Would you believe the two models pictured are wearing the same shades of makeup? Well, they are! Obviously, their concealer and foundation match their skintone, but the Pure Radiance pressed powder, Alive Blush, Perfect Eyeliner, eyeshadows and Chutzpah Lipstick are the exact same on both models.

Many of you know my philosophy of beauty is Minimum Makeup, Maximum Impact! and I’m truly a minimalist when it comes to makeup. Part of that philosophy lends itself to using universally flattering shades that compliment every skintone and ethnicity. It’s a tough lesson to sell, as most women want to enjoy a huge selection of colors where they can pick and choose. The fact is, the shades I offer are the ones you actually end up wearing.  Turquiose eyeshadow is fun, but how often are you really going to wear it? Neutrals and warm shades can enhance your God given good looks without drawing attention to the makeup itself and choosing unversal shades take the guesswork out of it.

The men, on the other hand, either also did nothing to groom their brows, or, worse, had them waxed dramatcially in a very obvious and overdone manner. I would see handsome, masculine men with great hair, cool clothes and only half an eyebrow. They looked like weekend drag queens – the polar opposite of “Guybrows”, my subtle technique for brow shaping for men.  In Italy, the same holds true. People are either completely au natural when it comes to their brows, or terribly overdone, as though they are preparing to visit the Jersey Shore.

I’m fascinated by the cultural differances. We all want to look our best, yet sometimes it does seem better to do nothing as opposed to having your eyebrows butchered. The bad brow jobs are not just happening in Europe. It’s happening across the country here in the United States because in small towns they may not have the options found in larger cities.

I had a candidate interview with me to work at one of my Brow Bars. She brought in a model with very heavy brows and proceeded to shape them beautifully. Why didn’t I hire her? She shaved off her own brows completely and drew them back on with what appeared to be a black sharpie magic marker. I asked her if she thought her model’s thick, well shaped brows looked good and she said, “Yes, I think they’re beautiful” so I said, “Wouldn’t you like to have fully actualised brows like that?” and she said, “No. I like mine thin”. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that she looked crazy and potential clients would run screaming from her if she worked for me. But this was her taste. And she lives here in New York City! I was secretly hoping she’d say her brows just won’t grow in but I could tell they would if she let them and she admitted as much. I told her that if she lets them grow in, I’ll shape them for her and hire her, but I never saw her again.

So its not just cultural, its also a matter of personal preferance.  For the most part, beauty is universal and clients are on the same page as you and love their eyebrows when shaped optimally, but once in awhile, I’ll get someone who comes in with extremely thin, badly shaped brows and requests that I make them even thinner. I’ll tell them to save their time and money. It just not going to happen. I’ll show them how to fill in their brows so they can see how a fuller brow is more flattering.

What is fascinating to me is that the bad brow shaping you see in Europe looks very much like the back brow shaping you might come across in Ohio. The same holds true for a beautiful eyebrow. A gorgeous brow shaping in Tel Aviv looks like the same gorgeous brow you might see in Florida – so some universal truths hold up all over the world. I guess the lesson here is, if you’re going to do it, do it right.

As it turned out, Hurricane Irene was terrible for some parts of the country, but in Manhattan it was more of a tropical storm with a great publicist. She was on every news channel and newspaper, generally terrorizing us, but in reality was thankfully anti-climactic for most of us in the city. I ended up enjoying a weekend in my apartment having Chinees food delivered and catching up on my DVR and watching movies. Of course, I wanted to hit the gym, but darn it, they were closed due to the incriment weather!

While suffering cabin fever and staring at my beauty closet (a coat closet I converted to house all the skincare, haircare and assorted beauty products I bought or recieved in swag bags – a veritable Sephora, right in my own apartment, like the magical wardrobe in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” – a magical door leading to a new world of better skin, more managable hair, longer eye lashes and fuller lips.  This got me thinking that being trapped by a hurricane is the perfect time to play and experiment and have an at home spa day.

So here are some things you can do next time you know you’re going to be homebound (maybe even plan ahead and buy some of these provisions. Who needs so much canned soup anyway?

1. Color Me a Recluse – Color your hair – especially if you don’t already get it done at the salon. There are many great temporary haircolors to try at home without a permanent commitment. Natural Instincts is great.

2. Mask it Baby! -Apply Masks – Face mask, eye mask, lip mask, etc. Mask it all, and lay down for a nap! When you awaken and rinse you’ll feel brand new.

3. Deeper and Deeper! – Deep Condition your hair. Use either a traditional hair mask or opt for Coconut oil, or Olive oil or Mayonnaise for really dry hair! The mayo smells awful, but once you wash it out, your hair will feel silky.

4. Lash Out! -Tint your lashes – follow the instructions carefully if you’ve never done this yourself before, but this is the perfect time to try it.

5. Multi Task -Give yourself a full on mani/pedi. Scrub your hands and feet if you dont have the tools to do this, then apply a facial scrub to hands and feet, massage and rinse. Then trim nails, fix those cuticles and buff or polish to your heart’s content.

6. Call me if you mess them up – Clean your Brows – pluck the obvious strays and don’t allow your boredom to let you get carried away. Just a little clean up since you have the time.

7. Shop – online is ideal while stuck at home, as long as your electricity stays on – but if you’re in a bad relationship,follow steps 1 through 6 and then go out for essentials and don’t go back!

XO Ramy

Kim Kardashian’s makeup for her wedding should be classic “Kim”: Flawless tan, glowing skin, smoky eyes with the focus on dramatic eyeliner and lashes, and a nude lip. To achieve this look:

See photos at http://www.bloginity.com/blog/2011/02/09/youngng-fall-winter-2011-collection-preview-bodies-exhibition/

Ramy

The most common mistake is to pluck out this impish reminder of your mortality. If it’s truly just the one hair, go ahead and pluck it out. The problem is when more grey hairs start popping up in your eyebrows. If you keep plucking them out you will create bare patches in your eyebrows. So what to do? A better solution is to trim the hair down as short as possible so it’s less visible. If you have your hair colored at a salon, ask your colorist to color your brows as well. Let the colorist know that you are not looking to darken or lighten your brows, but simply want to color the grey. The colorist will know what to do and it takes 30 seconds. Often the eyebrows are colored as a courtesy if you’re having your hair colored and there is no extra charge.

Another great solution is makeup to cover the grey. This is realistically the best solution because even if you dye your brows, as they grow, the grey hairs will pop up before your next visit to the salon and makeup will always do the trick – whether you dye your brows or not. A good brow filler will also fill your brows inbetween the hairs, giving your eyebrows a more plush and full appearance as it covers the greys.  A pomade, like my Miracle Brow Compact (see Before and After pic below) will cover the grey hairs best of all, but a pencil or pen will also do the trick. Our Perfect Brow Wand is a universally flattering taupe and has a built in highlighter. Whatever you use to fill your brows, Always brush it through in order to blend! So that your brows look natural and not made up. A powder product will work too, but not offer as much coverage and long wear as a wax based product.

Key Things To Remember:

1. When in doubt, don’t pluck it out! Trim the grey hair instead.

2. If you have your hair done at a salon, ask your colorist about coloring your brows.

3. Brow fillers like Miracle Brow or the Perfect Brow Wand offer no-commitment grey coverage and a fuller looking eyebrow.

Picture it: Manhattan, 1997. I was Makeup Director at a fab 5th Avenue Salon. I’d go grab lunch with the beautiful, willowy, model-esque girl who worked at the front desk of the salon. She, 5’11 and 120 pounds. Me, two inches shorter and 30 pounds heavier. Off we’d go to the local deli for turkey sandwiches. The deli guy perked up at the sight of her – as though she walked into the deli to bear him children. We order two of the exact same sandwich.

We go back to the salon and unwrap our lunches. Her sandwhich is piled eight inches high with turkey and fixings. My “identical” sandwhich looks like a flattened panini by comparison. We trade. Every day. She remains tall and willowy. I, happy and well fed. I wonder if every aspect of our lives is affected the same way. Do the very beautiful get better deals on the rent? Upgraded to first class more often? Generally get bigger, better portions of everything? Seems to me if this is the case, it behooves us all to make the most of ourselves. Yes, charisma and charm go a long way too, but it seems a six pack and good genes can definitely improve one’s quality of life. Of course, you can always just hang with the gorgeous and trade sandwiches. It does seem easier than doing all those crunches…..

This year it seemed like new life was breathing through Fashion Week in New York City. As a young makeup artist I was thrilled to do shows and run all over the city for the extra gigs brought on by fashion week. Now that I’m more established, I must admit I tend to look as the business aspect of Fashion Week – which show will garner good visibility? Which designer do I want to affiliate my brand with? Then, Fashion week began and I must admit, this year I got caught up in the fever!

The most fun show, by far, was Betsey Johnson. Betsey herself is such a lively sprite – a ball of energy and happiness and life. She creates a carnival-like atmosphere backstage. Balloons, candy and happy people everywhere. While the impression is that you’re at a kiddie birthday party, her team is beyond professional and cool. The show went on seamlessly.

Robert Verdi, an old friend from our retail days way back when, interviewed me on camera about the trend for Eyebrows this season. He remains as nice as ever and looks even handsomer in person.

The celebrities filed in backstage before the show began and the first one I saw was Kelly Osbourne looking seriously petite and beautiful. She was super charming. As I was waiting to be interviewed, a stunningly beautiful girl walked past me. It was Carmen Electra. Seriously. Stunning.

I also met Denise Richards, sweet and every bit as lovely as she looks on camera. I then noticed an amazonian beauty in a leather get-up that made her look like a superhero. It was Ciara. Very striking.

Kristin Cavalleri from “The Hills” was there too, also thin, pretty and camera ready.

I got to see the show as well, as those of you who follow me on Facebook have probably seen already. It was, like Betsey herself, so much fun, stylish and full of life. The Show is called “Tour De Betsey” and at the end, Betsey rode down the runway on a bike, then did her legendary cartwheels down the runway. I was so thrilled to see her do it. I think it was the peak of an amazing Fashion Week for me.

I am asked every day, a hundred times per day, what is the best ( fastest) way to get full, enviable eyebrows? Here, once and for all, is my formal response with all the tricks of the trade you really need to know:

1. If your brows are too thin, badly shaped or in any state of disrepair – TOUCH NOTHING for minimum of three weeks. It can take more than three MONTHS for brows to fully grow back to their completely natural state and you must commit to biting the bullet and removing not one hair until they grow back. I call this “Going back to square one”. Every time you remove a stray hair, you are perpetuating the incorrect shape and lack of fullness in your brow.

2. Take a good multi-vitamin daily. Good nutrition is key to ensuring that hair will grow in as quickly and fully as possible.

3. Try a topical solution as well. My product, Eye GROW Brows creates an ideal enviornment for hair growth and also coats existing hair , giving it a thicker, fuller appearance. It’s great for lashes too.

4. Makeup: As brows are growing in there are two things you can do to cover strays and improve your eyebrow’s overall appearance. One, apply concealer (RAMY Skin Stick) from lashline to brow bone. This will cover strays and act as a primer for other eye makeup. Two, fill in brows with a neutral brow filler. My Perfect Brow Wand is universally flattering and has a highlighter on the other end. Draw highlighter along underside of brows to reflect light and diminish appearance of strays.

5. Once brows have grown in and there is plenty to work with, avoid waxing (Waxing is for cars!) as there is not enough precision and dread the thread (painful and archaic). If you don’t trust yourself to shape your brows anew, seek out a pro who tweezes and trims and who comes highly reccomended. Once you have the blueprint, you can maintain your fab new brows yourself with diligence.

6. The only thing worse that having messy caveman-like eyebrows? Having poorly shaped, unflattering, overly thin brows that diminish your appearance.

Makeup for this season: Plum eye shadows and liner. Burgundy and red lips. Flawless semi matte complexion. Yes, there is a red for everyone. Tey a red gloss or sheer red lipstick is you want a softer, more wearable version.

Eyebrows this season: Full and beautifully arched. Strong brows are in (Thank God) and the look of the season will be dramatic brows and bold lips with eyes and cheeks pared down. Very classic.