Eyebrows. They make us look younger, frame our eyes and we need them to make our facial anatomy look right.
Guys- just a quick word and then you can b(r)ow out :). If you have exceedingly bushy, or wiry brows, you can easily groom them with a manicure scissors. My dad has eyebrows the consistency of fishing line. He simply cuts the wild ones with a little manicure scissors in a mirror he has on the wall in the garage (access to good mid-day lighting.) He's been doing that since I was a little girl. He stays looking well groomed, yet very manly.
Okay, onto girl brows. I've heard four specific brow challenges from instructors:
1. No brows: never had them, over-plucked them, just noticed they lost them. In addition, nothing they put on seems to stay on, especially during and after teaching a good, sweaty class.
2. Sparce brows: aggressively plucked since middle school, they have a few miscellaneous hairs in the vicinity of their brows, but definitely need supplementation. Whatever they use to supplement their brows doesn't stay put all day, let alone during and after a good sweat.
3. Light disappearing brows: they have great brows, but nobody can see them. Their brows are either blonde, or that other light color that comes in 50 shades.
4. Too many brows: brows, brows everywhere. Unruly and they grow like weeds.
Before we talk about the four brow challenges, I want to look at brow shaping and color:
You can see the three brow shaping points in this picture.
-Brow shaping: An easy way to shape your brow is to take a pencil and hit three points. 1. straight up from your nose is the brow start point 2. from your nose to the middle of your iris is the top of your brow arch 3. from your nose to the outer corner of your eye is your brow end point. When in doubt, you can always get a brow shape/wax at your salon. Ulta now has a Benefit Brow Bar. A wax is $20.
Our eyebrows are sisters nottwins. They will never be identical, as hard as we try. So don't try that hard!
-Brow color: As a general rule, our brow color should be one shade darker than our hair. Please trust me on this. As we age, our eyebrows get lighter, until they all but disappear. We look SO much younger with brows. With the exception of the little old ladies that draw in their brows way too dark, most have none at all! (Take a look the next time you are out and about and let me know what you see.)
So, it's important to have brows with color and it's just as important to have the right color. Many pencils/ gels are simply too warm toned, or red. 90% of the time, I find a taupe pencil or gel is right for my client. Please make sure you have a good, neutral tone on your brows unless you truly have auburn hair.
Challenge Solutions:
Wow- do you recognize Angelina Jolie without her eyebrows?
1. No brows:
2. Sparce brows:
Both these challenges fall into the same basic solution category. A permanent solution is eyebrow tattooing. If you're considering brow tattoos, I'd strongly recommend having a brow shape and color you've worn for awhile and love. Find a reputable permanent make up artist that uses non-metallic ink and will work with you regarding color and shape.
My favorite non-permanent solution is Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Brow Mousse in taupe, medium brown and rich brown. It wears for at least 12 hours, just like it says! It's $28 and it comes with a perfect double ended angle and grooming brush. I've been using mine for 6 months and have hardly made a dent in the jar. Make sure to put the cap on tightly after each use because it will dry out if left open.
I like Clarins Pro Palette Eyebrow Kit for its versatility. It comes with three shades, so you really can get the perfect customized eyebrow color. Then you ‘lock it in' with a wax- so it's extremely long wearing. The kit also comes with a magnifying mirror, tweezers and double ended brow brush. At $37, if you have a hard to match hair color, or are prone to changing your color often, this one's for you. Customers tell me the kit lasts up to 5 years!
Prefer a pencil? The best one I've found (since Bath & Body Works quit making their ‘Earth' eyebrow pencil- at $6, this was the best taupe pencil around!) is Lancome's Le Crayon Poudre Powder Eyebrow Pencil in Taupe $25.50 . Be sure to buy a Lancome sharpener. The Beauty Specialist isn't giving you a line when they tell you to get one. The pencil is very powdery and encased in a plastic lining that needs a specific sharpener.
Once again, I must call out elf- Eyes, Lips, Face and their Professional Studio Eyebrow Kit in Ash. At $3, this is completely worth a try. Opposite of Clarins, the directions read to use the wax first, powder second. Disclaimer: I've not tried it. Have any of you?
3. Light Disappearing Brows: Blonde or uhm….gray, there really are two solutions: get them dyed, or Lancome's Modele Sourcils Brow Groomer. In Taupe, Brunet, or Chataigne (reddish brown), this mascara-like color for your brows is an easy answer for women with brows that are simply too light! Back in the day, I sold this to more than one man as well. This product also helps keeps brows in place. Thus the name ‘Groomer'.
4. Too many brows: Unkempt, overgrown brows can make women look heavy eyed, older, and even angry. A permanent 2.5 to 3 week appointment with a good aesthetician for regular brow waxing will take care of that! Lancome's Modele Sourcils Brow Groomer also comes in Clear for keeping brows in place. Clarins makes a product called Double Fix that serves as a clear brow groomer AND makes regular mascara waterproof, so it's a two for one product at $23.
This Friday brings a change of pace with a hard driving climb. If you enjoy a great bass line, this song will rock your socks.
A British alternative rock band, self described as ‘techno-pop punk rock', with a lead singer from Nigeria, this band originated in 1994 and was most popular in the late 90's. They reunited in 2008 and continue to perform today.
What's so fun about this song is our group vaguely recognizes it and we can use that to our advantage as we coach them through the 5 minute 65 rpm push.
‘Ready To Go' by Republica is just a great IC song- straight up! I've been known to play ‘Name that band' every once in a while and this is a great song to do it with.
I also say, “Are you ready to go?, because we are already gone”….that fires them up to work at AT.
I REALLY like the free download from Soundcloud. A Chris Chambers edit. I might even like it better than the original, so hurry and download it while the downloading is good!
When dancing years (and years and years….) ago in college, we had only one efficient way to remove calluses from our feet. We would sit around the studio after practice and use a single razor blade to cut them off. Thinking about it now, I am grateful I didn't get a nasty infection.
I continue to be a stellar callus maker and, since my college days, have sought the holy grail in (safer) callus removers. There's really nothing that ruins the look of a gorgeous pair of sandals and a nice pedicure like big rough calluses!
I managed to work up a good head of steam and increase my biceps size with the foot smoothers and pumice stones; however, my calluses remained in tact.
The chemical removers were just scary smelling and not very effective.
The handle version of the Ped Egg. Also available without a handle.
The the softeners only created a greasy mess.
BUT, the ‘As Seen on TV' Ped Egg is the holy grail. I love this thing! It has 135 stainless steel micro files and includes an emery board piece to smoothen after you file. The Ped Egg comes with, or without a handle (I like the handle version). It also has a little collector compartment for your foot shavings, although I've found this to be the least effective aspect of the Ped Egg.
At first use, I was a bit over-aggressive with the Ped Egg. I was so excited, I might have over filed a bit! We do need some callus to protect our feet while walking and running. I was quite sensitive for about a week, so be careful.
File and emery board refills are available for your Ped Egg in a three pack.
This is one ‘As Seen on TV' product that really works.
I haven't tried using a good foot cream afterwards, but I think it might extend the time between needing to Ped Egg again. Right now, I need to re-file about once a week.
You might ask why I just don't get a good pedi twice a month? Truth is- I'm super ticklish. Plus, when I DIY (do it yourself) I save a lot of $ and can justify spending it on something else :).
Questions, comments, suggestions? Something you love to use? Please comment or write me: amyjo@groupfitnessradio.com
I'd love to hear from you!
*I receive no compensation for writing this. Not even from John. I will happily let you know if I do in the future.
Sometimes it's about taking a deep breath, hunkering down into the bars, focusing and seeing what we can do. Today's music is exactly what that's about. At 94 rpm's, this very chill tune lends itself towards self reflection and deep intense work, with great opportunity for coaching.
Have you noticed often our participants equate hills with intensity and flats with easier work? I wonder when that happened? Oh contraire! This song is a ‘sleeper', as I ask them to add 10 watts (from base) each 30 seconds (total 8 times), holding cadence at 94. Wow are we pushing by 4:00, ending at 4:28.
No power? No problem! Just pedal away in time to the music at 94 rpm's and add load as described above. Before we had power meters, I would have the group look in the mirror and compare their leg speed to mine as a cadence meter if they couldn't hear it in the music.
Enjoy “All I Need” from the French Electronica band- Air.
Do any of you remember Sudden Tan by Coppertone? Research shows it was the cosmetic industry's first attempt at self tanner. And a failed attempt it was…orange and streaky and so obviously fake! I think I could still name a few people that used it in high school!
So, natural sun it was for me my whole life…until I took my daughter, at age 5, to the dermatologist to get a suspicious looking mole checked out. The mole was not good and neither was the look the derm gave me about my skin. Many biopsies and scars later, I no longer seek the sun for anything other than a little warmth after a long MN winter.
Good thing self tanners have come a long way baby! Because, even though I know tan skin is ‘damaged skin', I still love the look. I feel better when I have a little color, especially in my bike shorts in front of my class.
Since that fateful day at the dermatologist with Abby, I have tried so many self tanners I can't even begin to count them.
Instructors often ask me for tips on how to best apply self tanners and which ones I like best. I'll even include some that I think are awful :).
How to best apply self tanners:
1.Exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate…everywhere, but especially elbows, knees and tops of feet where skin is ignored and tends to get rough. Otherwise, the self tanner tends to “gather” in these spots and get quite dark in comparison with other areas of our body.
2.I've found it helps to apply a small amount of lotion on each side of my ankles and on the tops of my feet down to my toes, so that the self tanner doesn't over-gather there.
3. I like to start with my arms and the tops of my hands. That way the self tanner can ‘take' on the tops of my hands a bit before I wash them.
4. End with your legs and blend downward to your feet, trying not to add too much product toward your feet, as it will get dark there very quickly.
5. Wash your hands well, especially nail beds and in between fingers. Another place self tanner lingers is on the inside of wrists, so be sure to wash well there.
6. If you want to add additional self tanner to the top of your hands, a make up brush works very well. Just apply a small amount of self tanner to the brush and pop on your hand tops.
7. I like to apply self tanner at night, mostly because of the smell. Color develops in 3-4 hours. A shower in the morning and some moisturizer leaves a nice looking tan, and no smell.
Self Tanners I like:
–Alba Botanica: Alba smells decent, is super emollient and gives great color. I love the price too at $10.99.
-Quick Tan: probably my all time favorite. It actually smells good, the color is great and the spray bottle allows me to tan my back without calling John for assistance. My daughter, Carly, and I order 6 at a time from Amazon for a great price break.
-Lancome Flash Bronzer Tinted Self-Tanning Body Gel: minimal smell, great color, no streaking. Do not get the Leg Gel though! The Leg Gel has a very pungent smell. It also seems to come off in water, even after drying and ‘curing' for 3-4 hours.
-Clarins Self Tanning Instant Gel: this is the very first self tanning product I used (long before I worked for them) and I still like it today. Minimal smell, no streaking and good color.
Self Tanners I ‘kind of' like, especially for the price:
-Banana Boat, Neutrogena, L'Oreal, Olay, Aveeno, Coppertone, Dove- all seem to work medium well for me as far as the tan achieved. However, the biggest difference between the products I like and these is how my tan wears. With these products, my tan tends to gets scaly. With those above, it stays even until I re-apply 3-4 days later.
Products I haven't liked:
-Jergens Natural Glow. It smells bad, doesn't give great moisture, and my skin got a scaly look the next day.
-Ulta brand self tanner. I couldn't seem to ever get it to absorb, let alone blend. It stayed sticky and ended up very streaky. It also smells horrible.
-Victoria's Secret. Same problems as Ulta brand.
Why DO self tanners smell?
The ingredient responsible for turning the top layer of our skin ‘tan' is DHA- dihydroxyacetone. It's a colorless sugar (often from sugar cane or beets, just like sugar in the store) that works with the amino acids in our skin. This very reaction is what smells. The masking fragrance can make this reaction smell better or worse!
Do you use a self tanner you love? Please let us know!
Anything you want to talk about here at PRO/STYLE? Let me know! I would enjoy hearing from you.
Comments or questions? You can reach me: amyjo@groupfitnessradio.com
I receive no compensation for writing PRO/STYLE. If I ever do, I will happily let you know.
