Beauty in a tick: Hourglass' Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil in Soft Brunette

Hourglass' Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil

Bigger. Bolder. Better.

If my brows could talk, that's what they'd say.

My Lily Collins/Cara Delevingne mission is just about as old as this blog -- close to three years running and I see no end in sight. On a good day these brows of mine might appear full, but the sheer wizardry I possess in these small hands is downright frightening.

Behold the before and the after...

Before: Brows filled in with MAC's Mystery (a plum brown)

After: Brows filled in with Hourglass' Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil in Soft Brunette

I only require a minor amount tweaking by filling in the gaps which still lay bare from years of over plucking. 

My switch to powder was fruitful as it was a gentler approach. Waxier formulas proved to be too harsh for my delicate situation -- traditional pencils gripped and tugged to the point where I was pulling out freshly grown hairs. We were working at cross purposes.

Always wanting more for my brows, I switched over to Hourglass' Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil and I'm so glad I did.

For me, it really comes down to the anatomy of this defining tool.

Built-in spooley brush

The spooley brush is luxe, soft, helps to comb through product and keeps errant hairs in check.

Triangular shaped, retractable tip

The clay hued tip lines, defines and refines my sometimes unkempt brow situation. The product is firm yet soft in its ability to lay down colour without tugging or pulling.

No sharpener required. Win!

Swatch of Soft Brunette

This two-fer streamlines my makeup bag and completes my brows.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Hourglass' Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil:

• $48.00 AUS / $32.00 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 10 out of 10 bags — My eyebrows are thriving.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• Thinking about buying a backup or two.

A few lipsticks that really haven't bowled me over

The idea of them makes me happy, yet in terms of execution they all fell flat and have left me feeling uninspired. So much that I've been putting off writing about them. 

This blog, after all, is about the good, the bad and the downright ugly and I'd be doing you a huge disservice by not highlighting the misses I've recently come across.

The one that made me feel old: Clinique's Curviest Caramel

Clinique's Chubby Stick Intense in Curviest Caramel

Swatch of Curviest Caramel

Here we have Clinique's Chubby Stick Intense in Curviest Caramel ($35 AUS / $17 USD), it's not awe inducing, but on first swatch I thought it'd do for an everyday lipstick. I'll give Curviest Caramel props for its pigmentation and creamy texture, but I couldn't shake how much it aged me. In a moment of weakness I chopped my hair off back in January -- that cut made me look older than I felt. Applying Curviest Caramel was equivalent to pouring salt onto my self-induced wounded situation.

The one that I dread/loathe, ok hate: Napoleon Perdis' Nymphe

Napoleon Perdis' Nymphe

Swatch of Nymphe

Have you ever bought something because you saw someone else wearing it? Yeah, I did that. It was at a beauty expo held in Melbourne back in March when I regrettably picked up Napoleon Perdis' Nymphe ($35 AUS / $25 USD). If you're looking to magnify dry lips (thanks to winter) and fine lines, then pick up Nymphe - she'll knock it out of the park. Sorry V, this wasn't for me.

The one that made me uncomfortable: NARS' Schiap

NARS Schiap

Swatch of Schiap

Truth be told I'm on the fence about Schiap. It's so bright I need to wear shades -- Francois should've put a warning label on the tube.

Warning: Contents Inside Are Hot. Handle With Care.

I wore Schiap ($39 AUS / $26 USD), named for Italian couturier Elsa Schiaparelli, on Friday and I have serious misgivings about my timing or lack thereof. I'm all for wearing a bright shade of lipstick, but for whatever reason I felt a hyper degree of self-consciousness. I'm not bagging on Schiap, I just don't think I'm confident enough at this moment in time.

C'est Si Bon! Dior Addict Fluid Stick

Dior Addict Fluid Sticks

Dior first released these back in February and I didn't really give them much thought. "Meh, another lipstick, but I'm not biting." Once Dior dropped them in the US, my intrigue bloomed tenfold as the reviews trickled in. It's funny how the blogging community can simultaneously help and hinder my makeup addiction.

When I mulled the description of the Dior Addict Fluid Stick over in my mind, I couldn't help but picture Easy Spirit's ad -- looks like a pump, feels like a sneaker. The lipstick cross gloss is the fanciest mutt I've ever seen. From the sleek, sterile, syringe-like lucite tube to the glimpse of colour cradled tightly within the bullet shaped mould, this dose of lipstick is just what the doctor ordered.

Dior Addict Fluid Sticks (from top to bottom): Mirage, Vertigo and Kiss Me

Soft gloss wrapped in vanilla melts onto the lips, the slick then dries down to a sheen and finally the stain fades leaving you just where you started less than five hours prior. The cilia-laden applicator sweeps product across the lips with delicacy and efficiency -- I really love me some multi-tasking applicators.

The texture is slippery, never sticky. In saying that, I did notice the colour pooled on my lower lip, close to the centre. As a result I had to perform a small amount of clean up. Dior's newest formula doesn't dry out the lips, however it will hug flakes close like a long lost relative if you fail to exfoliate prior to application.

Swatches from left to right: Mirage, Vertigo and Kiss Me

Dior Addict Fluid Stick in Mirage

Mirage is a tangerine blush muted down with brown undertones. Average wear time is around four hours.

Wearing Dior Addict Fluid Stick in Mirage

Dior Addict Fluid Stick in Vertigo

Vertigo is a raspberry pink leaning red and perhaps my favourite of the three reviewed here. Average wear time for Vertigo clocks in around five hours.

Wearing Dior Addict Fluid Stick in Vertigo

Dior Addict Fluid Stick in Kiss Me

Kiss Me is a greyish light pink that surprised me, because I normally steer clear of powder puff pink. Kiss Me's longevity is comparable to Mirage. 

Wearing Dior Addict Fluid Stick in Kiss Me

The testing of all three colours has been rigorous to say the least since being placed in my hot little hands almost four weeks ago. Dior Addict Fluid Stick delivers true colour in the form of lip gloss with lipstick attitude.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Dior Addict Fluid Stick:

• $50.00 AUS / $35.00 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 9 out of 10 bags — Next to Burberry, this is my second fave lipstick formula.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• 'Tis expensive, but I just snapped up Wonderland and Pandore. This girl's always gotta have options.

First and final thoughts: Benefit's They're Real Push Up Liner

They're Real Push Up Liner

We can thank Alexa Chung and Lauren Conrad for the never-ending chase of the elusive cat eye. I certainly haven't mastered it in one swipe and I don't think I ever will -- pointy ended Q-Tips and makeup remover have both been my saving grace.

I was hoping, no praying that Benefit had the solution with their latest release, They're Real! Push Up Liner. For starters, it took me 71 clicks (yes I counted) to get to the centre of the Tootsie Pop. Erm, what I meant to say is it took me 71 clicks to get the product to flow and it didn't really flow, it just kind of dispensed slowly like super thick icing busting to get out of a poorly snipped pastry bag.

File this phenomena under: things Martha Stewart doesn't find good.

The AccuFlex Tip with stopper still in place (you can toss this).

It does't really hug. More like graze gently by.

Swatches of They're Real Push Up Liner

Before sitting down to write this review I dragged my weary self into the bathroom for one more go, because I didn't want this to only be about my first impression.

What I liked:

• It's wicked black, as black as charcoal (complete with soot, more on that in a sec).
• The applicator is soft and bend-y (helps with following along the contoured shape of our eyes).

What I didn't like (yes, there are more cons than pros):

• Didn't swipe on as smoothly. 
• When you re-trace over the dry gel, disturbed bits will flake off.
• One click of product isn't enough.
• It takes a lot of work to remove. My eyes grew sore and red during the removal process.

Finally, here are a few tips I pinched from the Benefit Pros:

• If you're not confident with applying liner in one go, stamp along your lash line and then connect the gaps.
• Once you've initially dispensed a small amount of product after opening, wipe the tip on a tissue, click again and then apply. This will help reduce your chances of applying too much product.

My first attempt wasn't perfect and quite frankly I was annoyed because I still had to go back in and perform a small amount of clean up due to the aforementioned fall out and on account of my shaky, unskilled hands.

Wearing They're Real Push-Up Liner

Touching back on removal for a moment, do me a favour by saving yourself $18.00 and don't buy the The'yre Real Remover. Simply soak a cotton pad with oil-free makeup remover, Neutrogena's version is one I can always count on.

Work slowly, patience is a virtue - just keep repeating that, Nicole.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Benefit's They're Real Push Up Liner:

• $35.00 AUS / $24.00 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 3 out of 10 bags — Benefit, you continue to disappoint me.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• Nope. I'll gladly fiddle about with MAC's Fluidline in Blacktrack and an angled eyeliner brush any day of the week.