LOVE AT FIRST ADIDAS

JANUARY 4
I'm in love... with my new Adidas jacket (ha, you thought). It was a Christmas gift from my aunt, Tita Mimi, and it's hands down one of the dopest presents I've ever received. CHECK OUT THE STRIPES WHILE I HYPERVENTILATE. And it's as light as air! Having played softball all my life, I'm totally behind their dedication to athletes, too. Okay, it's settled. I'm never taking this off. In fact, this running jacket + these black pants from Express = my uniform for all of 2016, pretty much. It may seem like a stupidly simple fit to some, but to me it's a refreshing change of pace from my usual grandma style and chaotic mix of prints (think Mori Girl x Rayanne Graff).

CREDITS

Photography:

Joi Dwight, the homie

MORI GIRL MEETS REY

JANUARY 2

Saturday's mood: Mori Girl meets Rey from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Translation: it's earthy, which is reminiscent of the Mori Girl, a Japanese fashion and lifestyle trend. And much like Rey, it's comfortable, desert-friendly (on cold nights at least), and perfect for planet-scavenging. The star of the show is of course this cardigan-ish, wannabe poncho thing by Ike Behar that I snagged from my Mom's closet. (Update: I'm told it's called a "wrap" because it wraps around the upper body. I must be an idiot.) It's big on me but I almost always prefer a looser fit to more form-fitting, life-sucking outfits anyway. Besides, SoCal weather has been chilly lately so it serves as a warm blanket.

Behind the scenes, my cousins were pulling all sorts of shenanigans (looking at you, Jan, Jul, and Jen). Thanks for dramatically posing next to trees, trying to photobomb every picture, and keeping life interesting by taking the bushes instead of the safe path that every other local takes to get to the train tracks. After all, what's adventure without a little disregard for rules and safety? Thanks to Janise in particular for capturing someone who looks like me, but, like, a more serious and improved version of me. I don't even recognize myself. My selfies don't even look like this. Thank you all for your electric energy from Barnes & Noble to Starbucks and Cinnabon. It's been real. Real fun. Let's do it again, say, Friday?

CREDITS

Photography:

Janise Dava

LIFE'S ENTROPY BROW THEORY POMADE IN DARK BROWN

Heed the cliche "less is more" if you prefer a soft and natural brow because it's dead easy to get heavy-handed with Life's Entropy Brow Theory Pomade ($12 for 4 g). Then again, I think it's fair to say that goes for all brow creams in general. When done incorrectly, which I certainly did at first, my eyebrows took over my face with this stuff. Unnatural and harsh? Check. Painted on? You bet. And yet there I was, undeterred by the Sharpie eyebrows I sported around the house for many nights, determined to learn and perfect the product.

From Life's Entropy website: The Brow Theory Pomades are highly pigmented smudge-proof, water-proof, and long wearing eyebrow creams. Best applied with an angled liner brush and blended in with a spoolie. Easily removed with an oil based makeup remover. 

"Highly pigmented, smudge-proof, water-proof, and long wearing" is right. Its superb pigmentation and staying power matches that of the highly coveted Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade. Consequently, you’ll need an excellent makeup remover–soap and water is no match for LE's pomade. It's easy to blend out, but sets rather quickly. Hence, practice is key and so's patience. From my experience, the right brush can make-or-break the look. The Real Techniques Brow Brush, for instance, picked up too much product, but the It Brushes for Ulta Liner/Brow Brush was fine, not flimsy, and stiff enough for the product to glide on.

I can't fairly compare the performance between the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade and Life’s Entropy Brow Theory, mostly because the former belongs to my sister and I myself have never used it, and partly because it was merely pictured for color comparison. From swatching, however, I noticed that Anastasia’s Dark Brown has a grey undertone whereas Life’s Entropy has a slight red undertone. Although it’s not exactly similar, it’s pretty damn close in my opinion.

Wearing Life's Entropy Brow Theory Pomade in Dark Brown

Wearing Life's Entropy Brow Theory Pomade in Dark Brown

The shade I picked out was darker than what I was comfortable with, but over the weeks I’ve grown to enjoy the powerful female warrior vibes that was Dark Brown. Most days I don’t like my eyebrows to look “too done,” unless either the event warrants it or my mood desires it, so I use this pomade ever so sparingly. Also, I understand there are concerns about the product drying out over time, but worry no longer! Removing the surface with a q-tip reveals a like-brand new layer of product.

Having said that, I usually have a limited window of time to apply makeup, but with this I need more than 10 minutes to put on my face paint, which is my biggest complaint: it's far too high maintenance for my daily makeup routine. Time-consuming though it might be, Life's Entropy Brow Theory Pomade in Dark Brown truly lives up to its claims, and it, along with Anastasia’s Brow Wiz in Ebony, are the only two brow products I will ever need in this lifetime and the next.

Cookie for your thoughts: What do you like or dislike about Life's Entropy Brow Theory Pomades?

Credits

Photography:
Kevin Caparoso
Joana Villegas