectively; OR $34 for two shadows and a duo case, $44 for three shadows and a trio case (via limited promotion, while supplies last).