Striiikes & Strong Brows with Kristie Streicher

I’ve always been scared of a strong brow. I’m not sure why exactly, but I always equate a strong brow with strong women, like Anjelica Huston, and until recently, I feared being strong, as girls sometimes do. I wanted to be delicate. Light. A wisp of a thing. A pixie. Guess what? At 5’9″, I am none of these things. True confession.

So, in the last few years, I’ve grown up – and embraced who I am, and part of that is embracing the fact that I am indeed a strong woman. And, likewise, I’ve embraced strong brows, as well. But strong brows? Well, they need to be shaped and maintained by a strong aesthetician.

Enter the Wonder Woman of strong brows, Kristie Streicher.

Yup.That's Kristie. And yup, she's THAT killing in person. A gorgeous girl who's destined to gorgify your brows. p.s. And noooo, you don't have to go purple like she did here…but the beauty is that you could!

Yup.That’s Kristie. And yup, she’s THAT killing in person. A gorgeous girl who’s destined to gorgify your brows. p.s. And noooo, you don’t have to go purple like she did here…but the beauty is that you could!

Kristie’s studio, Striiike, has become the go-to celebrity brow beauty bar, in Beverly Hills.

Hair clipped back and ready for better brows.

Hair clipped back and ready for better brows.

I stopped by recently and was not prepared for how much of a difference she would make, by simply tweezing and tinting my brows into her signature “feathered brow.”

Meow. In the chair with Kristie and the  cutest kitty cat mirror that you ever did see.

Meow. In the chair with Kristie and the cutest kitty cat mirror that you ever did see.

I walked out, feeling a little like Linda Evangelista, circa 1992…and I mean that in the BEST way.

photo

Kristie is gentle, fast and you’re transformed in mere minutes.

Before…and  After Kristie.

Before…and After Kristie.

While it’s not the cheapest option (shaping ranges from $100-$200), I would argue that it’s the single best thing you can do to improve your beauty routine.

Look! Even with my eyes closed, my glamour is on point with those Kristie-shaped brows!

Look! Even with my eyes closed, my glamour is on point with those Kristie-shaped brows!

When your brows are full, shaped and strong, you’ll find your other features complement one another more, and you’ll even find that you don’t have a need for as much makeup as usual.

More brow means less makeup.

More brow means less makeup.

Plus, did I mention how much fun she is? She had me laughing and feeling more confident, all in our 30-minute sesh…and there wasn’t even wine involved!!

This girl? Good times. Gorgeous brows. What more could you want?

This girl? Good times. Gorgeous brows. What more could you want?

So, if you’re looking to give good face, look no further than Kristie. It’s a glamour gamechanger for sure.

*Sidenote? I went last in April and am JUST going back for my follow-up visit this week. It’s July, y’all. That’s how good she is.

FUN FACT: The one brow product Kristie swears by? Mary Kay Brow Gel ($10). She says it’s a must-have to keep brows in line. And since she recommended it to me back in April, I’ve been swearing by it, too. Plus, as a Dallas girl, I loooove me my Mary Kay!

Who knew? The must-have brow product? None other than Mary Kay brow gel. So says brow expert, Kristie Streicher.

Who knew? The must-have brow product? None other than Mary Kay brow gel. So says brow expert, Kristie Streicher.

xoxo,
Dawn

Tuesday Technique: Anastasia Dipbrow for Beautiful Brows

You know what they say, groomed brows are the fastest – and cheapest way – to achieve instant beauty. By grooming your brows and taking a few seconds to define them every day, you can go from the girl next door to the, well, moviestar next door. I mean, you’re still next door but one is much more glamorous than the other.

Right now, I’m grooming my brows glamorously thanks to Anastasia Beverly Hills.

My Brow Beautiful tools thanks to Anastasia Beverly Hills!

Do yourself a solid and get the defining Dipbrow pomade ($18). This waterproof brow color is a must-have for humid climates, winter weather and oily skin! The smudge-free creamy formula glides on skin and adheres to hair for all-day-and-night wear. So you can dance the night away! And it comes in 5 true-to-hair color-hues so you’re sure to have natural, beautiful brows every time.

With the Anastasia #12 Large Synthetic Duo Brush ($18), I apply the pomade with the the angled brush end and then brush up my filled-in brows with the spooley on the other end. Then I finish by brushing just along the top of the brow so they look perfect and polished every time.

Tuesday Technique: Beautiful Brows every day thanks to Anastasia Beverly Hills tools

This one-two brow punch is perfect for those who want to achieve fuller-looking brows and you’ll see that you have fuller, more glamorous, polished looking brows in a matter of seconds!

 

xoxo,
BF

BF Asks: Which celebrity do you think has the best brows?

Whatcha’ Wearin’ Wednesday, Milissa S.? Stila Color Balm Lipstick in Betsey at Joie

A few weeks ago, I had a doozy of a day. Don’t get me wrong it was an amaaaaazing, unbelievably productive day – what with a shoot and 3 events to attend that evening.

The stage for the evening was set with the first event I attended at the oh-so-fashionable Joie on Melrose. The champagne was flowing, chocolate delicacies were being passed around and – lucky for me -there were Stila makeup touchups and Kristie Streicher feathered brow shapings going on!

Getting the "feathered brow" from the Kristie Streicher brow goddesses

Perfect to prep me pretty for a busy fun – yet working – evening out!

In the midst of all this, I spotted this gorgeous girl with perfectly shaped, feathered brows wearing the perfect summer raspberry lipcolor. A double Whatcha’ Wearin’ Wednesday opportunity!!

Actress - and our WWW girl - Milissa S. sporting a sweet summer raspberry lip - the perfect pop for a Hollywood summer night

So you know what I had to ask!!

BF: I love your lipcolor! I love your brows! I’m Dawn by the way. What’s your name?

WWW: Milissa S.

BF: Well, Milissa S., I gotta ask ya – Whatcha’ Wearin’? And who did your brows?

WWW:Kristie Streicher and her team did my brows, of course! And the lipcolor is Stila Color Balm Lipstick in Betsey. I love it!

Our WWW girl, Milissa S., wearing Stila Color Balm Lipstick in Betsey

BF: Well, we do too! I can’t wait to try Stila Color Balm Lipstick for myself! And after hearing who shaped her gorgeous brows, I sat right down for a feathered brow shape-up with the Kristie Streicher brow goddesses! And I was pleased as punch with the results!

Milissa S. and I with our fabulously feathered brows from the brow goddessed - Kristie Streicher and team!

And – I have to add – I just barely avoided going home with this new friend.

Coveting: This Joie Kennedy Tote handbag in Daphne blue

I tried to be responsible, beauties. I really did. But I keep dreaming about this Joie Kennedy Tote handbag ($158). Oh, what to do!? Looks like it’s time to start a very important letter.

Dear Santa….

 

xoxo,

BF

 

BF Asks: Have you tried Stila Color Balm Lipstick? 

Makeup Monday: Guest Blogger Nami’s Top 5 Beauty Go-To’s

Happy Monday, beauties!

As a beauty & lifestyle blogger, you meet a lot of fun & fabulous folks.

You are always checking out new products, learning new tools & tricks and being introduced to other bloggers’ trade secrets. How much fun is that?!

My good friend, Nami M. Scott, who you guys should know by now, is one of my fashion & beauty icons. She’s also my photography, photoshop and writing icon. Okay, I’ll stop gushing.

While I wish I could have her petite stature and naturally caramel-hued skin (there I go gushing again), I have learned that I can try some of her beauty staples.

Here is Nami sharing her Top 5 Beauty Go-To’s.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

 

xoxo,
BF

Things I’ll Admit To: My Top 5 Beauty Go-To’s

So, there are things we say we can’t live without…significant others, family members, pets…some get poetic and talk about the ocean, Shakespeare, the sunrise.That’s great. These are all great things. I couldn’t agree more, but let’s take a minute to talk about the things I really can’t live without for fear of turning people into stone with my unadorned face. (Insert a hard wink here…I’m trying to be better about self-deprecating remarks.)Yes, I’m actually writing a beauty post. Weird, right? I didn’t think it was my thing, but I do feel the need to tell people about a few product that are my die-hard go-to’s. These are the products that, if discontinued, may completely derail my entire existence.

Photo by Nami M. Scott

These are what they look like! And, look, I’m pointing that them to let you know how awesome they are!

Here are some super-convenient links!

  • Dr. Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm (SPF 45)
  • Smashbox Limitless Liquid Liner (Waterproof)
  • Makeup Forever Waterproof Eyebrow Corrector
  • Make-Up Forever Faux Lashes
  • Nars Pure Matte Lipstick (Carthage) / Nars Lipstick (Roman Holiday) / MAC Cremesheen Lipstick (Creme Cup)*

*Yeah, so I have 3 lipsticks! Big deal. I’m counting lipstick as one item here!!!

Ok, you have my list…my secrets have been exposed. The truth is, I don’t actually wake up looking like this. I know, I know. Hard to believe! Now to tell you why these items are so great. (a.k.a like a product review except I’ve been using some of these things for years…sooo, a product review looong overdue.)

Dr. Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm (SPF 45)

Close your eyes and imagine a world where having moisture, sheer coverage, and sun protection all exist in one product. Isn’t it the most beautiful thing? Now open your eyes and realized that it actually exists! Holy frijoles. I know. Amazing!

I live in Los Angeles, where the air is dry, so I’ll take all the moisture I can get. I layer this beauty balm over my daytime moisturizer for some extra facial love. It evens out my skin tone without covering up my freckles! Yay!

You can also layer it on for more coverage if you need!

Smashbox Limitless Liquid Liner (Waterproof)

This stuff is my jam. The liner pen is intensely precise, the liner is hyper-pigmented (it’s the blackest black that ever blacked in all of blacktown), and it stays on until you tell it not to. (Also known as “use make-up remover on it.”)

I sobbed on my father’s shoulder during my wedding (most crazy-emotional father-daughter dance award goes to Nami) and this liner didn’t budge…at all. My eyes were red, but my liner was perfect. Go team Liquid Liner!

I use it everyday to give myself a nice, thick line on my upper lash line with a flick at my outer corners for extra pizzazz. (I think we should all use pizzazz when we can because most things in life could be categorized as “pizzazzless”…if you can add pizzazz do it and do it with reckless abandon!)

Makeup Forever Waterproof Eyebrow Corrector 

I’ve mentioned this magic gel before in my earlier post (Mama Matsuo Musing #4: Brow Wow Wow) and I will continue to sing its praises. For someone who has very little in the way of eyebrows, this is just the thing. Use it with a hard bristled make-up brush (an angled one is best) and you get a product you can control with ease and that can be layered for more or less intensity.

Sometimes I go with a standard brow and sometimes I Audrey Hepburn the crap out of my brows and either way, they look great and natural. For those of you who don’t know what I mean, Audrey Hepburn used to draw in eyebrows that were much thicker than her real ones. This gives your face an overall more youthful look and, depending on how much you arch it, can also give you an instant facelift.

This brow gel will not go anywhere. For the record, I will say that since I have oily skin, on super oily days, I’ve touched a brow and had it fade a little…but, really, what do I expect? Oil removes most make-up. The bottom line is, if I don’t touch my eyebrows, they stay on all day and all night.

Make-Up Forever Faux Lashes

So, let me tell you a little tale. I once got eyelash extensions because I found this seemingly great Groupon deal. The extensions were amazing. I had the thickest eyelashes ever. They were like brooms stuck to my eyelids and I loooooovedit.

But there are a few cons about having them…

1) You can’t sleep on your face (which I’m known to do)
2) You can’t rub your eyes
3) You can’t wash make-up off your eyes properly (you have to go in with swabs & make-up remover and be really careful…so, in short, it’s like surgery.)
4) You might end up with an allergic reaction to the lash adhesive

I experienced all four of these things and ended up in a state where my contacts would fog up and I wouldn’t be able to see anything!

Cut to me at an optometrist’s office, finding out that the undersides of my eyelids were covered in tiny bumps from my allergic reaction which were releasing stuff that was fogging up my contacts. So, yes, it was a party…the worst kind of party…the kind of party where there are no goody bags, no cakes, no piñatas, and no one’s dancing. In fact, everyone is reading books and not talking to each other…and the books are in different languages…wait a second, I think I’m describing one of my horrible nightmares!

Anyway, I got those extensions removed…but what people don’t tell you is when you have extensions for a while, they destroy your eyelashes. So, when you finally decide that you’d rather deal with what you’ve got naturally instead of having eye pus fog up your contacts while you’re driving, causing you to pull over because you’re basically blind…well, you quickly discover that your natural lashes are so damaged that they are practically gone. (Refer to the earlier “party” I had mentioned.)

This observation came about right before I had to leave for Fashion Week in NYC. I had to be on-camera or dealing with Fashion Week patrons all day for an entire week and I had three eyelashes in total. It wasn’t gonna fly, so I went and bought myself some quality falsies.

I mastered the application in the next week, each morning before going to the tents at Lincoln Center and by the end of the week, I was basically waking up and throwing them on before running out the door. At the end of the day, I could pull them off, rub my eyes, wash all my make-up off, and face plant into my pillow! Absolutely fantastic!

The only problem now is this: I’m so obsessed with the fluttering, fawn-like look the falsies give me that I wear them EVERY SINGLE DAY! And the Makeup Forever brand of lashes, when taken care of properly, can last you weeks! Just be sure to remove all the adhesive each night and clean the lashes thoroughly with rubbing alcohol. Store them in their lash case and you’re good to go! I love, love, love, love them.

No more bald eyes for this girl!
(Sorry for the long lash story…”long lash”…get it? Oh, puns!)

Nars Pure Matte Lipstick (Carthage) / Nars Lipstick (Roman Holiday) / MAC Cremesheen Lipstick (Creme Cup)

Last, but certainly not least, I have my trio of go-to lipsticks. You know that book, Two Lipsticks and a Lover? (If not, read it. It’s a great book that I’ve read at least twice…a great way to get your inner French woman going.) Well, I’m part of the “Three Lipsticks and a Husband” school of thought. (Oooh, remind me to write a post about that.)

Here’s how I roll. Every day can be a sartorial adventure and in my mind, not every outfit goes with one type of lipstick. It’s just illogical. Much like if you’re wearing too much eye make-up and you wear a strong lip, you’ll end up looking like a clown, a harlot, or a harlot clown (riding your unicycle around the redlight district), I feel like the same goes for outfits and lip color.

If I’m wearing a strong color on my body, I probably won’t wear a strong color on my lip. It just doesn’t balance out…unless you’re on camera. Pale lipstick with make you look dead on camera, so just keep that in mind. However, on the day-to-day, pale lipstick is a nice way to look natural, but still have a little bit of color. (I would mention blush, by my list was only top 5, so I had to leave blush out.)

So, Nars Pure Matte Lipstick in Carthage for LBDs and super neutral outfits! Nars Lipstick in Roman Holiday for a splash of girliness (and it can go with loud colors or neutral outfits) and MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Creme Cup for crazier-colored outfits, a super natural look, or (if you layer it on) a great 60’s mod look. I’m such a sucker for London in the 60’s. Thick lashes, short haircuts, androgynous models, and pale lips. It’s one of my aesthetic obsessions!

……………………….
So, there you have it. My top 5 beauty choices of all time!
Hope you get to try them out, suggest them to friends, give them as gifts, or add them to your event goody bags! They’re sure to be a hit! xo!

 

BF Asks: What are YOUR top 5 beauty go-to’s?