Oftentimes, when I run around the house trying to make it to places on time, the last thing I have time for is makeup. I also tend to get carried away with makeup if I have no purpose, so I just let my skin breathe. Some moisturizer and SPF, and some lip gloss. Ready. That was then.

My building has a mirrored lobby and it serves as a great checkpoint before heading out into the streets, as well as a double check of how it all ended when I'm coming back in. The biggest problem I've encountered is the dance that my eyebrows like to do. They'll be brushed and behaving before I leave, and at some point (because I surely don't know when) they start pointing in every which direction, as if they all operate to a separate compass, independent from the other.

For a while, my secret to static brows was hairspray. I would take a disposable eyebrow/mascara brush and place it centimeters away from the hairspray nozzle. Then I'd give the aerosol a whirl. Once on, I'd brush my eyebrows to the perfect position. When I had no brushes or spools, I would spray on my finger and work my magic with my digits. Then I started reminiscing about the days that I was the proud owner of clear mascaras and brow gels. Was I really happy with letting all this hair spray just sit on my face? My occasional paranoia would hit and I would start envisioning the spray leaking down and burning my eyes in the rain or during a heavy workout.

The return to sanity was having a clear gel in my life again. Ones like the Ardell Brow Sculpting Gel come in a small tube and are multifunctional. The clear gel can tame a brow set on dancing the night away, as well as coat lashes. When on lashes, the gel separates and gives a wet look, brightening the face a bit. It usually looks as though you splashed water on your face and dried everything by the lashes. The gel also sets the lashes to be curled and separated, without smudging or being weighed down. (Plus - if you happen to be a crybaby like me and let go of the waterworks while watching kid movies, it wouldn't hurt to have something clear mix in, instead of blobs of brown and black from mascaras). When I have shoots, I also like to use clear gel on males to tame their sideburns and facial hair.

What's your secret ingredient?

Share