BATTLE OF THE BROWS: Boy Brow VS Gimme Brow

I've been a long time user of Benefit's Gimme Brow. It adds a nice finishing touch to the brows and adds a bit of colour and thickness. It's great to use on it's own or on top of other products.
It's a cult favourite. Many makeup lovers and beauty bloggers love it alike.
However, there's a new contender out there now: Glossier's Boy Brow. This has stolen the hearts that once belonged to Gimme Brow.

I decided to put them head to head and see who comes out on top?

Packaging

Both products have beautiful packaging. Glossier's is more modern, classy and simple. Benefit is more fun, colourful and almost youthful looking. Both tubes are very sturdy, but the look really depends on your personal aesthetic.

As for the brushes, they are quite similar.

It's clear to see that the brush on Gimme Brow is more tapered at the end and there is a little bit more space between the bristles. I don't think that necessarily makes a difference though.

Formula

As for the formula of the products, they do differ. Both products add shape, volume and colour to your brows. However, they do have a different feel. GB dries down to be more stiff, while BB stays more flexible.

As you can see, Gimme Brow (on the left) dried down to be quite matte. The fact that Glossier keeps a slight sheen due to the wax and oils, it mimics the light reflecting off your actual brow hairs.

I decided to do a little comparison on my brows. I have nothing on my brows except for these products.

Left is GB, right is BB. Honestly, except for the colour, they look almost the same. In person, BB looks more natural and maybe slightly better.

Overall, they are both great products though. I would love to know which one you think is better.
Let me know in the comments below!

A to Z health and beauty favourites

Health and beauty is something I’m super passionate about. I took esthetics in college, and it has remained one of the great loves of my life. Below are some of my health and beauty favourites for (almost) every letter of the alphabet!

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow in Chocolate

Blush, especially Love Flush blush from Too Faced!

Coconut oil hair masks

Defuser - The defuser attachment on my hair dryer has changed my hair game

Enchanted - My favourite shade of Revlon Matte Balm

Fan brush - A lifesaver when it comes to getting rid of eyeshadow fallout

Go For Gold Sally Hansen Instadry nail polish

Hand cream - I have eczema, so hand cream is everything to me

Instigator by MAC, my favourite dark lipstick

John Freida - A big thank you to Frizzease from my frizzy hair

Kiss proof lipsticks

Liner brush - My must have for on point brows

Maybelline - I love the entire Fit Me collection, and I’m a HUGE fan of their lipsticks

Nude lipsticks - They instantly pull together any look

Old Spice Denali deodorant. My go to favourite again and again when buying deodorant for my fiancé

Ponds cold cream - I use this every night after removing my makeup

Queen, Size - Actually Size Queen mascara. This was a hard one so I had to cheat. I haven’t tried this product yet but it’s high on my list of products to try!

Revlon lipstick, in the shade Black Cherry. Absolute heaven

Sanctuary, my favourite shade of Kat Von D’s Everlasting liquid lipsticks

Too Faced. All of it. I want it all.

Ulta. I’ve never been, but I plan to soon. I love the idea of one store with so many different makeup and beauty products and price points.

Volumizing mascaras. All day. Every day.

Water. It helps hydrate your skin in a way nothing else can. Get your eight glasses!

X gets a big x. I honestly can’t think of anything. I’m not gonna say I love something just to fit the letter!

Yoga. I’ve slowly been testing the yoga waters. Not sure if I’ll stick with it, but I’m liking it so far!

Zilch. I’ve got zip for z. Same with x. I’m not going to lie to you!

Now that I've shared some of my beauty favourites, let me know your favourite for any or every letter in the comments below!

Glossier Phase 2

I did it. I decided to jump on the Glossier bandwagon. 

I really wanted to do a full face of Glossier makeup, but this girl ain't made of money. Sooo I decided to purchase the Phase 2 Makeup Set ($50 CAD), which comes with the concealer, lipstick and brow gel. Lately I've been loving simple and quick makeup, so I was super excited to try this out. 

Stretch Concealer

As a first impression, I'm not sure how I feel about this concealer. I have very mixed views on it. On one hand, it's light and it blends in seamlessly BUT on the other hand, the coverage is pretty light and it's slightly oily? If you're having a really great skin day and just need a little something, then by all means it's great. It's not the best for covering darkness or red spots. I also don't think it would last very long on someone who has oily skin. You'd definitely want to set it with some powder.
I put a different concealer on top of it for a bit more coverage on my spots. I think this would be ideal to bring on vacation when you want a little something, but not a full face of cakey makeup.

YAY or NAY? Meh. I might keep it and use it on vacation or pray for a perfect skin day so I can use it.

Boy Brow

This is the one that I was the most excited for and let me say, it did not disappoint! I can clearly understand the hype around this product. It adds a nice tint of colour and makes your brows look thicker and more full. It looks great on it's own and I'm sure it will layer nicely over my other brow products. It doesn't make your brows feel stiff - it has more of a waxy texture that doesn't feel heavy.

YAY or NAY? Yay all the way! 

Generation G

I ended up liking this lip product more than I thought. It still has a really nice pop of colour for being a more sheer lipstick. It's very comfortable to wear, however, it's not long lasting. As soon as you eat something, it'll all come off. That's what happened to me. On the plus side, it didn't end up all over my face like some other lipsticks do. It did leave a very slight tint behind which was nice. Again, this is a good item for vacation.

YAY or NAY? Yay. It's a nice lip product. 


Here's my finished look using these products. I did use another concealer along with the Glossier one. Other than that, I used Boy Brow, some mascara, a light eye shadow and Generation G on my lips.

All in all, the products were pretty good. I do like the whole simple, no makeup makeup look. I do wish the concealer had more pigment though - even on my natural looking days, I want my spots to be covered. I would love to try some more Glossier products in the future. Have you tired any? What were your thoughts and what would you recommend? Tell me in the comments below.

Until next time,

Moving in is hard to do

Since my fiancé and I became engaged in December, we’ve spent approximately 25-30 hours together. He works 45 hours a week and is taking a university class, and I work 65 hours a week between my two jobs, so that we can save for our wedding. Texting and phone calls help, but honestly, it’s time for us to move in together, for no other reason (although there are lots of other reasons including convenience and cost effectiveness), than at least to see each other more. As excited as I am, though, this doesn’t come without reservations on both ends. I’ve never lived with a significant other, and he’s never lived with someone who wasn’t his mom, so this is going to be a huge adjustment.

On top of general reservations about space and alone time, there’s also utilities and car insurance and payments, and a lot of other costs that I wasn’t paying before. It’s a huge undertaking, and honestly a lot to consider before you move in with someone. I’ve honestly had cold feet a couple times (never about living with him, just about the huge undertaking that moving in with someone is).

Another contributing factor to the nerves is that this means that I’m officially, really and truly, an adult. Even though I’m almost 28, I’ve lived the past few years suspended somewhere between adolescence and adulthood. I obviously pay bills and buy groceries and go to work every day, but living with many roommates, it’s always a bit of a good time, no matter the time of day. Moving in with my fiancé means that it’s going to be a quieter and more adult environment. Every Sunday isn’t going to be a dinner party, and there isn’t always going to be someone up at midnight, ready to talk and eat ice cream.

But obviously, the pros outweigh my reservations. First, and foremost, I get to live with the love of my life. I get to wake up every morning with him there, and no matter how crazy the day is, he’ll always be there at the end of it. We can make our favourite foods, watch our favourite movies, and be our silly selves together. No late, goofy laugh fest with a roommate can top that, no matter how much I love my roomies, which is a lot.

Also, I get to furnish a whole house. My dishes, my cups, my pots and pans, my paintings and posters, all purchased with my hard earned money. My fiancé doesn’t really care about decorating, so he pretty much oks whatever I want. I’ve even purchased a pink dish set and bathroom accessories, and he didn’t bat an eyelash. It all feels so exciting and new, and I can’t wait to experience it all by his side.

Is anyone going through a big change in their life? Are you scared? Excited? A little bit of both? Let us know in the comments below. Also let us know if you have any tips for making the change to living with a significant other! I'd love to hear about it!