It’s safe to say that the spring and summer are most people’s favorite time of year.  The weather is enjoyable, work-days don’t seem as crazy, and summer (3-day) weekends are practically the law in Manhattan. It’s like you don’t have a care in the world, right?

Not so fast. There are some problems with all this sunshine and warm weather: facial hair. Everyone has it, but no one talks about it.

During the winter, I would always cover unruly eyebrows with a hat, which I called the “the slouchy look”.  This is not recommended for summer weather (quite possibly not for winter either, as I don’t think I was fooling anyone).  It’s a good idea to take a quick look in a magnifying mirror to ensure everything is in place.  A secret tip: if you can’t get in with your fave eyebrow specialist: a bit of concealer will temporarily cover any strays.

Let me use this time to vent on one of my biggest pet peeves.  Do not, I repeat DO NOT, bleach your facial hair. I used to make this mistake all the time.  I wasn’t fooling anyone and ladies, you’re not either.  When that evening summer sun hits your face, and the hairs on your lip and cheeks sparkle in the light, it’s not O.K.  The hair needs to be removed. When your skin is darker than your hair – laser is not an option -  waxing is a great quick fix.   Also, a hair inhibitor, like Completely Bare’s Completely Smooth, will slow down the growth and density of your facial hair, giving you longer periods of time between waxes.  Simply apply it twice a day, under your favorite moisturizer and you’ll be blown away by the results!  This topic is so big that I was just featured in May’s Allure discussing it!  Check it out for tons of great hair removal tips.

Now go out, enjoy your summer, and remember, go to the beach, just don’t bleach! (so cheesy but I couldn’t resist!)

xo cindy

Hello ladies!

Ok, so let’s take this in a bit of a different direction. I know that we primarily talk about our own hairy situations, but let’s gear this one towards men because, face it, we date ‘em, hate ‘em, and sometimes even love ‘em. And to this end, we are going to make Wednesdays the “About Men” blogging day.

THE UNIBROW
Whether he over-plucks, shaves, or just lets it grow, every man has his own (usually misguided) way of handling his brows. Here are some ways to approach the man in your life who has no idea what he’s doing. . . contrary to what he may think:

THE PERFECT BROW-MAN
This is that guy who has better shaped and arched brows than you do. You can actually just stare at how perfect they are (ladies we’re still talking about the brows!). We don’t want American idol Adam Lampert eyebrows. So how do you let him know how to rough them up a little? First off, your dates shouldn’t be at the spa for his-and-her eyebrow waxing appointments. Let him know that his brows look sexier when they are more natural and that you can help him clean them up in-between appointments with tweezers (and an ice cube to numb the area because we all know men can’t stand any pain).

CATERPILLAR MAN
This is the guy that is “au natural” and thinks nothing of it—you can’t help staring and mentally strategizing on how you can fix them. Warm him up with a simple head massage (hidden tweezers at arms’ length), then go for the gold—or the hair! Start out gently by plucking one hair at a time, pressing on the skin immediately after the hair is drawn to relive the sting. Believe me, he’ll appreciate this!

THE SHAVERHOLIC
This is that guy that thinks razor stubble on his brow is just as normal as his five-o’clock shadow. NO, NO, NO!!!! Let Mr. Wonderful know that his stubble looks awfully painful on his brows and that he can take five seconds to wax them—that way he won’t end up with razor bumps and ingrowns. Also let him know that he can save money because shaving the extra brow hair can dull his razors…

Good luck ladies and please let us know your feedback ;)

xoxo cindy