EXPERT SECRETS | Take a compliment

WOMEN ARE notorious for deflecting compliments with an arsenal of well-practiced, self-deprecating replies. Someone tells you that you look lovely today? It’s swiftly met with a practised list (no sleep, stressed at work, eating like a teenager) to prove that you are, in fact, just the opposite of the nice things someone’s just said about you.

But why? How often do men blush and deflect niceties? That would be never (or so it seems). In fact, it’s rare you don’t see a male chest puff with pride given even the most back-handed compliment. And more power to that bloke. It’ll be a shiny new era on earth when a woman swell with pride when a perfect stranger says something nice to her.

There’s a gap – a veritable canyon – between the way men and women receive compliments and (based on my anecdotal evidence) how confident they seem overall. It’s not difficult to ascertain there’s a link between seeming confident, being confident and liking yourself. Studies show that if you smile you’ll feel happier, even if you’re forcing the smile, right? So there’s a chance (I believe a very big chance) that the same is true of women embracing compliments...

READ THE FULL ARTICLE on LOOKING GOOD, NO MATTER WHAT

Your eyebrow questions raised & answered by Vanita Parti

Eyebrows are clearly on my mind this week (even if they're barely present on my forehead), and with reason. First the Diorshow Brow Styler made my scrawny little guys look like the face-framing wonders I knew they were born to be. Second, Beauty Woo Me has had a few questions about brows recently so we asked eyebrow fixer-upper extraordinaire, Blink Brow Bar's Vanita Parti, to shed some light on the mythical art that is good eyebrow maintenance. You asked, Vanita answered:

Can everyone thread their eyebrows? I have tiny ones but am still interested because I still pluck the strays from time to time. Yes, threading is just a better alternative to plucking as it gets the tiniest of hair out from the roots without breaking them.

Where does threading come from? Threading originally comes from China but is now predominantly practised in India and the Middle East.

I have really sensitive skin. Will threading irritate it? As long as you do not have any allergies and have been able to remove hair without any reaction before it should be fine. If you are removing hair for the first time, it is often a good idea to do a small patch test to see if your skin reacts to having facial hair removed. Make sure that you apply a soothing and natural lotion (tea tree or calamine lotion) afterwards and do not use any make up or perfumed products on the skin for another 24 hours.

Does it hurt? Threading is a little painful the first few times you have it done. This is because your eyebrow hairs are tough and are being pulled out for the first time. Over time they gradually get weaker and hurt less. It is more of a tingling sensation than a painful one, that can make you sneeze and your eyes water. However, if having it for the first time, let your therapist know and they will go slow!

Does it work better than waxing or tweezing? Most definitely. The results are infinitely better and speak for themselves. No messy liquids and no sharp tweezers to mess around with. It is also much easier to guide the thread to the perfect shape and every little hair out.

What can I do to make my eyebrows standout more? Use a colour pencil to fill in any gaps and even them out and then wave a coat of eyebrow gel over them to make them glossy and keep them sleek.

Why is eyebrow grooming so important? I've never really been bothered before. It instantly lifts the face and makes you seem years younger. Having heavy and unkempt eyebrows can make your whole face seem heavier and older. Having beautifully groomed brows opens up the eyes and balances the whole face.

What tools should I have at home for eyebrow maintenance? A white eye pencil to mark the boundaries of your new eyebrows. Slanted Tweezerman tweezers. Eyebrow pencil to fill in any gaps and even out the brows, cooling lotion to calm down any redness, grooming gel to slick the brows into shape.

Which celebrity's eyebrows do you like the best? Kate Winslet, Penelope Cruz and Frieda Pinto.

Every time I shade in my eyebrows it looks fake. Help! Use a pencil that is not to chalky and does not smudge. Do gentle strokes in the direction of your hair growth and then blend with an eyebrow wand.

Vanita Parti is founder of UK-based Blink Brow Bar. 

If you have a beauty question (or otherwise), email it to beautywoome AT gmail DOT com.

Which eyebrow is doctored with Diorshow Brow Styler?

Checking the post today, I discovered a box from Allure magazine. Tucked inside was a Diorshow Brow Styler. This package was particularly cool because a. it was unsolicited b. it really is a great product (look at the picture if you don't believe me... one eyebrow's done, the other isn't and it's obvious which is which) and c. there was a sweet note tucked into the nicely packaged box. 

When I arrived home after my first class at The Dailey Method (before measurements and post coming forthwith), the unopened box was still in hand as I picked it up before class, carted it from the Loop to Bucktown and back. Opening the door, I immediately headed to the bathroom and applied it to one eyebrow on my makeup-less face. Can you guess which one is filled in with the Brow Styler?

THE DESCRIPTION

The Diorshow Brow Styler is incredibly thin and feather light. It looks like a bullet (shiny, rounded tip) with a retractable, ultra-fine eyebrow crayon on one side and an eyebrow brush on the other. This is the high-end version of the brow pencil that I have come to swear by from Maybelline. The texture is smooth and the colour goes on in such thin strokes that you can actually build up a brow without it looking drawn on.

THE GOOD

Diminutive size and weight, great, creamy texture, brow brush helps to even out color after applied.

THE BAD

No cap for the crayon side of the product and the actual crayon is only approx. one inch long (so not much product for the price).

THE PRICE

Diorshow Brow Styler for $28.00