Someday, your prints will come

DEAR LUCY,

Three questions: How do I wear prints? How do I sexify sleek jeans without looking like suman? How do I elongate my legs?

SHARMAINE

Prints can be tricky, they can either make you look really bad or really great. As a general rule, because they distract the eye, prints are more flattering when they are tiny and dense. If they’re big and spaced too far apart, they can make you look wide and/or big. If you mix prints, make sure you unify them somehow by matching or complementing the color. It takes practice and a good eye. Learn from those who do it so well until you are more confident about your own skills.

Sleek jeans can be sexified with a slouchy or drapey top in a slinky fabric (think silk button-fronts, halters, racerbacks that skim the figure). Wear heels. They make a huge difference.

To elongate legs, use nude pumps, and if it is a colored shoe, choose heels that are cut low in front. This vampy shoe style shows toe cleavage.

LUCY

* * *

TO WAX OR TO THREAD THICK EYEBROWS?

HEY, REGINA!

I have really thick eyebrows and I really want to tame them. What would you suggest in terms of facial hair removal?

NICOLE

Waxing or threading is usually the way to go. Do not, I repeat, do not attempt to shape your own eyebrows if you’re a first-timer. You might over-pluck! Like, you’ll pluck one side into shape, then do the next side and realize that it’s just a little bit thinner than the other, then you do the other one, and so on, until your brows are uneven. Just don’t! Go to a professional!

Between waxing and threading, I personally prefer the precision of threading. I imagine that the aesthetician has more control over the nylon threads than he or she might have over the hot wax, but maybe I’m just putting too much stock in one bad brow waxing experience. If you have a low pain threshold, though, waxing might be the better option since it’s mostly done in one quick go, whereas threading can take some time and may be a little more painful. (I actually just got my brows done at Browhaus earlier today after neglecting my arches for a few months, and it took my aesthetician over half an hour to get them back to perfection. But she did a fantastic and incredibly precise job, so no complaints from me!)

If you’re interested in threading, Browhaus at Greenbelt 5 or Serendra is one of the best. (Brows are really their specialty!) Its sister waxing salon, Strip, also at Greenbelt 5 and Serendra, is also fantastic. Benefit also offers brow waxing services in its Greenbelt 5, Rustan’s Makati, and Shangri La Plaza boutiques.

REGINA

* * *

CURLS’ NIGHT OUT

DEAR RISSA, 

Can you recommend a mascara that will give a long-lasting curl but is easy to wash off? I’m tired of using waterproof mascara because it is so difficult to remove.  I end up tugging my lashes and they just fall off!

ELLA

Smudged mascara can really make you go “Huhuhu!” instead of “Hohoho!” during the holidays. But losing your lashes to hard-to-remove mascara is the bigger party pooper! I also hate mascara that is difficult to remove. That is one of my biggest pet peeves. Waterproof mascara is fine if needed at the beach or in the water. But for every day? It’s simply not worth losing all those lashes! 

I recently tried K-Palette 1 Day Lash Perm mascara (available at Beauty Bar). The product comes from the same makers of the much-talked-about K-Palette 1 Day Tattoo eyeliner. The K-Palette 1 Day Lash Perm is a film-type mascara, making it smudge-proof but easy to wash off with lukewarm water without hurting your skin or lashes. What you’ll love about it is it gives curls which last all day — “as if lashes were permed!” Sweep it on your lashes after curling them with a lash curler. I also tried layering it with another mascara I was using all day because I needed to freshen up my makeup before a party. When I used the K-Palette 1 Day Lash Perm mascara over it, my lashes bounced back to life and became perkier, curlier, and longer! I didn’t even re-curl my lashes before applying it. Amazing! I can imagine that this mascara can deliver superb curls even without curling your lashes first — perfect for those who are afraid to curl their own lashes.

 RISSA

* * *

Send e-mail to Lucy Torres-Gomez at ltg@pldtdsl.com. E-mail Rissa Trillo at stylesos_rissa@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter @RissaMananquil. Send Regina Belmonte your questions at vivatregina.tumblr@gmail.com or tweet her @vivatregina.