Until very recently, I thought a brow pencil was just a brow pencil. I've tried a handful of different brands, and found them all to be more or less the same — which is not a bad thing! But I just tried Tom Ford's brow pencil, and it's so much better that I'm afraid I'll never be able to "trade back down" to anything else. Maybe this post should have been titled, "this is why it's dangerous to play with expensive makeup."

If you talk to a Tom Ford sales associate about their brow pencils, they'll probably talk to you about the shape and/or packaging of their pencils. They describe the shape as "calligraphy style," and explain that you can use the flat of the pencil to fill, or use it along its narrowest profile for more precise application. I confess, I'm only using it along its narrow axis.

They'll also draw your attention to the built in "trough" sharpener (which IS nifty: Unscrew the back of the pencil to reveal the sharpener, then draw the pencil through the groove to reshape/resharpen).

But what makes this pencil so special is its formula. It just goes on so beautifully. Some brow pencils are so hard that filling in a sparse area takes effort. With those kinds of pencils, I find it very difficult to add to the width of my brow. A few brands make a brow pencil so soft that they deposit too much product, drawing attention to themselves. Tom Ford's pencil is a true artist's tool. Shaping and filling is no effort at all — the product deposits exactly where you want it, and it looks so wonderfully natural.

In my opinion/experience, a good brow pencil should be just about impossible to swatch. They're waxy and firm, which makes them great for staying put on your brows — but it's difficult to mark on hairless skin (like your hand or arm). These didn't want to swatch, and I was tempted to give up, but I really wanted to talk about them, so I persevered.

Taupe is my perfect shade. I think Chestnut is intended for redheads.

Tom Ford's Brow Sculptors are $42, available from NeimanMarcus.com.

There are about a dozen categories of makeup (foundation, powder, lipliner, etc.) — and we all have categories we skip. For a long time, I ignored brow stuff. I didn't really have any complaints about my brows, so I paid no attention to pencils, waxes, gels, and powders.

One day (curiosity killed the cat), I decided to dip my toe into the world of brow products. I wish I could say this event was safely in my past, beyond the statute of limitations for embarrassment... but this was probably in the last three years or so.

I acquired a dark brown brow pencil at random, and colored it exactly over my brow. Good grief! It was too much! Too dark! Suddenly my brow shape looked all wrong. The result looked sort of manly.

My immediate question was "how do I undo this?" but my second question was "how do I do this right next time?" The answer to the first question: run a spoolie (a clean mascara wand) through your brows to brush out the product — I like to brush them up, then front to back. If you've drawn the tail out too long, you can rub it away with your fingers.

I'm still really just at the novice level of brow enhancing: I don't color my brows every day, I use a pencil (because they're easy), and I just use one color.

I'm not really trying to change the shape of my brow; for me (right now), brow correction means filling in spots that might be a little sparse (I have a thin patch at the arch of one brow). Some days perhaps one eyebrow looks a bit narrower than the other. The most important thing is to take a step back from the mirror to evaluate how your brows look relative to one another, and relative to the rest of your face.

Advanced Studies

For those of you interested in more advanced brow techniques, I talked with two local makeup artists (and brow gurus) about how to step up my game. Jeanette Pantoja said she likes to use a deeper color to define the bottom edge of the brow, and a second, lighter color to fill. She finishes with a brow gel (to set the powder).

Victoria Hines concurred (she has thin brows herself, but you'd never know it if you'd only met her with her makeup on). She said the darker shade should be the color of your roots or lowlights. Victoria creates a thin shape with the darker shade, then fills in the rest with feather strokes of a lighter color.

Victoria loves this technique because she says it's less harsh than using just one brow color. On days when she's feeling fancy, Victoria sets her powder with a gel, too, but she's been using Diorshow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum. She says it dries completely clear and softens the effect of coloring in the brows. She also believes its helping her brows grow.

Another little quickie collection from MAC: a sextet of limited edition powder blushes. Now I LOVE blush, but somehow this collection didn't set my heart racing. (Am I the only one?)

Immortal Flower is a matte warm pink (even though it's a Satin finish). Modern Mandarin is a satin tangerine-persimmon with a silver sheen/shimmer. Lovecloud is a satin strawberry-candy pink with a silver sheen (very subtle shimmer).

Here are light and heavy swatches:


Full of Joy is a shimmery pale lilac (pinky purple, though it looks especially purple next to Peony Petal) with a silver shimmer/sheen. Peony Petal is a satin (near-matte, but glowy) cool pink. Pink Tea is a satin rose-pink, and if I'd realized how similar it was going to look to Lovecloud, I would have swatched them side by side. I think Pink Tea is a little bit dustier and a little bit mauvier than Lovecloud.


These blushes are $20 each, and all six shades are still available (with free shipping, natch) from Nordstrom.com.

The small foyer downstairs

I'm feeling extremely jetsetting, readers. Lucky Magazine just hosted the first "west coast edition" of their Fashion and Beauty Bloggers (FABB) conference in L.A., so I made my first trip to the city of angels. It was a pretty quick trip, but I managed to squeeze in a pilgrimage to Kate Somerville's clinic in Hollywood.

As you may recall from previous posts, a friend introduced to the Kate Somerville brand about a year ago, and I have since fallen deeply in love. Every product I've tried does everything it claims, and a consistent "Kate" regimen means perfect skin for me. I could easily, happily use almost every product she makes... but I guess the folks at Neiman Marcus might object to my living at their counter.

Kate's medi-spa (she has just the one location in Hollywood) goes way beyond your usual facials and body treatments — though, obviously, they do those very well. They offer a variety of lights and lasers (to treat rosacea, acne, sun spots, scarring, lack of firmness, milia, hyperpigmentation), injectables, Botox, hair removal — you name it. The clinic is staffed by an amazing team of doctors, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and aestheticians.

Spiral staircase up to the main floor

The space is so beautiful, and SO aligned with the brand. Everything is white and elegant and sunlit (though shades are always drawn in the treatment rooms, of course). The building actually used to be a private home (Sean Connery used to live here! And Johnny Depp!).

Though I came in the front door, clients who might be eluding the paparazzi can slip up the back stairs — Kate not only has a sterling reputation for her treatments, but also for her discretion.

I scheduled a signature facial. I already knew I liked the products, and (especially after the flight) I was really looking forward to the facial. But I was also curious to learn how a Kate Clinic experience differed from what I've already enjoyed at the counter in Dallas.

Every Neiman Marcus Kate Somerville counter (and many Nordstrom counters) offers DermalQuench facials as a complimentary gift with purchase.

The key to a DermalQuench facial is an airbrushing machine, which sprays a superfine mist of hyaluronic acid and vitamins, followed by oxygen (which has antibacterial properties). It is total instant gratification — immediate hydration, reduced fine lines, and "glow" without oiliness or irritation. You look fabulous from the moment you get out of the chair. If you haven't tried it already, I highly recommend it.

At the top of the stairs

The signature facial doesn't use the DermalQuench machine, but no one leaves the Clinic without "the Kate glow." I knew I was in good hands with the lovely and very knowledgeable Lili.

Lili started by washing my face with Kate's Gentle cleanser (to remove makeup/sunscreen). This product is sulfate-free and protects the skin's natural barrier — a must for dry and sensitive skin.

She followed with Kate's Detox cleanser, which she used in conjunction with a Clarisonic. The Detox cleanser contains phytic acid to help fade acne scars, and vitamin B complexes to prevent over-drying.

She then gently ran a vibrating metal ultrasound wand over my skin. She explained that this tool helps slough off dead cells, stimulates cell turnover, and improves circulation. It also improves product absorption.

The reception area

After the ultrasound, she applied the famous ExfoliKate. ExfoliKate contains mechanical beads, as well as lactic acid (an alpha hydroxy acid, which causes dead cells to fall off, stimulates skin cells to reproduce, and promotes the production of collagen, which increases skin’s elasticity). Lili explained that mechanical exfoliators loosen dead skin cells, but you really need a chemical exfoliator to lift them away. ExfoliKate also contains papaya, pineapple, and pumpkin enzymes, as well as cinnamon to enhance circulation. As you can imagine, it smells delicious.

Normally, Lili would perform extractions at this stage, but I asked if we could skip that step. I believe facial skin is too delicate for the procedure. Every time I consent to extractions it hurts, I regret it, and my face is really red afterwards... plus I can't really see a before-and-after benefit.

The next step was probably my favorite: a blueberry-and-honey hydrating mask. Though this is a proprietary Kate product, it's not (currently) available for sale — so the only place to experience it is in the Clinic. Lili applied a thick layer of this super hydrating, super-antioxidant mask to my face, then gave me a shoulder massage while it "dried" (a transformation I didn't even notice). I truly lost track of the passage of time, but when she'd finished the massage, she peeled off the mask in one thrillingly stretchy, flexible, solid sheet. It was reminded me of my elementary school days, rubbing Elmer's glue on my palm, then peeling it off in as large a piece as possible. This mask is usually part of the Pregnancy Facial (a baby-friendly regimen that focuses on hydration, calming, de-puffing, and gently soothing the skin).

Doorway to the treatment rooms

Even though the Signature Facial doesn't use the DermalQuench machine, Lili gave me an extra dose of hydration with Kate's new use-it-at-home DermalQuench Liquid Lift (a shake-and-spray portable version of Kate's wonder machine).

Treatment complete, she got me ready to hit the road with Kate's anti-dark-circle CytoCell eye cream (which contains synthetic stem cells, peptides that promote cell turnover, and caffeine for circulation). And Oil-Free Moisturizer.

I confess, Oil-Free is just about the only Kate moisturizer I haven't tried — I'm not super oily, so I had overlooked it. Lili said that I might really like Oil-Free for summer, because the formula is light but extremely hydrating. She said it contains red marine algae, which helps with skin elasticity, and peptides which reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Dammit, Lili, this was one of the FEW Kate products I thought I didn't need to possess.

We finished (of course), with Kate's oil-free SPF 55, on face, chest, and arms.

Indulge me while I walk you through a few more photos of the spa:

Nook leading to two of the Clinic's twenty treatment rooms. I have wallpaper envy.

One of the smaller treatment rooms

A demonstration of a red LED light, which stimulates collagen production. This thing gets BRIGHT.

The back stairs, where the celebs sneak in!

Okay, so the Clinic is beautiful. But my FAVORITE space is the enormous, high-ceilinged room off the main reception area. The walls are lined with products and copies of Kate's book, and the room is fantastically lit by a floor-to-ceiling window that takes up almost an entire wall.

In front of that window is a makeup station — the most wonderful makeup station in the world. It's a lucite desk, so you don't block any of the light from the window. Ordinarily they have a makeup artist (slash brow artist, slash lash tech) there — for anyone who would prefer not to leave the Clinic completely au natural. I still had my suitcase (and all my makeup) with me, so I asked if I could do my makeup there before I left. (I knew the situation in the hotel room was going to be pretty dismal.) They graciously said to take all the time I need.

My favorite room

It was the most wonderful vanity setup I've ever seen. I've never seen my makeup application so clearly! Someday, I want one just like this.

I want one of those

Of course, it helped that my skin was looking pretty awesome, too. Yeah, I skipped foundation.