Tips & Tricks: Preventing Eye Infections

Tips & Tricks: Preventing Eye Infections

There is nothing worse in my opinion than getting an eye infection... (Except maybe a UTI, let's be real here, who can function when a UTI is lingering around?) There are two different infections in general that seem to plague many, Conjunctivitis, a.k.a. Pinkeye, and the dreaded Stye. Both can put a damper on your morning makeup routine (and life in general). However, both can also be caused by what you are putting in, on, and around your eyes. What is conjunctivitis??? And what causes it??? It's inflammation of the thin, clear tissue that lies over the white part of the eye and lines the inside of the eyelid, according to WebMD (the Hypochondriac's Bible). It can be caused by a virus, bacteria, irritants, and allergies. All of which can be found in our everyday world... What is a stye??? And what causes it??? A stye is a small, painful lump on the inside or outside of the eyelid. It is an abscess filled with pus and is usually caused by a staphylococcus bacteria eye infection, WebMD. And these hurt, BAD. Here are just a few suggestions for preventing these terrible circumstances from happening to you...

• Don't touch your eyes, duh. And if you really need to touch your eyes for some reason, WASH YOUR HANDS before (and after).
• Replace mascara every 3 months. I know, I know... There are those of us out there who will hold on to mascara for dear life. Especially if they sold a kidney to purchase it. But if you are using it every day, it should be nearly gone or dried out by this point anyway... 
• Don't share eye makeup. You know your mom has already said this. It's true. In this case, Sharing = Caring. (This goes for things like towels and washcloths too.)
• Throw away cream and gel eye products after 6 months of use. It's repetitive, but there is bacteria growing on them.
• Wash your makeup brushes weekly. I also use a daily brush cleaner from Sephora.
• Wash your makeup off, EVERY DAY. That means don't sleep in it. EVER. First of all, gross. But really you're only damaging your skin and possibly causing a <gasp> STYE!!! I use a makeup remover first, and then a cleanser. And then after that....
• I use baby shampoo to scrub my eyelids. Yes, this may seem excessive... Until you've experienced a stye, or two. Baby shampoo is gentle enough that it won't burn your eyes, I  simply mix it with a little warm water and massage it along the base of my lashes (top and bottom) where styes typically occur. The rubbing action is what helps keep the follicles there clear of debris that could potentially clog them and cause a stye. 

For contact lens wearers...

• Replace your contacts when the directions say to! I have a friend (she knows who she is) who will wear a pair of monthly contacts until they have disintegrated inside her eyes. I swear. Don't do this. There is bacteria growing on them. There always will be not matter how well you clean them. And once you place that contact on your eye, there is nowhere else for those little microbes to go.
• Don't sleep with your contacts (unless they say you can). I have yet another friend (who also knows who she is) who used to sleep with her contacts in constantly. Until she almost lost her sight. It's true. Luckily they caught the infection in time but it was an ordeal that she wouldn't wish upon her worst enemy... Wellllll.... Maybe her worst enemy. I kid, I kid!
• Invest in Clearcare (get a $2 off coupon HERE). It is THE best product on the market for cleaning your lenses. I used to get constant infections in my eyes until I started using this product. When I asked my doctor about it, he said WORD-FOR-WORD, "Yea, that's the best stuff you can use. Most doctors don't recommend it because the general population is too lazy and they want something that is quick." Are you kidding?!?! I would rather not be able to use my contacts for eight hours at a time and never get infections, than to be constantly dealing with wanting to scratch my eyeballs out. That, however, is the con with this product... Once you have put your lenses in the case provided and added in the solution you CANNOT wear them for 6-8 hours. This is because it is a hydrogen peroxide solution that will neutralize into saline over time. If you try to wear them too soon, your eyes will burn and you will seriously regret it. It's worth the wait time though. I can attest to it.

I know that this is not your "typical" beauty post, but the things we use CAN and WILL affect us. Makeup can have consequences and taking care of your eyes is important, you need them to read my blog!!! On a serious note, I had a stye about three weeks ago and that is what prompted this blog post. I know exactly how it happened, I felt it happening. I decided to use eyeliner on my waterline about three days in a row (which I don't do often) and when I was cleaning my face the last night I felt a sharp little twinge around my lash line. Sure enough, the next morning I woke up and had a stye. The eyeliner had clogged my follicles. I had gotten lazy and stopped using my baby shampoo to scrub, I haven't forgotten to do that since. I hope this helps at least one person out there, if so I have done my job. xoxoxo.

Finish 4x4 (aka July 4th)

#Finish4x4 or Finish 4 by 4th of July

You may have seen a bunch of these types of videos on YouTube: Finish 6 by Summer, 7 by Spring, 5 by Cinco De Mayo, and so on... Well I decided to join Finish 4x4 (or 4th of July) after watching Amber F's video (watch it HERE) and reading my IG friend, Heather's aka @hmills79, blogpost (read it HERE). I love using up my products and feeling like I got my money's worth... And four items isn't too many to start with. Here is what I chose:

1. Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation. I LOVE this foundation. It feels like nothing on the skin, light to medium coverage, leaves a beautiful dewy finish, I have no complaints. Zero. I only want to use this up because it is paraben free (parabens are the preservatives found in about 90% of cosmetic products that help prevent bacteria from multiplying, dividing, and conquering) and I've had it opened for a while. It is one of my favorites and I would purchase it again... Someday.
2. BareMinerals Marvelous Moxie lipgloss in Rebel. This is a deluxe sample size and it's a decent color. I just don't like lipgloss and have been on a mission for the last year to eliminate it from my makeup collection. Okay, okay... "Eliminate" is a harsh word. Let's say minimize instead. #notalipglossfan
3. Guerlain Precious Light Rejuvenating Illuminator. I really enjoy using this concealer/brightener. It just adds a lil' extra "oomph" to the skin whenever I use it. I just want to move on and try other things. Unfortunately there is no way for me to track my progress with this one... So hopefully one day I will twist it, and no more will come out. And hopefully that day is before the 4th of July. 
4. Lastly, Rimmel ScandalEyes eyeliner in Black. Nothing to complicated here, just a simple, black, drugstore eyeliner. And I love this liner. And it should be fairly easy to use up. Especially since it needs to be sharpened. After each use (if you like a sharp tip). So this is kinda a "gimme" product. Sue me.

Starting points are marked by black line wherever possible.

Let's see how far I can get or if my opinions on these products change! I am officially starting on April 1st. And I will do a mid-way point check-in sometime in May. Wish me luck!!! xoxoxo.

Have you tried any of these challenges? Join me with this one!!! Let me know in the comments...

It's a Makeup Yard Sale! (Blog Sale)

Recently I went through all my makeup and decided to part with a few things... Not because the aren't good, but because I have too much. And I don't use them. Go ahead and browse but before you do, a couple terms you should know (if you don't already) are:

1. BN- Brand New
2. BNIB- Brand New In Box

Top Left: Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment Minis. BNIB. Set of 2- $8 ***SOLD***
Top Right: Tarte Minis. Blush in Dollface (swatched 1x), Bronzer in Park Avenue Princess. Set of 2- $12
Bottom Left: Rosebud Salve Lipbalm. BN. Set of 2- $5 ***SOLD***
Bottom right: Urban Decay Lip Junkie Lip Gloss in Naked, Midnight Cowboy, Runaway. BN. Set of 3- $12

Urban Decay Anarchy Face Case. BNIB. POWDER PRODUCTS ONLY. $15

Urban Decay Shattered Face Case. BNIB. POWDER PRODUCTS ONLY. $15
I nicked the corner of the highlighter when taking this out of the box to photograph.

Top Left: Anastasia Beverly Hills Lavish Palette. Limited Edition. USED. $20
Top Right: theBalm Overshadow in No Money, No Honey. BNIB. $5
Bottom Left: theBalm Blush in Down Boy. USED. $8
Bottom Right: theBalm Nude'tude. USED. $18 

Top Left: Benefit High Beam. BN. Full size. $15
Top Right: Cargo Contour Palette in Monaco. BN. There is a scratch along the blush, there when I purchased it. $18
Bottom Left: Benefit Blush in Coralista. BN. $15
Bottom Right: Cargo Blush/Bronzer in Coral Beach. Swatched 1x. $10

Top Left: Lorac Pro to Go palette. Used 1-2x. $20
Top Right: Julep Plie Wand System. BNIB. Includes 2 extra brush applicators. $15
Bottom Left: Dior Addict Lipgloss in Princess. Swatched 1x. $15
Bottom Right: MAC Archie's Girls Collection Blush in Cream Soda. Limited Edition. Used 2x. NO BOX. $30

Left: MAC Archie's Girls Collection Lipstick in Ronnie Red. Limited Edition. Swatched 1x. NO BOX. $25***SOLD***
Right: MAC Archie's Girls Collection Lipstick in Betty Bright. Limited Edition. Used 1x. NO BOX. $25***SOLD***

Left: MAC lipliner in Silly. Limited Edition. Swatched 1x.
Right: MAC matte lipstick in Silly. Limited Edition. Swatched 1x.
SELLING AS A SET. $30

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Shimpagne. DISCONTINUED.  Used. $18

MAC blush pan in Pink Swoon. DISCONTINUED. BNIB. $12

Top Left: Pop Rouge Mix Lip & Cheek Portfolio. BNIB. $15
Top Right: Sonia Kashuk Jewel of an Eye palette. Limited Edition.Swatched 1-2x. $12
Bottom Left: Too Faced Glamour to Go Spun Sugar Edition. Two shadows were swatched along with the lip gloss. $12
Bottom Right: BH Cosmetics Professional Blush palette. BN. $8

Top Left: Bobbi Brown Everyday Pretty Lip & Eye palette. BNIB. $20
Top Right: Nars highlighter/blush in Miss Liberty. Swatched 1-2x. $20
Bottom Left: Bite Beauty BB for Lips in Tawny. BN. $12
Bottom Right: Too Faced La Creme lipstick in Nude Beach. BN. $12 

Tarte LipSurgence in Charmed. Swatched 1x. Received this item with the top squished. $10

If you see something you like, let me know! 
The Fine Print...

• Some items are used and will be stated as such. These items will be sanitized before shipping.
• At this time I can only ship within the US.
• Shipping rates start at $6. Rates may vary depending on how many items are purchased. Please contact me if you would like a quote.
• Once sold, items are non-refundable/non-exchangeable.
• The only form of payment accepted will be paypal. 
• Items will be sold on a first come, first served basis.
• Feel free to email me at thewonkybrow@gmail.com if you have any questions or concerns!

Thank you for understanding!!!

One Month, One Palette... (March Edition)

theBalm The Nude'tude Palette

This month I chose to use theBalm's Nude'tude palette. I've had it for a while and never used it. I figured I couldn't go wrong with a nice neutral palette... Ohhhhh, how wrong I was... This was not a favorite. Point blank. And that took me by complete surprise. Here's why:

• There is no "brow-bone" shade. You know... A light, matte, nude-type shade used to highlight the brow bone and add emphasis to your arch... Yea, there's none of that here.
• There is only ONE true crease color. And it's pretty dark. Not good for the fairest of gals.
• The colors just don't "pop" on the lids. And they bored me.
• Some shades are very powdery and would end up dusting the tops of my cheeks as I applied them to my eyes. No, no, no EYESHADOW... You belong on my EYES.
• EmilyNoel83 (amazing YouTuber, check her out!!!) used to recommend this palette allllll the time. So I took her word as gospel.....

Don't get me wrong, this palette isn't terrible. It's just not what I expected. For this month's update, let's go shade by shade...

Sassy- Frosted White. I find that white is just too harsh to work with. I would use this (in combination with Stand-offish or Stubborn to tone it down a bit) as a brow-bone highlight or inner corner highlight. It didn't really work. But I tried. Snobby- Shimmery Yellow Gold. I don't gravitate towards shades like this. I only used this once as an inner corner highlight. Meh. Stubborn- Frosty Pink & Stand-offish- Shimmery Light Pink. These disappointed me. They just don't show up on the lids like Urban Decay's Sin or Stila's Kitten. Stand-offish is so light you can barely see it.

Selfish- Shimmery Taupe. This was my favorite shade. I just loved it. It stands out on the eyes and I couldn't find anything similar in allllllll my other eyeshadows. LOVE. Sultry- Matte, Medium Brown. I used this color in my crease every time but was surprised to see how dark it was. However, it blended easily. Sophisticated- Dark Brown with Shimmer & Seductive (aka Schitzo in some palettes)- Golden Brown with Shimmer. I thought these two were going to be similar to Urban Decay's Smog and Darkhorse. Negative. While Sophisticated swatches very similar to Darkhorse, it doesn't show up the same on the lids. It has no "oomph" (for lack of a better word).

Sexy- Burgundy. I liked this shade, especially to deepen up the outer corner. Silly- Red-Brown with Shimmer. I honestly didn't even bother with this one.  Serious- Black. This looks much darker in the pan than it is when applied. Sleek- Dark Brown-Black. My second favorite shade in this palette. I used this with every look I did. I smudge it under the lash line, in place of eyeliner. It is such a rich deep, dark brown. I love it. It's one flaw is how powdery it is, constant fallout when applying. I feel like such a Debbie Downer... But I just don't love this. Like I said, it's not terrible... It's just not amazing. And I want my shadow to be amazing. Especially for $36. If you have Urban Decay's Naked palette, skip it. If you aren't seriously into neutrals, skip it. Overall, I'd say skip it... UNLESS you see it on sale on Hautelook (they always have theBalm products at a discounted price), then maybe go for it. But don't be surprised if you are as underwhelmed as I was... xoxoxo.

Swatches Top to Bottom: Stubborn (theBalm Nude'tude),
Stand-offish (theBlam Nude'tude),
Sin (Urban Decay Naked),
Kitten (Stila)
Left side WITHOUT flash.
Right side WITH flash.

Swatches Top to Bottom: Sultry (theBalm Nude'tude),
Buck (Urban Decay Naked),
Cork (MAC)
Left side WITHOUT flash.
Right side WITH flash.

Swatches Top to Bottom: Selfish (theBalm Nude'tude)
Chrome (Lorac Pro2)
Left side WITHOUT flash.
Right side WITH flash.

Swatches Top to Bottom: Sophisticated (theBalm Nude'tude),
Seductive (theBalm Nude'tude),
Darkhorse (Urban Decay Naked),
Smog (Urban Decay Naked),
Half Baked (Urban Decay Naked)
Left side WITHOUT flash.
Right side WITH flash.
***Sidenote: In the palette Seductive looks closer to Smog, however, swatched it is more similar to Half Baked.***

Have you tried this palette? Disagree or agree?? Let me know!!! Next month's palette(s): My BareMinerals Quads in The Designer Label, The Soundtrack, The Dream Sequence, and The Happy Place. I need to get some use out of these!!!

Monthly Empties: #365DaysOfEmpties!

This hashtag was created by my IG friend Erica (Follow her! @BeautyEmpties). It's a lofty goal, an empty a day for a year... But I'm giving it a shot. You can follow me on Instagram (@the_wonky_brow) for my mini reviews on each item, every day. Some things I love, some I do not, and some I just can't finish... Not even if you paid me. Here is a quick recap of what I used up this month:

• Product(s) I will miss the most: Stila's Prime Pot in Taffy... It's been discontinued! and Ole Henriksen Rub N' Buff Salt Scrub... It was limited edition!!
• Product I repurchased before it was even empty: Clarins Toning Lotion with Chamomile. I can't be without this.
• Product(s) I will eventually repurchase (once I've used up more of what I already have): Julep polish in Cassie, Revlon Lip Butter in Pink Truffle, and MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural.
• Sample that made me want the full size: Nars All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation. I. Want. It.
• Product you couldn't pay me to purchase. EVER.: Shea Terra Organics Rose Hips Black Soap. Blechhhhh. The stench of this stuff just disgusts me. #nobueno.

What did you use up this month? Let me know!!! xoxoxo P.S. Random side note... I completed my Full Specialist course yesterday! Yay me!!! Now I'm supposed to find a job... Whaaaaaaat?!?!?! lol.