Cough. I skipped my March Faves… I don’t reckon anyone noticed (anyone?!) Here’s April’s Loves. Let’s not sweat the small stuff…
Elf Brow Kit
I’ve mentioned this product before, nearly 100 years ago. This is a cheap and cheerful brow kit that I got from Kmart for the pricely sum of ten Kiwi buckaroos (good price, yes, but it’s only US$3 if you bought it in the States… Grrr). There’s a brow wax in the kit and a powder. The idea is to set your brows in place with the wax, which is coloured, then touch them up with the powder. Bugger the powder, that’s unnecessary faffing around. There’s four colours: Ash (good for blondes), Light, Medium and Dark. I’m a darkie… So I’m dark.
How does it work? I shape my brows with the dark brown wax, using my Billion Dollar Brows brush and I’m done, I don’t even bother applying the powder on top. The wax formula is pretty grippy and sticks around all days on my brows, which is slightly miraculous as I have oily skin and struggle to keep makeup on my face post lunchtime.
If you are too far to get into Kmart in person, hop online to iHerb – you’ll get this cheaper than Kmart ($4.36 at the time of writing this post) however, you’ll pay shipping on top. By the way, the brow kit comes with it’s own brush, but it’s shit (IMO). Invest in a good one – ELF do a specific, standalone, brow brush which is cheap and temporarily decent. I say ‘temporarily’ as the one I bought lost it’s shape after a few months and went floppy and it went to Beauty Heaven (in the bin). I recommend getting a decent one. Which brow brush tickles my fancy? Glad you asked. Keep reading.
Billion Dollar Brow Brush
Read above. This brush is the bomb diggity. It’s the only brow brush I use. I used the MAC 266 angled brow brush for years… I don’t even know where this is now.
This BDB brush comes with a spoolie at one end, great for brushing brows in place, as well as brushing away excess product if you get a bit heavy handed (!). At the other end, is a dense fine brush for the perfect and PRECISE application of brow product. I use this brush with all types of brow product: Brow powders (inc eyeshadow, yes you can use that on brows), brow wax like ELF’s Brow Kit, as well as my Anastasia Dip Brow Pomade (I raved about Dip Brow in this blog post – this brow product still a fave, on and off). Handily, the brush can also double up for the application of eyeliner around the eyes.
Exec Summary: This is a super-duper little brush and if I lost it, I’d be immediately be hopping online to buy a new one.
Price: NZ$32. Buy online here. Napier dwellers should pop into Brow Addicts, on Market Street, they have them in stock.
Lisa’s Whipped Dips
When I think of Lisa’s I think hummus. Think no more, this is a range of sour cream based dips that have been whipped within an inch of their life. They are light fluffy, pack a heckload of flavour and are utterly scrummy. I found a stash in Pak n’ Save in Pukekohe and The Boy and my Step Mother and I scoffed a tub before dinner and totally wrecked our appetites. There’s three flavours, I’ve only tried two flavours: Sweet Chilli Peppers and Roasted Capsicum and the ‘pink one’: Beetroot, Pomegranate and Fresh Mint . The third flavour is Vintage Cheddar, Caramelised Onion & Thyme – which I’ll get next time I’m at the supermarket. Anyway, the flavours I’ve tried so far come with a warning: Share with a friend, ideally several friends, as part of a meal, not before a meal: Otherwise you’ll get carried away…And you’ll wreck your appetite.
Buy from: Leading supermarkets. Can’t remember the price. Under five bucks from memory. Check out the range here.
Blossom Lipstick – By World Organics
I think if I didn’t include this lipstick in this month’s favourites someone would pull me up! This is a certified organic lipstick and, in my opinion is the perfect bright pink. I’m addicted and have busted out this lip colour regularly over the past eight weeks. It is an instant mood enhancer. It’s creamy and nourishing and – get this, doesn’t spread out into fine lines. Yip: It stays PUT.
Buy Blossom here from my World Organics Store. This is NZ$34 or $27.20 for Jasmine Club members.
Close Enough to Touch – Colleen Oakley
I blame Colleen Oakley now for a series of late nights a few weeks back. #unputdownable.
Imagine being allergic to… People. Imagine if skin-to-skin contact could kill you. This is the unfortunate reality of Jubilee Jenkins who has a rare and debilitating medical condition. A recluse, Jubilee has lived in the confinements of her home for nine years, since she nearly died after pashing a hot boy at high school. Economic reality hits home when Jubilee’s Mum dies and she has no financial support, so Jubilee ventures out to face the world – and the people in it. One of the people in that world is Eric Keagan, a man who is new to town, with his adopted son, who, incidentally, is a brilliant, if psychologically troubled boy, who offers an abundance of side story entertainment.
I adored this read, well, that is, I got into it once Jubilee actually left the house. I was getting irritated with her homebound state, so the minute she stepped outside, I was riveted! This unconventional love story is a bit Jojo Moyes, infused with Charity Norman, meets a slightly less intense Jodi Picoult read. A quality read, I might drop the author a line to suggest a sequel, or better yet, a movie.
