Saturday, June 19, 2010

Beauty Bummer: Anastasia Mini Wax Kit

Believe me, taking the time to shape your eyebrows is worth it. Having nicely shaped and filled in brows brings the lots of attention to your eyes. My eyebrows aren't perfect at all. I get my sweet brows by using the Anastasia Brow Powder, Brow Gel, and Highlighting Pencil! I'm going to write a review on the Anastasia Brow Kit so stay tuned! Why do I love these products so much? Take a look at my before and after pictures below:

I'm sure you can see that well-groomed brows really change your look! Before my eyes looked tired and dull, but JUST by using the brow powder, gel, and highlighting pencil - I've brightened my appearance and contoured my brow bone to bring out my eyes.

I purchased the Anastasia Mini Wax kit because (as you can see in the picture above) Anastasia makes some great products! Well, as for the Anastasia Wax Kit... Welcome to Disappointment City! The directions in the kit say to first heat up the wax in the microwave. Then apply the heated wax to your brow using the small sticks provided. Finally apply a muslin strip over the wax, wait a minute or so, then remove the muslin strip. The first problem I encountered is that when I applied the wax then placed the muslin strip over the wax and waited… and waited… the wax NEVER became tacky or hardened slightly (like hot brow waxing is supposed to do!). When I pulled the muslin strip off, NONE of the stray hairs were removed. The wax stuck to my face and I had a difficult time removing it. It was like the wax wasn’t tacky or sticky enough to adhere to the hair and the muslin. Also, the kit doesn’t come with any azulene oil (used to calm the skin and slow hair growth) or anything similar. I was very disappointed. To sum it up in one sentence, it didn’t even look like I waxed my eyebrows.

Anastasia Mini Wax Kit
Cost: $12 at Sephora
Color: the wax is light brown
Scent: Light citrus
Texture: Liquidy, More gummy than sticky
Apply using: small sticks (provided), remove using muslin strips
Leaves your skin feeling: Hot/Burning, Sticky
Rating: <>

A better product to use is Parissa Mini Wax Strips. These are so easy to use and you get great results. It comes with the CUTEST instruction booklet I’ve ever seen. The instructions are very detailed – it’s not just about waxing, the instructions show you how to SHAPE your eyebrows based on your face shape!

There are 8 applications per sheet which makes 32 applications total (enough for 1 brow design and probably enough for 3-4 touch ups). Each sheet is two pieces of clear plastic stuck together with 4 little rectangles of wax. There’s a lot of plastic surrounding each piece of wax so you have really good control when aligning and pressing them on your brow. When you cut off one of the wax rectangles from the sheet and separate the plastic apart you will have actually two wax applications. All you do is take one of the applications – don’t touch the sticky side! – and press the wax on in the direction of the hair growth onto the area where stray hairs need to be removed. To remove, hold your skin taut with one hand and with your other hand quickly pull the strip off in the opposite direction of hair growth. Following up with the azulene oil that’s provided smooths your skin and removes any excess wax. These aren't complete instructions so just refer to the directions provided in the box. They are very clear and easy to follow.

Parissa Express Mini Wax Strips Eyebrow Design
Cost: $9 at Ulta
Color: the wax is white/opaque
Scent: None
Texture: Sticky, but even if you accidentally touch the wax it still stays sticky!
Apply using: clean hands, use a cotton ball for the azulene oil
Leaves your skin feeling: Smooth
Rating: <> <> <> <> <>

One more comment about this product... In the box is says not to wash your skin before you use it. The reasoning is that the oil from your skin helps the wax adhere to the hairs and not the skin. I had a little bit of eye makeup on when I applied the wax so the first few applications didn't work as well. Next time, I might use cotton ball to remove any excess makeup.

With any hair removal system, you might get a little redness where the wax was applied and removed. It depends on your skin type. If you're not sure, you can always test a small area to test for allergies and  sensitivities. I have sensitive skin but I noticed that by the next day after using this product the little bit of redness I had was gone. The Anastasia wax kit left my eyebrow area very red for at least 2 days.

Maybe I just might need to take a trip to Hollywood to see that “Anastasia technique," but while I save up, I’m going to stay with Parissa to stay beautiful! 

Stay Sunny,
Mrs. Sprinkles

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