Showing posts with label brows. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brows. Show all posts

The Bombshell Files: Brow Guru Rashida B.

Hey beauties! Welcome to another installment of The Bombshell Files! I had the extreme pleasure of meeting brow guru Rashida B. at The Artist Summit in Chicago last month, and I knew I just had to feature her on Brown Bombshell Beauty!

Not only has Rashida B. has been featured in Vogue, In Style, Lucky, Allure and tons more publications, but she opened Chicago's first (and still only) eyebrow studio. A licensed esthetician and certified makeup artist, Rashida was also the first to bring lush lash extensions to the Windy City.

Despite all her many accomplishments, Rashida was one of the nicest, humblest people I'd ever met (pic coming soon!), and was nice enough to take time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions for Brown Bombshell Beauty readers! Check it out!

When and how did you decide to begin a career in the beauty industry?

I've always wanted to be in the beauty industry, for as long as I can remember but my parents wanted me to attend college first so it took me a little while to get here.

How did you develop a specialty in eyebrows?

I went to aesthetics school because I really loved makeup and skincare, but halfway through the program I realized that they didn't really the in-depth makeup education that I had expected so I enrolled in Columbia College's makeup artistry program where I discovered if the brows were "off" it took away from the makeup. My instructor Lori Neapolitan was also a brow "fiend" and she fed into my need to to sculpt the perfect arches. It was she that suggested I pursue it. I study faces all the time, I practiced like crazy doing tons and tons of girl's night out events too.

Tell us about your brow salon.

I only have a brow studio The B Spot Chicago, it's a private by appointment only studio. I like to take my time with my client and give them that one on one attention a lot of times they'll have beauty questions beyond just their brows. In Miami I rent a space when I go down, and I do house calls but it's also by appointment only. The person that just walks into any old place off the street to have their brows down is not my client. My clients would never, they value their brows much more than that. They realize how important the perfect brow shape is to their over all appearance.


Is there any difference in the brow needs of your celeb clients and your bridal/everyday clients? How about your clients in Chicago vs. your clients in Miami?

Just the types of brows they request. Chicagoans prefer a more "natural" brow, while my in-the-media clients and those in Miami of for a "sculpted" or glamour brow. They also have their brows done much more often.

You've also been noted for your expertise in lash extensions. Tell us what we should know about this increasingly popular service!

Don't shop for the cheapest price, you truly get what you pay for. I can't tell you how many clients who have come in after going to a bargain salon with adhesive on their eyelids or lashes glued and clumped together. Find out if your technician is certified ask them what brand they use then check that brands website to see if they are listed. Request some before and after photos. I had my photos on my digital camera so the clients knew they were my photos and not some that I downloaded from the web.

Many thanks to Rashida B. for her time! For more on Rashida B. and her services visit her at RashidaB.com!

Tools for Perfect Brows

I have stumbled across THE best products for totally perfect brows! All you need are three little products to get your brows looking like you just came from the salon. Check 'em out!


Tweezerman Slant Tweezers, $20 are a classic beauty staple, and for good reason. These no frills tweezers stay perfectly balanced and sharpened to give you the closest plucking possible. Don't be fooled by drugstore tweezers. You may not think there's much difference, but trust me, there is! Just try this baby out and you'll never go back! Plus, Tweezerman offers free lifetime sharpening and balancing. Pretty sweet, huh?






Anastasia Mini Duo Angled/Spooley 7, $18 was something that I didn't know I needed until I tried it. And now I absolutely can't live without it! I use this genius little tool every day to perfect my brows. Yes, it may seem a little pricey for a little brow tool, but it makes all the difference in the world to your brow game. I tried a cheaper brow brow brush and ended up returning it for this one. The poor thing just couldn't compare. Use the sable haired slanted brush to fill in and shape your brows, and the spooley brush on the other end to blend in color and brush hairs into place. I promise you, use this and you'll be thanking me forever!




Smashbox Brow Tech, $24 in Brunette rounds out our brow trifecta. This little gem makes all the brow magic happen. Just dip your Anastasia brow brush into the soft powder and apply for sculpted, yet really natural looking brows. No Oscar the Grouch eyebrows here! Just fill in any sparse spots and shape the brows. Then apply the soft and pliable brow wax to give brow hairs hold and keep them in place all day. I love this wax because it isn't sticky or hard. I'm telling you, Brow Tech is the business!


Just use these three little tools and you'll have your self a set of perfect, eye framing brows. Guaranteed!

Best Brow Pencil Around, And It's Under $5!

Ok, so I got a little carried away plucking my eyebrows, and the ends are a little...sparse. It wasn't super obvious, but it was driving me crazy, so I dug into my beauty stash and came up with Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in Dark Brown, $4. I bought it on a whim (and proceeded to throw it into my beauty closet), but I'm so glad I did because this little pencil is the TRUTH!

I usually prefer to use brow powders or waxes when dealing with my brows becuase most pencils are super fake looking. Not Rimmel. I just apply it in light strokes whereever my brows need a little color or shape, and I end up with really natural, perfect looking brows! Plus there's a mini brow brush to blend the color into your brow hairs.

I recommend Dark Brown becuase its a nice, soft, natural looking color. I lightened my brows and it still blending in! (Besides, Black is NEVER a good idea, I don't care how dark your brows are!).

A high quality brow pencil for under $5? Color me impressed!

How to Lighten Your Eyebrows

Hey all! I decided to post a How-To picture tutorial on lightening your brows. I first got the idea from makeup artist Sam Fine. He always lightens the brows the celebs he works on, and I decided to lighten mine after coloring my hair a couple of months ago.

Well, I colored my hair again last weekend, and was mortified to see my dark brows in the mirrored elevator doors at my office! I looked a hot crazy mess! The lighter brow color had faded/grown out, so they definitely needed to be touched up too. Check it:

This is me before lightening my brows. They look a little light here because of the camera flash and face powder. Believe me, they looked dark!

This is the hair bleach I used. Yep, you don't need any special dye or anything. Just regular old facial hair bleach.

Here's what was inside the Sally Hansen kit. Just follow the directions on the box, and mix the cream bleach with the activator powder.

I look ridiculous! Ah, the things I do for beauty! Depending on how light you want to go, leave the bleach on anywhere from 1 minute to no more than 8-10mins. If you're tingling, you need to quit! I checked mine after 5 minutes, and left it on for a few minutes more.

Voila! Lightened brows to complement by hair color!

A closer pic. What do you think? Would you try lightening your brows?

Beauty Find: Revlon ColorStay Brow Enhancer


You look more polished when your brows are on point, don't you agree? I like to keep my brows under control, but I kinda hate brow gels. They always dry your brows out and look unnatural and flaky. I prefer a brow wax, but most come in compact form, so you have to have a brush handy and paint the wax on just so so you don't end up looking like Groucho Marx. Suddenly taming your brows has turned into a major production.

So imagine my delight when I happened across Revlon's Brow Enhancer in Blackened Brown/Taupe, $9 while in the drugstore over the weekend. This ingenious little brow fixer has brow wax on one end and a brow highlighter on the other. The wax comes in a thin, retractable pencil form, so you can get a precise, yet natural, application. I look forward to using this every morning! I'm also a fan of the brow highlighter too. Most are too pink for brown skin, but this nude-y gold has just enough sheer shimmer to brighten up the eye area and make you look more awake.

Love it!

Blog Widget by LinkWithin
Seasonal_120x60

Search Brown Bombshell Beauty

About Me

My photo
Life-long beauty junkie. There's no 12-step program for this!

Labels