Fashion Voyeur

People will stare, make it worth their while.

Categories: The Archives, The Beauty Cupboard, The Fashion Closet

Brow Maintenance 101: Home Products

Right, you can’t say I haven’t given you everything you need to get your natural brows looking fleeky AF.  What with How to Grow Show Stopping Brows as your baseline, giving you actual magic which will grow hairs on your face, right through to The Science of Perfect Brows which hits you square in the face with the two main trends for brow shape, and how to determine the shape for your own face – you’re pretty well looked after Voyeurs.

Assuming you’ve read and acted, here’s a guide to what’s hot, and what’s definitely not, in the world of brow maintenance.  Now as you know 2017 was the year that brows were compounded as a whole separate area of the beauty market.  From waxes and transfers to stencils and pencils, the beauty shelves were awash with products claiming to give your brows added zing.  But they aren’t cheap, and it’s a marketplace that’s difficult to navigate when every product claims to be amazing.  so, you’ve put in the work, you’re sporting a bushy set of Fashion Brows.  What now?  Well a lot of those products, you don’t actually need and you’d be better off keeping that hard earned cash where it belongs – in your wardrobe.

Well, my baseline is always a brow tint.  Go to a professional and ask them to use the HD Tint in a shade that’s just slightly darker than your natural brow colour.  I use The Wax Bar in Newcastle but most beauty salons are au fait in tinting brows.  When I’m done I ask them to take the excess off and leave whatever else behind which I remove myself at home.  This makes a tint last a full fortnight but on the flipside you look like a crazy person and therefore must go immediately home from the salon and never, ever look anyone in the eye on the way home.

So, home use products for brows, it’s a literal minefield but here is everything you need to keep your brows in check and one to steer well clear of…

Flatlay product shot of Tom Ford Brow Sculptor in Espresso, Nouveau Lash Serum and Maybelline Tattoo brow

NOUVEAU LASHES CONDITIONING SERUM £19.99

Product Shot of Nouveau Lashes Conditioning Serum Tube

Nouveau’s super conditioning Lash Serum is a staple beauty product.  I have two tubes on the go at all times, one for lashes and one for brows, whilst Nouveau do produce a specific Brow Serum in a purple tube, don’t bother with it and opt for this one instead.  When I’ve washed my face, toned, moisturised and my Lumigan has dried, I coat my lashes in this.  It makes them look thick, lustrous and glossy and sets them in shape ready to be pencilled in.  It’s super gentle and not at all sticky so there’s no risk of ending up with makeup stuck in your brows with this product.

TOM FORD BROW SCULPTOR £36

Product Shot of a Tom Ford Brow Sulptor pencil in shade Espresso

This cult brow shader is at the more expensive end of the scale when you consider that you can pick up a brow pencil at The Body Shop for just £7.  Stop buying other brow pencils, this is the real deal and will change your brow game forever.  Made of wax and sculpted into a blade shape, you can reach the areas under the hairs with ease and there are no tell tale signs or powdery finish like you get with some brow products.  It has a built in blade rake style sharpener and a brow brush too making it a brow powerhouse.  I’m going to make a bold statement here and say this one is even better than Anastasia Beverley Hills Voyeurs.  Yes really.  Once you try it you’ll never buy another brow pencil again, I have three; one in my car, one in my handbag and one in my bathroom.  It’s worth every penny.

MAYBELLINE TATTOO BROW

Product Shot of Maybelline Tattoo Brow box and product in shade Dark Brown

Maybelline Tattoo Brow is just awful.  The premise is that it’s a super temporary tinting product you apply at home, the reality is somewhat different.  It’s messy, difficult to remove and tears out precious brow hair with it.  That’s not even the worst part, the tint is on a red base meaning that it’s inevitable that at some point between applying the product and the tint fading some two to three days later, you will end up with ginger eyebrows and surrounding skin.  Which might be fine for red heads but for everyone else it means spending three days inside or wearing a balaclava.  This is a no go and for £12.99 it’s an expensive way of ruining your face framers.  I was horrified after using this on myself and almost resorted to a Sharpie.  Yes Voyeurs, a fucking Sharpie.  Avoid, and Maybelline if you’re reading this, do better.

Pixie xo

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet

What I Wore: One Freezing Cold Day

We all know it’s easy to pull together a simple outfit in the Summer when it’s warm, but what about Winter when we need to think about staving off the inevitable chill?  I don’t know about you, but I’m either boiling or freezing and I’m only ever the perfect temperature when I’m out of the UK.  In Winter I favour a simple denim and sweater combo.  This time I’ve gone for a pair of super skinny Abbott Kinney style jeans from John Lewis’ inhouse denim brand AND/OR – if you haven’t tried them yet, you really must.  They’re designed by the same people as Levis and the fit is incredible, they’re on the more pricey side, but they’re better quality than any other high street offering out there and there are lots of different styles and cuts available (their relaxed fit Venice Beach jeans are also worth a punt).  This look also works with a denim pinafore or long button through skirt.

When I’m layering up in Winter, I usually opt for a loose breton tee if I’m wearing boyfriend style jeans, or a short sleeved mens fit tee with skinnies.  Under here I have my faithful Stranger Things tee from Topshop but the real showpiece is the sweater.  I love wearing a ginormous sweater in Winter, particularly one with extra long sleeves and this oversized Jaded London jumper (available in Topshop) ticks both boxes.  It’s indescribably cosy and always garners admiring glances from passers by, I love that it’s super bright and that it has a higher neck, without being scratchy.  I often end up cutting holes in the cuffs of my sweaters so I can wear the sleeves low over my hands in lieu of gloves.



HOW TO WEAR IT

The trick to the sweater / denim combo is to a) get the proportions right, and b) make sure it’s not boring.  First of all decide on your jean shape, if you opt for a skinny then you can max out on the size and colour of your sweater.  Go for a ripped up looser style jean and your sweater needs to be more reserved and smaller in proportion.  Think of it as the eyes vs lips rule applied to clothes.

When it comes to footwear if I’m running around during the day then I’m always in flats.  You know I have a penchant for a cowboy boot but Marks and Spencer are coming up trumps with boots this season and these flat black rider boots are a dead ringer for a waaaaay more expensive Louboutin counterpart at a fraction of the price.  On a budget?  Primark do a tri-season shoe drop meaning that you’ll be able to pick up a pair of fast, fashion forward boots for just the right side of £20 that fit the brief.

Topped off with my trusty Marks and Spencer tifler I ‘d say this is one of my cosiest and probably favourite simple city outfits.  Simples!

Pixie xo

Categories: The Archives, The Beauty Cupboard, The Fashion Closet

The Science of Perfect Brows

If you read my recent post How to Grow Show Stopping Brows, then you’ll know that I’m big on eyebrows – both figuratively and literally.  Brows are big business these days and currently as far as trends go there seem to be two divisive camps, Fashion Brows and Beauty Brows, with one defining, overarching theme:  Bigger is better.  With this in mind, it’s no surprise that brows were the surprise leader of the makeup camp throughout 2016 and 2017 with the demand for brow maintenance and grooming products booming and it all started with the rise of Cara Delevingne.

FASHION BROWS

If you fall into the Fashion Brow camp the you probably don’t care if your brows are a little messy or overgrown, you most likely sport what’s known as a ‘flat brow’ as this is the shape which is scientifically speaking ‘most beautiful’.  The background of the theory is this, for years scientists have mapped out a living mask for beauty based on ‘ideals’ trends, shapes and symmetry amongst many other factors.  It’s been determined that the best angle for brows in terms of physical beauty is 14 degrees – this specific degree tricks the viewers eye into seeing a feline,  tilted almond shape in the eye and creates a ‘feeder line’ to the centre of the forehead effectively slimming the face and highlighting other facial features.

A 14 degree angle is pretty flat, hence the term ‘flat brow’ and if you study pictures of models in fashion editorial you’ll see that most of them fall into this bracket.  It’s my favourite shape of brow and the bracket that I sit firmly in, with no intention of moving.

BEAUTY BROWS

Beauty Brows were inspired by the HUDA Beauty movement and if one word describes them, it’s pristine.  These brows are uber dark in colour with a super high arch.  They’re the polar opposite of the Fashion Brow with an arch that tips the scale at almost 45 degrees – they require a pretty symmetrical face in order to reach their full efficacy as they’re pretty intense.

A picture of HUDA Beauty wearing the desert dusky palette

Beauty Brows are preened to perfection, you won’t find a stray, or a hair out of place and they follow they ombre trend for brows which sees a lighter powder effect on the shorter ‘sprout’ hairs closer to the nose.  With a Beauty Brow, makeup is visible and that’s the intention.

That’s the other thing, you can sit in one brow camp, and migrate to anther either intentionally or unintentionally.  Let me explain…..

If you currently sit in the Fashion Brow camp, but fancy sporting a higher arch, you can manipulate the shape of your brow through waxing and tweezing as you already know, this includes taking from the front corner to change the angle.  If you’re looking for a more prominent arch lift then botulinum toxin as an injectable can be used at specific points to ‘stretch’ not only the centre point of the brow, but also the outer tip completely changing the shape of the upper half of your face.

Not quite ready for the needle?  There are several formulas around on how you can ‘set up’ the perfect brow shape for your own face shape and they use your own facial dimensions to set the highest point of the arch.  Personally, I think they’re all bullshit.  You know me, I like to let mine grow wild and free, I don’t wax or pluck them and use a specific brow pencil to shade in areas that are sparse (see this post).  simples.  However my formula isn’t for everyone.  I’ve spent a long time growing my brows back from being tiny little apostrophes by using my hero product Lumigan, so I’m not about to put them in the hands of a trigger happy waxer any time soon.

A graphic showing how to achieve the perfect brow shape for your face

The most popular formula, and the one adopted by most UK and US Brow Bars, is to take a straight line from the outer edge of your nostril up towards your forehead, and start your brow here.  The second measure is from the same starting point out through the centre of your pupil, and demonstrates where the high point of your arch should sit, whilst the third measurement shows where your brow should end.  This can be used for waxing, plucking and shading and tends to dictate more of a Fashion brow as the arch is positioned flatter with this measurement.

Thinking about putting your brows in the hands of a professional?  I’m a huge fan of a brow tint and I visit The Wax Bar every fortnight to keep mine topped up, a tint makes brows look thicker, darker and glossier and it picks up all the fair baby hairs that you just can’t see otherwise – it can make or break your shape.  Do your research, pick a camp and decide on what you want in terms of waxing, tinting etc. and your preferred shape before you book, that way you’ll leave the salon happy rather than looking for the nearest hat shop.

Pixie xo

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet

Fashion Blogger Secret Santa

Well Voyeurs Party Season is upon us and I don’t know about you but the whole of December and January seem to just blur into one long, weird, party filled, seemingly never-ending month.  What with Christmas, New Year and then my birthday *hint hint*, it’s definitely a time for party wear and probably the only time of year I permit myself to wear sequins and embellishment.

Lucky then, that I was asked to be involved with the Quiz Clothing Secret Santa.  What’s that I hear you ask?  Well, it’s a fun little activity that sees Bloggers and Influencers paired up with one another online, to gift each other a full outfit from the party wear collection.  A dress, shoes and an accessory that they can wear out to parties over the festive season and beyond.  I had great fun making my selections for the blogger I was paired up with and waited with the excitement of a 7 year old on Christmas Eve, to receive my parcel full of unknown goodies.

As often happens with Christmas deliveries, mine didn’t actually arrive in time for Christmas but when it did I took great pleasure in opening up my Christmas parcel and relishing in the excitement of what might be inside.

Not my usual style but definitely within my ‘Fashion Zone’, I was sent a 90’s style slip dress covered in flip paillettes, a pair of studded turn down cuff ankle boots (very rock chick) and a black suedette clutch back with emerald and white rhinestones.  All perfect for party season and most definitely for New Year’s Eve.

Trying on my outfit for the first time

After a trying on session I decided to max out on rock chick styling with this party outfit and go for messy undone hair and whalenet tights with minimal accessories to avoid it looking too ‘overcooked’.  After perusing the party dresses at Quiz Clothing I think what I received is a pretty damn good selection, these boots will work as perfectly with skinny jeans as they will with ripped up boyfriend jeans and the dress works just as well with a skinny tee or polo neck underneath and a woolly hat to give it a grunged up edge.  In fact, I managed to find the perfect woolly hat with matching paillettes in Topshop!

I found this hat with matching paillettes in Topshop!

I’m super pleased with the Secret Santa outfit I received from Quiz Clothing, and taking part has definitely encouraged me to browse more fast fashion high street stores for fun festive fashion.  Leaving your outfit in the hands of another Blogger might sound treacherous but this was actually really fun and it’s definitely something I’d participate in again!  In fact, if you’re looking for a way to experiment with fashion, or to just get another perspective on your style, then grab a group of your best gals and give this a try – set yourselves a budget and go wild picking each others clothes for a party or event you have coming up, just don’t blame me if you fall out over it…

Pixie xo

Categories: The Archives, The Beauty Cupboard, The Fashion Closet, The Glorious North East

Intu Eldon Square Fashion Spooktacular

Struggling for some Halloween outfit inspo?  Then The Intu Eldon Square Fashion Spooktacular is here to give your Winter wardrobe a shake up with an added spooky twist…

From October 23rd to 29th you’ll find the Intu Walk-in Wardrobe and resident Stylist Emma on hand to dish out advice on how to create the perfect Halloween glam outfit – there’s no cheesy fancy dress here, it’s all glam, high street pieces, with a scary edge to turn you into the perfect Halloqueen come October 31st.  Whether it’s taking layered tulle from New Look to create a Corpse Bride look, or using Topshop’s sugar skull makeup kit, or even visiting Ann Summers for a tongue in cheek take on Natalie Portman’s Black Swan, Intu Eldon Square’s retailers offer a variety of ways to tap into Halloween, without having to step near a polyblend costume.

Already got Halloween nailed?  There are a selection of short workshops available from finding the perfect Winter coat using FW17 trends as inspiration, to finding a festive outfit to turn heads – with only 8 Mondays left until the big day you might as well sort your outfit now and give yourself one less thing to worry about!

I was invited along to the Fashion Spooktacular preview evening, it’s one of my favourite events in the North East fashion calendar and as one of Intu’s team of Bloggers it’s always a lovely opportunity to get a good look at the Fashion Week trends that have filtered down to the high street.  Given the Spooktacular theme, I wore my Topshop Stranger Things tee (which you can shop here), and was greeted with paella and sangria from Tapas Revolution on arrival as well as some familiar faces.

After a brief introduction from stylist Emma and a preview of some of the key pieces to land at the shopping mall for Halloween, we were paired off and set challenges at individual retailers, fellow blogger Jen and I hotfooted it to Topshop for a series of mini games culminating in a Supermarket Sweep style timed challenge where we were each given two minutes to style a Halloween outfit for ourselves from scratch.  We also got to test out the latest glitter Lip Kits from Topshop Beauty, at £18 they may sound pricey but when you see the effect they create and just how easy they are to recreate, you’ll be adding one in every colour to your basket Voyeurs.  After all, glitter makes you fitter right?

My Halloween Style Challenge Outfit
Topshop Glitter Lip Kit £18

The whole evening was rounded off with some spooky cocktails at The Alchemist, which is about to undergo a very bewitching makeover just in time for Halloween weekend, when the bar will see some of its most popular cocktails on the menu given a creepy Halloween spin.

So, how can you get involved?  Well, the Fashion Spooktacular is open to everyone and workshops are run frequently throughout the day.  There’s no need to book, you simply turn up, listen, then go shop!

October 23, 25, 27 and 29:

11.30am Creepy crawly homeware
No dodgy paper garlands or wolf masks here, feast your eyes on the chicest of Halloween homewares to get your house or venue ready for the creepiest night of the year!

1.30pm How to pick a wicked Winter coat
Discover this season’s outerwear trends including checks, red, folklore, sports luxe and capes all in an Fall palette of orange, mustard, black, camel, red and gold.  Learn the perfect coat shape for your frame, how to identify the right size of pattern/print and which shade will make your skin tone pop.

3.30pm Autumn/Winter capsule wardrobe wizardry
Our personal stylist will work with you to build your perfect Fall/Winter capsule wardrobe based on key pieces which can be combined to maximise your looks this season extending your cost per wear.

October 24, 26 and 28:

11.30am How to pick a wicked Winter coat​
As Above.

1.30pm Our top ten must have Autumn/Winter items
Featuring a mix of trends, we’ll run through our top ten must-have pieces for this season including ‘wear everywhere’ dresses, slouch boots, statement tees, knits and earrings.

3.30pm Scarily-good Halloween costume ideas
This is the chic version of Halloween, for those who really want to wow at their Halloween party. We’ll show you the very best ghastly accessories that can help create a costume using items already in your wardrobe and also super cute kids costumes for your little ones.

Bewitching beauty

The best of the the shopping mall’s beauty offerings will be on hand throughout the week to give you tips on upping the ante and levelling up your makeup skills.  Fancy a Halloween makeover, or just want to learn some tips on how to create the perfect sugar skull look?  The swing by for one of these beauty workshops taking place throughout the day between 11am and 4pm.

  • 24 October: Topshop
  • 25 October: Mystical makeovers
  • 26 October: Inglot
  • 27 October: Inglot
  • 28 October: Topshop
  • 29 October: Mystical makeovers

So, now you’re armed with the dates and the deets, you’ll be rockin’ a bitchin’ and bewitchin’ Halloween outfit in no time!

Pixie xo

Pixie Tenenbaum Editor's signature with fashion illustration graphic