HOW I FILL IN MY EYEBROWS

You might not know it but your eyebrows are the frames of your face, they can add a lot of power to your eyes and can make or break an entire makeup look. However, many women are still scared to fill in their brows. When you say filled in eyebrow many think of the harsh drew on black lines a la Cruella De Vil, well it certainly doesn't have to look like that! You can shape and fill in your brows in a very subtle way so they will look natural and neat. I'm personally a big fan of this look. Since a year I've been doing my brows in a specific way and I've noticed a huge difference in pictures and have also been getting a lot of compliments!

Keep reading if you're curious about my eyebrow routine! 

 The tools

An eyebrow pencil from Catrice in the same or a slighly lighter color than your eyebrows.

A non-shimmery eyeshadow or any powder in a similar color as your eyebrows. I use the color S07 of the Une palette Yeux Universelle.

A sharp angled brush.

The steps

1. Draw on a bottom line with the eyebrow pencil. Make sure it's straight and it follows the natural line of your brow.

2. Repeat the first step but now on the top part of your eyebrow. 

3. Elongate your brow. Create a sharp edge at the end of your brow using the pencil. If you don't know where your brow should end take a pencil and put it in a diagonal line across your nostril and the outer corner of your eye, where the pencil ends your eyebrow needs to end. 

4. Draw a vertical line on the beginning of your brow to give it more definition. 

5. Take your angled brush with some eyeshadow and start filling in gaps in your brows. Don't use too much product, it's better to build up than to overdo it.

6. Brush out the hairs. You can also use an eyebrow gel to keep all the hairs in place all day or night.

Before

As you can see my eyebrows have clear gaps. 

After

The gaps are filled in and my eyebrows have a defined shape.

Sometimes I will fill them in even more, for example when I wear a dark smokey eye or when I go out and pictures with flashes might be taken. But on a daily basis I keep it soft and go for this natural groomed look! 

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HOW TO WASH CLIP IN HAIR EXTENSIONS - TUTORIAL

Today I'm showing you how to wash your clip in hair extensions. A lot of people fear to damage their hair extensions while washing them, but if you follow these steps you can't go wrong. I've used this routine for some years and my extensions feel softer and smell better after every wash. 

I do this routine about once a month, depending of how much I wore them. On an average it is after 15 times wearing them. You don't need to wash your hair extensions as much as your real hair, since there aren't any oils from your scalp that make the extensions greasy. However you do need to wash them for removing hair spray, heat protectants, smells etc. Let's get started! 

Brush out all the knots. Otherwise the extensions will get tangled during washing.

Wet the hair completely from top to bottom with lukewarm water. It's ok when the clips get wet, they're plastic and won't get damaged.

The hair extensions need to be very wet.

Time for shampooing! I chose this shampoo from L'oréal, just because it's the one I'm using currently on my own hair. 

I use this amount of shampoo, it's a little bit more than I use on my own hair. They smelled of smoke very bad (I went to a party in the weekend) plus I used hair spray on them, so I wanted to clean them very well.

Carefully wash the hair. Don't rub the hair up and down too much, rather massage softly so you don't damage the hair.

Leave the shampoo in for 10 seconds, so it can really clean the hair. 

Rinse out the shampoo with lukewarm water. 

Squeeze out the water to get towel dry hair. 

Time to nurture the hair extensions! Choose a hair mask and spread it out on the hair. Massage it in and let it sit for the recommended period. I used these Belle Color Hair masks that come with my hair dyes. 

Letting the hair absorb the mask. This will add shine and softness to your extensions. 

Rinse out with lukewarm water and squeeze out the water again. 

Lay your extensions on a towel. Spread them out so they can dry. 

Important! Don't comb your extensions. I noticed they don't look as good as when you let them dry in their natural wave. 

Wait an hour into the drying process to use a serum or protectant on the towel dry hair. This will again add shine and softness to your hair extensions, just as it does with your own hair.

Finally leave them on the towel until they're completely dry. You can now comb through them and style them as you want. 

The result after the wash.

I hope you found this tutorial helpful! 

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DIY CLIP IN EXTENSIONS

Today I'm talking about one of the greatest beauty inventions of all time, CLIP IN EXTENSIONS! I have been a fan of these babies for over six years now and don't think I'll ever fall out of love. Clip in extensions are super easy to apply and versatile in styles. They're very easy to manage and unlike permanent extensions you can just clip them out at times you don't want to wear them. For example when you go to the beach, work out, want to sleep comfortably,... Besides their user friendliness clip ins have to offer, they're also way less expensive than keratine extensions. Especially when you make them yourself. I will show you how to do so now, so let's get started!

hair wefts 

clips

needle

thread (in the same color as your extensions)

scissors

Buy your hair wefts in a hair shop or online. (For the Belgian readers, I get mine in Antwerp in the Offerandestraat. There are a lot of hair shops here with a large variety of hair in color and texture.) You can buy 100% human hair or synthetic hair. The synthetic hair is less expensive but you won't be able to curl or straighten it and it is a bit more shiny than human hair. 

I bought two sets of 100% human hair, 18", in two shades. Brown/reddish and light brown/blonde ones. I mix these two colors together to give more depth to my hair. My own hair has a lot of different colors in it too, so this way the extensions will match my natural hair better. 

Choosing the right shade that matches your own hair is very important. Noticeable extensions are a big no no, so make sure to take your time to pick out the right shade. 

I wear three wefts around the crown of my head and two on the sides of my head. You need to measure the wefts around your head so they will fit perfectly. 

Now cut the extensions as you have measured them. 

You are left with one weft. 

Now cut the same size extension again. These two will be sewn together, to make the extension thicker. 

Lay out the clips on your extensions. This way you get an idea of where to sew them and how many space you should leave in between the clips. I usually put three clips on the lowest weft, four clips on the middle and top weft, and two clips on each side weft. 

Now sew the clip on your extension. Sew through the top hole of the clip. 

When you feel the clip is secure enough, cut through the thread and tie the ends together in two knots. 

Finished clip, front view. 

Finished clip, back view.

Sew on the second layer on your extension. I sew this layer on the back of the extensions for the wefts around my head. 

In this photo a side weft is shown. I use a smaller piece of weft that suits between the two clips. I do this to make sure the weft isn't too thick, so it won't look bumpy on the sides of my head. 

Finished result.

All you have to do now is cut them and you're done! I always try to cut mine very natural, to remove the blunt and straight line of the extensions. 

I hope you liked this tutorial and you will try it out yourself. I've loving this method for a long time, clip ins are definitely my fave kind of extensions! 

x x x

TUTORIAL FALSE NAILS - FRENCH MANICURE

WHAT YOU NEED

   

• Nail polish remover and some cotton pads
• A nail set - this one is from Broadway Nails, the Fast French Sensibly Chic (in medium length) 
• A nail file

 LET'S GET TO IT!

1. Remove nail polish (if) you have on. File your nails if necessary. Push back your nail cuticles with the "tooth pick" included in the nail set. 

2. Take out your fake nails and start fitting them onto your own nails. 

3. Lay your chosen nails out in a row, in order that you're going to put them on. Put a drop of glue onto the inside of your fake nail and spread it out. Place it on your natural nail, first close to the cuticle then on the edge. Press down your nail for 20-30 seconds to avoid glue bubbles under your nail. Finish off with a topcoat or any color of nail polish you want.

Between steps 2 and 3 it is possibly necessary to file down the sides of the false nails, this to make them fit better.

RESULT

These Broadway Nails can last up to 7 days, but I wear them for only 3 to 4 days. 

x x x