The career impact of maternity leave is an issue I feel passionately about - even as one of the lucky ones with a supportive workplace and a partner who was able to take meaningful leave himself.
Becoming a parent rarely makes anyone's work life easier. But I did learn some home truths during my year at home with the bairn that have undoubtedly made me a better beauty editor.
Because it's easy to say that X is the best mascara or that luxury skincare brand Y is a must-try when products are free, unlimited, and testing them is your full-time job. Then, the tap was turned off for 12 months and I quickly learned which beauty buys were truly worth my depleted cashflow, time and energy reserves. Here's one I couldn't get enough of.
Why this DIY eyebrow tint is my beauty buy of the week
Like many regretful Millennials, I spent my teen years aspiring to a tadpole eyebrow shape and my sparse arches never recovered. They've also thinned out with age, making me look inexplicably tired and surprised all at once - but brow tinting is transformative.
Famously, having the time for beauty appointments is not a perk of being stuck at home looking after a tiny baby, but Amazon Prime-ing things to your house during 4 am feeds is. That's how L'Oreal's brilliant Brow Color dropped onto my doormat and into my life.
L'Oreal's tint works on the same principle as others: mix the colour and developer (a more generous supply here than in other kits) and brush through clean brows with the spoolie (again, a superior offering, with flexible bristles and an angled shaping tool.)
After five or ten minutes, swipe it off with a damp cotton round and behold! Full-looking, defined arches that, to use the old cliche, really do 'frame' the face, especially when you haven't got it in you to apply makeup. Of the five shades, I mostly use 6.0 light brunette but dabble with 3.0 dark brunette when I want a more striking effect.
Same face, same day, pictured (l) with untinted eyebrows and (r) after using L'Oreal Brow Color tint
If you've never tried home eyebrow tinting, let me say it is one of the few - maybe the only - DIY beauty treatment where I see no difference, results-wise, from paying full whack at a salon.
It looks as good, lasts as long, maybe three weeks for me, and is, obviously, very cheap and convenient. I still book pro threading though, because that truly is an art form.
Finally, may I ask, nay, implore you to do the patch test? I know it's boring, and you've probably tried dyes before with no ill effects. But these allergies come on fast and are no joke. I'm coming over all maternal here, but I'd really hate for you to hurt yourself. Sounds good? Great! Let's chat next Sunday.
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