10 simple ways to help you feel good about yourself

10 simple ways to help you feel good about yourself

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 Do you ever wakeup in the morning and just feel so crappy, out of it and gross? Or ever lurk instagram and just wish you had that girls wardrobe, hair, face, or looks? I think this is something every girl can relate to and I personally feel this way sometimes myself. Trying to stay upbeat about yourself and create positive vibes can sometimes be challenging and difficult especially if you are not an optimistic person to begin with. Having a positive day begins with how you feel about yourself, and what it takes to feel good about yourself. I came up with a few strategies and techniques to help you find ways to feel happy and optimistic.

1) The first piece of advice that I would like to provide to you is to take time to pamper yourself. Do this at least 2-3 times per week, and set aside a chunk of time dedicated towards YOU. Having YOU time helps to reduce your stress/anxiety/any negative thoughts that may be running around in your mind. Whether it be going to get your nails done, reading some of your favourite book for an hour, applying a facial mask, going for a stroll, listening to some music, or going for  a massage. All of these are great examples of YOU time. Even the simplest things such as getting your nails done can help make you feel good about yourself. Even setting aside one hour each day dedicated for yourself will slowly help to eliminate your negative mood. One method that I love to do is draw a nice warm bath and soak in it while I watch youtube beauty videos. This helps relax me and takes me to my happy place. Try out new ideas and see what works best for you!

2) Doll yourself up. Studies have shown that even applying the smallest amount of makeup to your face, can help brighten your mood. If you are feeling too lazy to apply a full-face of makeup, simply apply only your favourite makeup product. When I am feeling down in the dumps and am feeling very blah, I simply apply some makeup to my face. This helps to wake me up and uplifts my mood as well. By no means am I stating that I rely on makeup to feel good about myself, but it really puts me in a great mood.  If you want to go and do a photoshoot of yourself after, why not?! Go right ahead!

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3) Set aside a certain time each day to exercise . Often the thoughts that go through our head each day is “I am too tired, I just had a long day at work, or I am too lazy to do a workout “.  These are often thoughts that go through my head each day when I am feeling too lazy to even consider doing a workout. I recently had set aside an hour of my day each day towards a workout session. Working out helps to release endorphines which helps you feel good about yourself. And who does not want that? There are some really helpful and detailed workouts on Pinterest that you can lookup depending on what target area you would like to focus on. There are many different workouts for thighs, arms, abs, back and so forth. The best thing about Pinterest is that there are even 7, 10 or 20 minute workouts. This means you can not even have an excuse for not being able to fit in a 7 minute workout. This is only 7 minutes out of your day! I know from experience that once I have finished a 30 minute workout I feel amazing… like a brand new person and I feel good about myself. I usually look on Pinterest for Fitspo images that I gear towards my goal image. This helps create fitsporation and inspiration towards my future goals.

4) Create a “to do” list. When you wake up in the morning and you are laying there in bed , think of different things you want to accomplish today. Having a plan and a schedule of your day helps make you feel motivated rather than being lazy each day and feeling like a slug. Make a plan for yourself or your “to do” list. Some examples and ideas to put on your list could be: do a 30 minute workout, make a healthy meal, write a blog for today, read or start a new book, meet up with an old friend, write a journal entry and so forth. Having a well thought out plan will help you develop more motivation and make you feel less sluggish. Often when you lay around all day and do not accomplish anything, you feel tired, lonely, frusterated, lazy or negative.

5) Find your “hobby”. I have heard this piece of advice so often now that I had to share it with you. Finding your talents or your special hobby is not as easy as it looks. When I was first asked the question ” what is your hobby ?”, I did not know how to respond, as I had no clue what my hobby was. I literally had to think what I was good at, and eventually became discouraged and down on myself… as I could not come up with an answer. This was when I sat down and made a list of new things that I wanted to experience. One of the hobbies on my list was “blogging”. I was told throughout university by one of the professors that my writing and the way that I wrote would be beneficial towards writing blogs. The next question that popped into my head was “what would I blog about.”. I have always been fascinated with beauty, beauty videos, and beauty youtubbers. A majority of my spare time is watching and reading up on different beauty hacks/techniques/advice. So why not create a blogging site distributing all the knowledge and information I have learned over the years on beauty? You do not know you will enjoy something or develop a hobby unless you try new things. Do not get discouraged right away if you are trying to find a hobby, it takes time.

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6) Buy cute workout clothes. Who does not like to look hot, sexy and great when they workout? I know this is a silly idea but trust me, it works. When you have cute workout attire, you will automatically feel good when you are workout out. Treat yourself by buying new workout shorts, vibrant stretchy pants, a cute sports bra, or even new Nikes. This will even help to motivate you to workout everyday and squeeze that little bit of time in each day. So what are you waiting for? Go splurge on some hot new workout attire!

7) Make a list of why you do not feel good about yourself or what makes you unhappy. Having a clear view and perspective on what brings you down can help create places for improvement. If you are upset because you gained an extra 10 pounds over the summer, create a healthy diet plan to start up. You can even print out a workout plan or schedule to help you shed those extra pounds. Find out what is truely making you unhappy, and write them down. Once you know exactly what is bringing you down, you can slowly work on ways for improvement.

8) Family and friend outlooks.  This is a very helpful technique and I have even tried this out for myself. My therapist recommended me to try this strategy at home, when I was feeling down in the dumps. This method focuses on “self-worth”  and how you feel towards yourself as well as how others see you. Grab a blank piece of paper and write down 5 things you like about yourself character/personality traits wise. Do not write down anything about your physical appearance. Once you have written down 5 things about yourself, write down 5 family and friends names. Let them write down 5 character/personality traits they like about you. Once you have all their answers compare yours to theirs. You may just be surprised at the special traits they saw about you, that you did not see in yourself. Some people are way too hard on themselves, and do not see how they impact others’ lives in a positive way. Once you see how the closest people to you feel towards you and what they love, this could help you have a more open mind. While participating in this exercise, I saw common personality traits people had written down about myself that I did not see.

 

  9)Eat right. I can not emphasize this piece of advice enough in order to feel good and happy about yourself. If you are one of those people that eats a bag of chips a day, a can of pop for lunch and dinner, or are always eating at fastfood restaurants, you are not going to feel good about yourself. Chances are you have a hardcore craving for this food,  but once you eat it, you are going to feel like a bag of garbage. It is not worth it. Instead of going for that bag of chips for a late night snack, try grabbing a handful of nuts that are packed with fibre and protein. After eating a handful of these, you are going to have more energy and feel a whole lot better. Soon enough your body willl start showing results due to your healthy eating!

10) Approach each day thinking you are going to have a good day. Waking up in the morning with a positve mind set will help to ensure you have a good day. If you wake up in the morning thinking “today is going to suck” , chances are it is going to suck. I know that this is an easy piece of information and advice, but it is extremely effective when used properly. I just recently started to use this technique, and it has helped create  more positive vibes. Entering each day thinking  ” today is going to be a good day”  will help create a more optimistic you.

much love xo.

For the LOVE of tattoos, are they the new sexy?!

For the LOVE of tattoos, are they the new sexy?!

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“You better hope that comes off”, or “why are you marking up your body?”, are some of the most common remarks that elderly people and even grandparents think towards the topic of tattoos. Back in the day, tattoos were not really popular, and views towards them were often portrayed as negative. This is one of the main reasons why the elderly are so against even the idea of a tattoo on our bodies. Has this stopped our generation today from going out to get a tattoo? Absolutely not. In fact, tattoos are becoming more and more acceptable in today’s society.  While  walking to work in downtown Hamilton,  I have noticed that almost every other person I walk by has some sort of tattoo on their body.  Whether it be sleeves, on their neck, a cute heart on their ankle, you name it…..someone has it.

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Before entering the tattoo world, I didn’t really see the point and purpose of one. Why mark a part of your body permanently forever? What will it look like when you are older and so forth? What if I change my mind and don’t like my tattoo later on once it’s on my body? There were so many pondering questions that were dancing around in my mind, that I didn’t even know what to do! Tattoos became quite frequent in my family ever since my twin  became a ink fanatic … and I mean a fanatic.  When she had told me that she wanted all these big tattoos all over her body, I was in shock…and probably convinced her numerous times to rethink he decisions. Of course she went through with it but here’s the thing, THEY LOOKED GOOD ON HER. I couldn’t believe it! A girl who never had one single tattoo on her took her ink virginity and now has over 10 tattoos. Whether it was on her neck, leg, ankle, back, ribs, shoulder, arms…it suited her. The fact that every single tattoo on her body had a significant meaning to her was inspiring. This was when I started to change my perspective on the idea of a tattoo, but sadly I can’t speak for everyone.

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What blows my mind is how tattoos can affect your chances of working in certain jobs fields. Why should a tattoo have anything to do with your job skills, your personality traits, your ability to complete a specific task? They don’t, and shouldn’t. They are a simple piece of artwork on the human body that can be extremely criticized and judged. Were you not encouraged within elementary school, high school and even university to be creative?Since some people choose to show their creativity on their body, why is this causing so much of a dilemma and issue if the topic of creativity is being promoted within school boards, households, and life in general? The human body is our own personal canvas and how we choose to share and distribute it is our own personal choice, not societies’, not employers, not authoritative figures…but ours. If only this is how society works, but unfortunately we will always be critiqued.

After my grandpa passed, I started thinking long and hard about tattoos. Seeing and experiencing all the pain that the passing had caused, I wanted a tattoo that would remind me of my grandpa. When you are thinking about getting a tattoo for the first time, make sure there is a lot of meaning behind it. The quote, ” Angels are watching over me” stuck out to me the most because through all of my hard times that I have gone through, I know someone up there was watching over me. Now that my grandpa was welcomed at the gates up there, I know he is watching and looking out for me as well. Looking at my foot tattoo in memory of my grandpa gives me comfort, reassurance, and strength knowing that I am looked after. This tattoo gives me the strength to continue each day with my head held high, and makes me appreciate everyone I have in my life. Don’t take people for granted, because you do not know if they will be there tomorrow.
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much love.

5 Things I wish I would’ve known earlier

I thought I would change things up a bit my beauty bloggers! This blog post for today isn’t necessarily about beauty, but I thought it was a rather important piece of information that would make a good read. Do you ever sit there and think to yourself, wow…. I wish I would’ve known that piece of advice or information way earlier in life, then I would’e thought differently about it? I have come up with 5 pieces of important advice that I have learnt over the years through experience, but I had wish I had known these earlier.

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  1. It takes going through a few assholes to find “the one’.

Relationships can be extremely painful at times, sometimes even unbearable if you find yourself in an unhealthy one. I have had my fair share of dating so called “assholes”, and guys whose main priority is themselves. I have felt stuck.. but if I wanted to, I could’ve left at any point, I just chose not to. When I look back at some of my past relationships I often feel angry, sad,and disappointed in myself that I would even open up to these people in the first place. Do I regret dating any of them? No I do not , as they have helped built a stronger person out of me. The good thing about going through a bunch of assholes is that now I know exactly what I want in a guy. I want someone who is sensitive, caring, loves family, humorous, a happy camper, and someone who brings out the best in me. If I would’ve known earlier that it takes a few assholes to find “the one”, I wouldn’t have been so hard on myself through every breakup. I have always thought to myself, “what is wrong with me?”, “Why are assholes drawn to me?”. “Am I going to be alone forever”, and “why me?”. I am sure these are some thoughts that everyone can relate to while dealing and coping with a bad breakup or relationship. One of the key words that I have learnt over the years while going in and out of relationships is “patience”, Be patient when trying to find the right guy for yourself. You can’t find your prince charming just like that. From experience, I can proudly say that after going through my fair share of awful boyfriends and bad relationships, I have now found my prince charming. It took a few bad ones to finally pinpoint exactly what I was looking for.

2) Learning to accept your flaws will help create a healthier you.

Everyone has flaws that  they struggle with on a daily basis. The truth is some people hate their flaws so much, that it starts to impact their daily life activities, and their lifestyles. Whether it be body parts, personality traits, how someone acts or the choices they make, everyone has a flaw. I could write a whole list of certain flaws in my life that I have struggled with for over the years, often feeling ashamed of myself. Instead of dwelling on your flaws, try teaching yourself to learn to accept them. Even creating a more positive mindset and outlook on life can help you create a more happier lifestyle. One of my biggest flaws that I have struggled with is my shyness. When I look at other people who are so outgoing , I wonder how one can be like that. I would give anything to be an outgoing individual, but that’s just not me, and that’s what I have learned to accept, Even though I am quiet, I still have bright ideas to offer, I care a lot about other people, I have made it into my fourth year of university, and I have done over 20 presentations.  I have created a more positive outlook towards my flaws, realizing that if I cannot change them, I can try to cope or minimize them. Each day, I try to push out of my comfort zone… and since I am a shy girl that is not something that is easy for me to do. Little things such as forcing myself to say “hi, how are you doing?” or “hi how was your weekend?”, pushes me to open up to more people who I am not the closest to. A prime example of this could happen within my work atmosphere. Since we have a lot of staff members who work within my daycare, I try to at least say hi to everyone I pass in the hallway or at least one person. I have found that this is slowly helping me overcome a great deal of my shyness. Will I go infront of 100 people and say a 40 minute speech? Probably not. But am I working on overcoming a lot of my shyness towards people? Yes. You should not be ashamed of your flaws. Even though I am not the most outgoing person in the world, I love being my quiet self.

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3) Loosen up… don’t sweat the little things.

Boy am I one to talk but I cannot emphasize how true this is. When I look back in the earlier years, I feel that a majority of it was spent being too “stiff”, worrying too much and stressing over the little things in life way too much. Life should be enjoyable and not spent worrying about every little thing in life. If you get in trouble at school for once… who cares? maybe it will make a good story later on to tell your kids that you can laugh about. Learn to brush things off or you will eventually make yourself sick. If you encounter a super embarrassing moment in your life, try to laugh it off.  Don’t let that embarrassing moment bring your day down!

4) It’s not all about the looks.

The media has distributed a world wide image on how the “perfect” female should look like. This person needs to be super skinny, have big boobs, have a nice bum, tanned skin, blonde hair, and a bubbly personality.In reality, nobody can look that perfect and be considered “real”. It just doesn’t work that way. Ever since being introduced into the instagram world, I have always cared so much about my physical appearance. In order for a guy to recognize you, I thought it was all about how you looked! I thought it was all about having your boobs pushed up, wearing tight clothes, and having a flirty personality, but that slowly began to attract the wrong group of people. Since I was so concerned about my looks, I was starting to attract the guys who only wanted “bootycalls”, or guys who were super shallow. I was so tired of trying to keep up with society that I had finally realized, I am never actually going to reach society’s standards of “the perfect image”. Pretty sure my stretch marks on my legs, my beauty mark on me left arm, and my freckley nose does not make the cut.  The truth is, people don’t just look at your physical appearance, they look at the whole “you”. If you are looking for a nice, genuine guy, they will like you for the whole package you are offering for them to get to know, not just your appearance. Love your body just how it is, after all… there’s only one of you in this world!

5) Things do get better.

Everyone has hit rock bottom before or close to it after going through a hard time. When you are at a young age, everything seems like it’s the end of the world. Whether it be failing a test, going through a rough breakup, losing a loved one, flunking a university exam, or getting fired, this may cause a severe amount of stress. Sometimes the stress may seem unbearable to the point where you just don’t know if you can get through it. Trust me, I have been there, and gone through my fair share of highs and lows. But one thing I cannot stress enough is that things do get better. Even if somethings seem like it’s the end of the world in your eyes, someone else has it way worse than you. Take a step back, count to 10, and take 3 deep breaths. Everything is going to be okay.

My Everyday Makeup Routine for a “Neutral Look”

My Everyday Makeup Routine for a “Neutral Look”

  
It’s hard to specifically develop a “permanent daily makeup routine”, believe me. Over the years I have tried numerous makeup routines ranging from “sparkly shadows”, to “darker eyeshadow tones”, to even “hardly any makeup”, but I have finally found my current every day makeup routine that includes my favourite makeup products! When I am doing my makeup everyday, I try to aim for a more neutral routine, as I love incorporating browns in my shadows. So if you are looking for a nice neutral makeup routine that is suitable for days at work, lounging around, going out, or just an everyday look then please keep reading!

  1. Firstly, you need to make sure you have a a nice clean face before applying any makeup whatsoever. This is then followed by moisturizing your face, and making sure there is no dry skin to affect the application of your makeup. After you are done doing this step, you need to apply a primer all over your face. This helps to ensure that your pores are covered, and there are no visible ones showing. When I first started using makeup, I never had used a primer before applying the rest of my makeup. I never really knew that there was an important purpose for this step until I started youtubing beauty video, and every beauty youtuber had used some sort of a primer. I then bought my first primer from Sephora in the Benefit section called “The Pore Fessional”. This is a product that helps to minimize the appearance of pores, and it is a translucent silky liquid. You only need a dime size amount of this product and apply it all over your face. I personally love this primer, and would repurchase it again and again. I have noticed a big difference after using a primer before applying my foundation. The primer has made my face look almost “photoshopped”, and has kept my makeup on throughout the whole day without coming off.
    Benefit The POREfessional Face Primer
    Sephora 0.25 oz-mini $13.00 0.75 oz -$39.00

    2) After you are done applying a primer to your face, you need to apply a liquid foundation. I am not going to lie, I have gone through a lot of liquid foundations, and have tried many different brands. As of right now, I am currently using a drugstore product from Rimmel London called, “Lasting Finish with comfort serum”.  This product is a skin perfecting full coverage foundation in the shade “100 Ivory”, as I am not pale, but I am not super tanned. You can purchase this product at Walmart or even Shopper Drug Mart (personally when it come to drugstore products, shop at Walmart as they are way cheaper than Shopppers).  This product is available in 7 different shades, and retails for $8.98 at Walmart.  This foundation lasts up to 25 hours and is sweat and humidity proof. I really do like this foundation a lot, and even in the summer it does not feel too heavy on my face. I apply this foundation all over my face with a Beauty Blender. This is one of my holy grail products as I just recently started using this for over a year now. You can purchase Beauty Blenders at Sephora, as they retail for $26.00 for an original beauty blender. Yes I know. Why the heck would you pay almost $30.00 for a sponge?! Honest to god, after trying this for the first time as opposed to using my fingers or a foundation brush, my foundation has never looked better. It makes my makeup look flawless and sit beautifully on my face. You need to make sure that you are using the Beauty Blender correctly. Beauty Blenders should be distributed under cold water and squished a few times before application usage.  In order to achieve the best foundation application you need to use a wet beauty blender as this expands the sponge to hold a lot of the product.IMG_3469

3) For the third step  after you have applied your foundation, you need to set it with a setting powder.  This helps to ensure that your foundation stays on all day, and dries up all the “sticky residu”.  I love MAC Cosmetics, and will continue to use a majority of their makeup products for my makeup routines. For my setting powder, I am really loving the MAC “mineralize skin finish powder” in the shade Medium. It is always best to ask one of the cosmetic specialists working at the store to help you match your skin tone, making sure you are not going too dark or too light. This  powder can be used on it’s own without foundation and still provide a nice coverage which I love. This powder retails for $37.00 in stores, but has lasted me a long time. I would highly recommend purchasing this powder.

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4) After applying a powder all over your face to set your foundation, I usually move on to the contouring and highlighting of the cheekbones.  I have a few products when it comes the different bronzers that I use when contouring my cheeks, nose and forehead.  This is a very important step if you want to have more of a defined face structure.  I do not go a day without highlighting and contouring my face, as it bring out all of my different features. I have two different bronzers to choose from when completing this step. The first bronzer that I am going to share with you is from Sephora and it’s called “NARS Laguna Bronzer”. This is one of my favourite products to use, and it has lasted me a long time. This shade brings out a very “natural” look to your face, beautifully defining your face structure. This product retails for $48.00 at Sephora. It is not too dark and not too light for my skintone, that is why I am in love with it so much. The other bronzing powder that I like to use is from Sephora as well and it is called “TwoFaced Chocolate Soleil” in medium/deep. Not only does this product have a nice pigment to it, but it also smells just like chocolate! How cool is that?! I just want to eat it.  This product retails for $38.00 at Sephora and I would highly recommend using this bronzer powder.

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5) When it comes to highlighting of the face, I have tried many different highlighters from many different brands of makeup. I have heard a lot of good reviews on this specific highlighter that I decided to purchase from Walmart called, “Maybelline Instant Age Rewind- Eraser for Dark Spots”, in the shade light. I had purchased the “treatment corrector” which helps to erase and minimize the appearance of dark spots under your eyes. This product does not feel heavy on your face, and has covered my dark spots flawlessly. I can now see what the huge hype was about! I use this highlighter under my eyes, on the bridge of my nose and on my forehead. I then take my Beauty Blender to evenly blend out my highlighter. This product can be purchased at Walmart for $6.29.

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6) After contouring and highlighting your face, I now move onto my favourtite part of my makeup routine… the eyes! First, you need to make sure you prime your eyes with an eyeshadow primer. When I first started wearing makeup I had never used an eyeshadow primer because I personally really didn’t see the point in it, and had no interest . But my beauty bloggers, trust me.. this is a very VERY important step in your makeup application process. After trying an eyeshadow for the first time, my eyeshadow has stayed on my eye lids all day, and has not came off. Also, my eyeshadow has more pigment when it is applied to an eyeshadow primer as opposed to applying it on it’s own. I wish that I knew how useful this product would be earlier on, then only finding it recently because it is one of my holy grail’s for sure! The eyeshadow primer that I have been using is called, “Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion”, and it retails at Sephora for $24.00.  This product has honestly improved the appearance of my eyeshadow, and I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase this product again.

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7) After applying a potion all over your eyes, you can now choose what eyeshadow you would like to use. After purchasing the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette at Sephora, I have fell in love with it ever since. I absolutely love all the shades that this palette has to offer. This palette offers a bunch of shades ranging from beiges to browns, to dark browns, and lastly black.  I found that a majority of these shades you can use for “everyday makeup shadows”, which is what I love about this palette. The only downfall I would have to say is just how expensive this palette is at Sephora. It retails for $64.00, but I can honestly say that it is worth every penny, and you would not be disappointed. The current shades that I am loving is “Tease, half-baked, Suspect..” what can I say, I love them all!

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8) Next, after applying your eyeshadow I like to apply a liquid black liner to the top of my eye lids. I find that this step helps to bring out my eyes more as opposed to leaving them looking bare. I am currently loving this liquid liner that I started trying called, “Loreal Paris-Carbon black liquid liner”. What I love about this product is how it was designed, as you can manage a good,sturdy grip when applying this product. This product retails at Walmart for $7.59, and has a felt tip.

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9) After applying your liquid eyeliner to the top of your lids, and waiting for it to dry, you can now move onto your mascara! I have tried a lot of different mascaras over the years ranging from drug store products to high end products and I have currently found my favourite mascara by far. When looking for mascaras, I go for the more “clumpy and lengthening” mascara which adds a lot of volume to my lashes. Some may say I go a little overboard when it comes to the mascara but this is what I have found works best for myself. I am in love with the “Loreal Paris-Telescopic carbon black” mascara. Ever since using this mascara I have received numerous compliments throughout the week on how good my lashes look! This product retails at Walmart for $5.99 or a bit higher, but I would completely recommend this mascara as it is my absolute facourite and has not let me down!

IMG_347510) When you are finished applying your mascara and letting it dry you can now move onto filling in your eyebrows if needed. Over the years I have overplucked my eyebrows so many times to the point where they now have spaces in them, which is sad. So I have resulted into looking for products to fill in my eyebrows and create a more “fuller brow”. One of my absolute favourite and only eyebrow products that I use is called, “Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow Pomade” in the shade Taupe. I have always had trouble keeping my brows to stay on all day without smudging and coming off. My friend recommended this product to me and I fell in love ever since. After applying it to my brows it has stayed on all day, and you only need very minimal of this product everyday which is nice. This product is a little expensive for such a small container but like I said, you do not need a lot. You can purchase this product at Sephora for $23.00 and it comes in many different shades.

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11) Lastly, I apply a nice shimmery highlighting powder to my cheekbones, bridge of my nose, and my forehead. This helps to define your face more when it catches in the light. For this step I use “Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder” from Sephora in the shade Dim Light. This product retails for $52.00 at Sephora but I would highly recommend purchasing this powder. It sits beautifully on your face and looks flawless.

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