Waxing Week Day 3, Eyebrows

Alright, we've made it to the end of waxing week. I hope I've encouraged at least a few of you to give waxing a try. Today, I'm focusing completely on eyebrows, because they are what frame your face, and in my opinion are the most important and most overlooked feature. Don't believe me? Let me show you what I mean. I had a little fun with photo editing earlier.

This is what I would look like with big, bushy, untamed eyebrows. Basically, these are the eyebrows I was born with. Oh ya! My husband was digging this look.

And this is what I would look like with hardly any eyebrows. Which is what happens when you over pluck. You don't want this! Put the tweezers down!


So much better!

OK, so we've established that eyebrows are important. Now the question is how do you get the right shape?

Grab an eyeliner or lip liner pencil and turn to a mirror. Placing the pencil right next to your nostril, mark a line straight up and down. This is where your eyebrows should start.

Now, keeping the pencil against your nostril, angle the tip so it lines up with the outer edge of your iris. This is where the peak of your arch should be. And yes, I realize my pencil is off a little. You try taking a picture of yourself while trying not to poke yourself in the eye!

And finally, move the tip to the outside corner of your eye and make a mark. This is where your eyebrow should end.

Once you have these three key places marked you can go ahead and start waxing or plucking. And which ever method you choose, just remember to take off a little at a time. You can always take out more hairs but you can't put the hairs back on.

So, what happens if you accidentally over do it? I suggest that everyone invests in an eyebrow powder. This will get you through the growing back out faze. Eyebrow powders are also great for people who have sparse eyebrows to begin with. I have this one and even though it is a little pricey, it will last me forever and has a wax with it to keep unruly hairs in place. And my hairs are unruly. I also have a nice little bold spot in my left eyebrow from years of not knowing how to shape my eyebrows and over plucking.

And speaking of unruly hairs. Did you know that you should also be trimming your eyebrows? OK, maybe not YOU, but a lot of us do. I was going to try and make my own little tutorial, but it's getting late and I found this video that explains it just fine

Well, that's pretty much it. The only other thing I should mention is that it's totally normal if your eyebrows are not the exact same shape. Don't panic and think you did something wrong. Most likely you are the only person who notices.

Oops, I did think of one other thing. If you don't already have an eyebrow brush, get one. You can get one really cheap at any store that sells makeup and taking a quick second in the morning to brush your eyebrows into shape will help make them look polished and nice.

Good luck!

Waxing Week Day2

I hope you are all as excited about waxing today as I am! This is the fun part. Once you get past the nerves and pull off the first strip, you will see how easy and great waxing is. Before I get started though I did want to mention one thing. Waxing yourself is easy, however, there are a few areas that are easier if someone else does it. And, sometimes the hardest part about waxing is just having the courage to pull the strip off. So, I'm going to suggest enlisting a sister or good friend as a waxing buddy. Most women are interested in hair removal, so you shouldn't have any problem finding one.

OK, step one is making sure your skin is clean of any dirt, oil, or makeup. All these things will prevent the wax from adhering to the hair. Most waxing kits will have a pre-waxing cleanser, but if it doesn't just your normal skin cleanser will do.

Next, dip your stick into the wax and then pull it out slowly along the edge so the excess wax drips off.

Apply the wax in a thin layer in the same direction as the hair growth. You may notice on some areas of your body that the hair grows in several different directions. Just go back over the same area in those other directions until all the hair is gone.

Once the wax is on, place the cloth strip on top and smooth down a few times again in the same direction as the hair growth.

With one hand, pull your skin tight, and with the other tear the strip off in the opposite direction of the hair growth. One note about when you pull the strip off. Don't pull the strip out away from your body, instead keep your hand as close to your skin as possible as you pull across.

Once all of the hair is removed simply make sure there isn't any wax left behind on your skin and your done.

Oh, and one last note. If you do decide to wax your underarms, which I promise you will love, this is one place that is a little difficult to do on your own, and can get sore right after from your skin rubbing together. To prevent any discomfort just pat on a little baby powder.

Happy Waxing!

If you missed my first post on general waxing info go Here, and make sure to come back Friday to talk about eyebrows.

Waxing Week Day 1

If you haven't noticed yet, Jenn has been absent for a little while. She is still on vacation which means that for now I'm in charge around here. And since Lonni asked for more information on waxing (you don't have to ask me twice) I decided we would dedicate this whole week to my favorite method of hair removal. Today I will go over the different types of waxes and just some general information. Wednesday I will get into the actual how-to and I think Friday will be dedicated completely to eyebrows. Feel free to ask any questions along the way though and I will answer them in the next post.

OK, so Waxing is actually really easy but can be super intimidating. I was never brave enough to try it until I was forced to in cosmetology school and even then it scared me. Once I did it a few times though I was totally hooked. And no, you don't have to spend a ton of money. My first waxing kit was this microwave one from Sally's beauty supply. I still use this brand but now that I wax more than myself I have a large warmer.


These little microwave kits are great if you only plan on doing small areas like your upper lip, chin, or eyebrows, because they last forever. The one thing you do need to be careful of though is that you don't overheat them. I know a few people who can give you their personal experiences in that area. If you follow the directions carefully though and heat and stir a little at a time, you should be fine.

If you do go in search of one of these kits, you will find yourself faced with a couple different options. Honey waxes like the one in the picture are pretty much your all purpose wax. It is generally the cheapest, and is water soluble, which makes clean up nice. For most people this wax works just fine and is the one I use most often.

Another option is creme wax. This type of wax is best for people with sensitive skin and/or thick stubborn hairs. I really like this wax because it adheres to the hairs the best. The major downfall of creme wax however is that it is not water soluble. Most kits come with wax remover, which will clean up the wax but it takes a little bit of work. I once dripped a glob of this on my kitchen table and it took a few days for me to get it all up.

You may also notice waxes labeled as "sugar" or "hemp" unfortunately I don't have any experience with either of these. If anyone has used either of these two I would love to know what your experience was.

I do need to mention that there is a type of wax called hard wax, but I would not recommend it, especially for your first time. I knew a few people in school who liked it, but in order to get it off, you have to slowly pull up a small corner with your fingers and then pull it off the rest of the way. There is just something about holding a chunk of hairy wax in my hands that weirds me out. At least with the strips there is something to hold onto other than the wax or hair.

OK, moving on. The biggest thing people want to know about waxing is how long will it last. Once you pull out a hair it can take anywhere from one week to several weeks to grow back. Where people get confused though is that they wax or shave and then the next day they may feel a few little hairs again. Those hairs were not the ones you just waxed! All the hairs on your body go through cycles. Growing, resting, and falling out. So, even if you grow out your leg hairs for two weeks and then wax them, you may have a few hairs that were just below the surface and then popped up the next day. The good news is though that you probably won't notice those few little hairs unless you are really looking. Also, if you do wax frequently, you may notice your hairs eventually thinning out and taking longer to grow back.

That brings me to the next question. How long do I need to grow out my hair before I wax? I always tell people a week minimum but two is better. Mostly because if the hairs aren't long enough than the wax won't stick to them, but also because the longer you wait the more hairs you will have to pull out.

Don't wax right before or after prolonged sun exposure. Especially tanning in a salon. Along with removing hair it also removes some of those outer skin cells which will leave you more prone to burning.

As far as exfoliating goes, you do not need to right before you wax, (waxing will do that for you) just make sure your skin is clean and dry. I do recommend exfoliating regularly though in between waxing to help prevent in grown hairs.

OK, I think that's everything for now. Go get yourself a little wax kit and on Wednesday we will start getting rid of that unwanted hair.

Life Lessons

There is something you should know about me...I have a slight obsession with waxing. Really hair removal of any kind, but waxing happens to be my favorite. Now before you go thinking I'm some weird twisted person let me explain.

This is me. What, you mean I actually have to point out which awkward 13 year old. OK, I'm the really awkward looks like a boy wearing a dress 13 year old.

Yes, that one. A friend of mine was nice enough to post this picture on face book, which reminds me, I still need to tell her that were not friends anymore.

OK, moving on. You can see the awful hair and the bushy eyebrows, but what you can't see is what caused my most embarrassing moment ever growing up.

I can't believe I'm actually going to relive this moment for all of you, but there is a very important lesson to be learned here. One that every woman can learn from.

I was 13 years old, and in 8th grade. The most horrible time in any girls life. Anyway, I was sitting in class early one day waiting for it to start when a girl walked over to me. She got right up in my face and then turned to the two boys who were sitting by the window and proclaimed "She doesn't have a mustache!"

Oh, but I did. I knew I had one, and my mom knew it too which is why she had been buying me facial hair bleaching cream. It was finally on that day however when I realized that a blond mustache is still a mustache!

It was after that horribly humiliating day (I was 13 remember, so it was devastating) that I switched from hair bleach to the facial hair removal cream. I'm pretty sure it was not long after that I started plucking my eyebrows also. Anyway, the hair removal cream took me as far as beauty school many many years later when I discovered waxing.

I Love waxing! I have waxed every part of my body that you can wax, including my armpits which I highly recommend, and I will continue waxing until I am so old that I can't see those pesky dark hairs anymore.

Now I realize that waxing may not be fore everyone, but there are other hair removal options out there. So, wax it, shave it, Nair it, I don't care. Just get rid of it! And teach your 13 year old daughters to do the same. Please! For me.