I know…it’s been a while since I’ve been here. But as you may know, Mike was in the hospital, and my blogging time has been kind of limited. So, no, I haven’t gotten lost playing XBox games or anything like that!
Anyhoo, he’s out now, and things are going well so far. And I’ve finally noticed that I’ll be running out of my current BareMinerals Essential Brow Kit, so I thought I’d talk about it a bit here.
$32 for this kit may look steep at first, but trust me…it lasts for MONTHS. It’s still not as cheap as drugstore eyebrow pencils, but it is still a lot less expensive than high-end department store brow pencils. And it looks a LOT better.
So many brow pencils that I’ve tried, even higher-end ones, make you look like a drag queen, no matter how carefully you apply them. But use the little brush that comes with this kit, to apply the pure mineral *powder*, and it actually looks like real hair, and not pencil strokes. It is the best brow product I have ever used, and I refuse to ever be without it.
See, I have this problem, where I have a big scar on my left eyebrow, where the hair no longer grows. When I was a little kid, my younger brother threw a plastic container at me, it hit my eyebrow and split it open. Dr. Goliger had to make a house call (this was in the late 1960’s…yes, I am that old…LOL!) and he put stitches in it. But the scar made the brow hair not grow back, and it looks really weird if I don’t use some kind of brow makeup on it.
The third item in the kit is the Brow Finishing Gel. This not only helps hold the color in place, but it tames your brow hairs. I don’t like the pencil-tin, overly-plucked look, I tend to go more for the full-browed Brooke Shields look. So the gel comes in very useful for me. The gel is colorless.
The brow color comes in five different shades. I personally use the dark blonde/medium brown color. The best thing to do, if possible, is to visit a store that sells BE makeup, where you can try before you buy, and choose the correct shade.
The best store to go to for this is a Bare Escentuals Boutique, if you are lucky enough to have one in your area. BE is all they sell, and the women who work there are very nice and helpful, they will answer all questions and help you try out products.
If there is no BE Boutique near you, perhaps there is Sephora, which is a good second choice. Sephora carries most BE products, has test samples and staff to help you. That’s where I used to go, until they opened up the BE Boutique in the same mall.
They also sell BE in high-end department stores, such as Macy’s, Nordstrom, and Bloomingdale’s. I can’t speak for those because I never shopped at any of these stores. But the one place I think you should stay away from is Ulta. There’s one not far from me, and I checked it out once. Not only is the selection of BE cosmetics very limited (they did not have ANY brow kits the last time I was in there), but the staff is also rude. They tend to follow you around, just waiting for you to steal something. Maybe it’s just this particular location, maybe not. But when I am made to feel like a criminal when I’m just looking, I tend to not want to return to their store. It makes me feel insulted…I have the money to buy the products, and no way would I want to risk going to jail for stealing, anyway.
The BE Boutique is more fun, anyway. They actually hire people who use the product and care about it, and that makes it much more fun to visit.
Once you discover the world of BE, trust me, you WILL understand! 
