VIDEO: Introducing My New #1 Favorite Way to Recreate Eyebrows

Hi folks, as is my now-customary way to begin all my blog posts: It's been a while since I posted something new! As you know, I may not be a frequent updater to this site as there's only so many new tips and tricks I can actually come up with, but I read every single one of your comments. So: Thanks for those!

I'm coming out of hiding as I have a new product recommendation that I am incredibly impressed with for recreating eyebrows due to hair loss from alopecia, chemotherapy, trichotillomania -- so much so that it has basically replaced my previous tried-and-trusted powder-and-pencil method for my brows. So you know it's good! It's KOJI's Dolly Wink's Liquid Eyeliner in Dark Brown and I am officially in love.

Why, you ask? For one thing, the nib is even finer than my previous favorite liner pen by Kat Von D (review and tutorial here), resulting in a super-fine, nicely convincing "hair" I can feather over a brown powder base.

Its staying power is also phenomenal, and I can put this on at 6 am, work a full day in a hot office, come back, go out, fall asleep and wake up with brows virtually intact. During the day, it's splash-proof, smudge-proof and sweat-proof. (Yes, I am forever splashing, smudging and sweating.)

As I make clear in the video, the downside of using a semi-permanent pen rather than pencil for brow recreation is the need to get it right first time (tiredness or hangover shakes be damned.) However, the lines you get from this pen are so fine and feathery that it really is hard to make a mess-up that's so significant it needs to be wiped away with a Q-Tip.

Big thanks to Thea from the BGBrows Makeup Shop -- which supports the nonprofit Bald Girls Do Lunch -- for introducing me to this product, which she now sells on her site (although it's available elsewhere online too, including Amazon.) Reminder: I don't have any kind of formal relationship with BGBrows or BDGL (ie. I'm not being paid to endorse anything they do) -- I just really like the stuff they have in their online store, including their world-beating brow lacquer. Just to be nice and clear :)

Let me know in the comments if you've tried this product. I wouldn't change up my regular brow routine of a decade for any old product, so I hope I've conveyed just how quietly life-changing this one is.

Love, Carly x

I'm in Vogue's Hair Loss Feature!

Hey folks: this is something I've been gagging to tell you all about for the last month, and I'm so thrilled I now can -- I'm featured in Vogue's incredible feature on life and style beyond hair loss!

• PHOTOS: Meet 9 Inspirational Women Who Have Embraced the Stylish Possibilities of Life After Hair Loss
• VIDEO:  9 Women Tell the Truth About Life After Hair Loss
• VIDEO: How to Draw the Perfect Eyebrows: Carly Severn’s Foolproof Tutorial

Back-story: Vogue contacted me a few months ago about participating in this new feature -- which comprised portraits and video (links above) -- and back in April, I went out to their offices in New York to be photographed by the amazing Cass Bird and styled by their phenomenal team. The series featured a range of incredible women, from cancer patients and survivors to alopecia folks like me. Meeting all these friendly, funny people on both sides of the camera was the most incredible privilege, and I'm still on Cloud 9 frankly. They also asked me if I would do one of my video tutorials on eyebrow makeup, and you can watch it here! (Their camera is a bit fancier than my wobbly iPhone videos on this site, eh?)

I wanted to note that one of these women was 17 year-old Mia Sidaros, a lovely, vibrant aspiring fashion blogger from Los Angeles who was living with a rare form of bone cancer called Ewing’s Sarcoma. Shortly after the shoot, Mia passed away. I'm honored to have got to meet her and her family at the shoot, and the Vogue video interview is dedicated to her memory, which I think is a truly fitting tribute.

I hope to write more about all this in a little while, but in the meantime you can view all of the gorgeous black and white portraits here, watch the video tutorial here and check out the video interview here. I really hope you all like it.

Love, Carly x

6 Things Not to Say to Someone Experiencing Hair Loss (and 3 Things You Definitely Should)

Me, mugging for the camera as usual.

Hi folks! I blog a lot here about tips, tricks and tutorials for women experiencing hair loss due to chemotherapy, alopecia (like me) or other reasons — but it's occurred to me that being the relative or friend of someone losing their hair can sometimes be tricky, too. Whether it's your daughter, your mother or your best friend, seeing someone you love going through a period of (often rapid) transition in which their appearance changes dramatically can be an awkward time, not least because you're not sure you're giving the right encouragement, or saying the right things. (Plus they probably seem angry and/or teary a lot of the time.) Well, as someone who lost their hair aged 19 and has had literally every line under the sun said to them at one point or another, I'm here to offer my personal take on what not to say to someone experiencing hair loss to help you avoid worrying about causing inadvertent upset or offence. Plus: a few things you can and definitely should say!

Please note: it is absolutely not my intention here to "pile on" to wonderful, supportive, well-meaning people who are sometimes tongue-tied or stuck for words around people experiencing hair loss. I wouldn't have had a bloody CLUE what to say to someone in this situation before I went through it myself. It's for that reason that I'm providing this list, because nobody else is going to tell you this stuff — and because the support you offer as a loved one is monumental.

PS. You can say anything to me now, by the way. I don't care. I'll be over here, eating pizza :)


What Not To Say To Someone Experiencing Hair Loss:

Runaway hair hare (photo: Airwolfhound / Flickr)

5 Plan-Ahead Ways To Stop Having No Hair Ruining Your Day

FYI: This post originally appeared on Suburban Turban's blog!

I am not embarrassed to admit that in the first few years after losing my hair -- to alopecia universalis, in case you’re interested -- having no hair used to regularly ruin my day. I used to obsess over the ways in which it made me look (and therefore feel) different to everybody else, and all the ways I might be "found out." So I worried about having my headwear pulled off or blown away. I worried about my false lashes falling off. I worried about water splashes ruining my drawn-on eyebrows. You name it, I worried about it. And all I can think of now about that period is what a massive waste of time that was.

It may be easy to say this now, with the benefit of hindsight, but I get annoyed (and a little sad) thinking of all the times that self-consciousness stopped me from playing with grabby young relatives, or going near water, or jumping in a convertible, or walking on a windy pier. Because now I realise that the key, really, is working out exactly what worries you, and preparing for it -- so that you don’t have to worry about it, ever. So from my years of experience,  here are my five tried-and-tested tips to stop having no hair ever ruining your day:

A little waterproof sealer on your eyebrow makeup goes a long way

VIDEO: How to create totally waterproof eyebrows (if you don't have any of your own) — plus lashes!

Don't get me wrong: I love my trusty everyday eyebrow technique of eyeshadow + brow pencil + sealer. If it suddenly starts raining, I'm certainly not going to panic my eyebrows are going to wash off. But for a while now, I've been looking for a way to create totally waterproof eyebrows: the kind that will withstand not just raindrops, but full-on underwater swimming. And I'm pleased to report I've found one!

(Scroll down for the video tutorial...)

The key? This nifty waterproof Tattoo Liner Pen by Kat Von D. It's a felt-tip in jet black, and once it's on it will not. Come. Off. (I mean, it does obviously, but it takes serious effort.) The nib is fine and pointy enough to be able to use it like you would a sharp pencil, and that's exactly how I use it.

Tattoo Liner by Kat Von D, a.k.a. my newest love.

Hello there, Eyelinehers!

Hello everybody! It's Carly just checking in to wave hi, in the hope you're all doing well and still finding these tips and tutorials helpful. I realize my last "proper" post was over a year ago, and wanted to reassure you that even though I haven't made a new video in a while, that's because I always wanted this site to be more of a handy resource for you all than a "my day to day thoughts" kinda blog. Rest assured I am still here to read every one of your lovely thoughtful comments!

Me, bumbling around NYC recently.

Also, here's some answers to few FAQs:

Video: how to recreate bottom lashes with makeup

When recreating lost or sparse eyelashes with makeup and false lashes, it's easy to forget to pay attention to your bottom lids — even though they used to have lashes too!

So even though I've already done video and picture tutorials on lashes in general, I wanted to make a quick video for you entirely dedicated to those little guys on the bottom who are so often overlooked. Enjoy, and let me know what you think! xo

Video: How to tie a headscarf using an infinity scarf

I haven't made a video for you guys in a while (see here for an explanation!) but I've developed a sweet trick using an infinity scarf that I was so sure you'd love, I couldn't resist getting the video camera out again...

If you're not familiar with an infinity scarf (sometime also called a circle scarf, or a tube scarf), they are loops of stretchy cotton primarily designed to be worn around your neck, but why let that stop you making a BRILLIANT headscarf out of one? As I explain in the vid, these types of scarves are very common on the High Street, where they're also pretty cheap — here in the US, Forever 21 and H&M are my primary hunting grounds. -- UPDATE: I just found a bunch of perfectly-stretchy infinity scarves in lovely colors in my local Whole Foods, of all places! They were Limited-Edition Zero Waste Infinity Scarves by Yellow 108 at $24,99 -- I can't for the life of me find a link for buying online, but I'll keep you posted. -- 

Enjoy the video, and let me know what you think in the comments! C xo

(Don't) Shine On: Two Top Tips For Preventing Shiny Eyebrows

Hello folks! Summer's pretty much here, so I've emerged from my blog hibernation to send my best wishes to you all AND share a couple of summery tips with you.

Where I DON'T live.

As lovely as warmer weather is, for us it also heralds the arrival of something even more annoying than wasps at your summer picnic — and that is shiny eyebrows. Heat and humidity are irritating enough when they transform your face into an oil slick, but when they start to affect your painstakingly-drawn brows and make them look unrealistically shiny (or even threaten to make them slide off), it's enough to make you stay indoors in front of an industrial-strength fan until the leaves start falling. So, how do I stop my eyebrows becoming shiny and annoying? With these two amazing products:

Still Here, Still Eyelining!

Hello everybody!

Just wanted to let you know that even though I haven't updated this blog in a while, I have not abandoned it - in fact, I am checking it regularly and see every one of the the lovely comments and questions you guys post. The reason I don't update it frequently is because I wanted this blog to be a helpful resource of photos, videos and tutorials, rather than one of those 'day-to-day thoughts' kind of blogs (goodness knows there's enough of them out there...), and I feel like this site and my YouTube channel now have most of your bases covered.

If you have any questions about the tutorials or specific products, or even have an idea for a new tutorial that you'd like to see, as always please feel free to leave a comment or message me a bit more privately via my YouTube channel. I love to hear from you all!

Keep on lining, lashing and scarf-tying, everybody :)

Video: the foolproof guide to liquid eyeliner

I've covered liquid eyeliner before, but since it's the one thing women often find tricky to get the hang of, here's a short video showing you exactly how to get the perfect shape, step-by-step. Enjoy!

Video: how to wear a Buff

For those days when tying a scarf feels like too much of a stretch, I love wearing Buffs. For the uninitiated, a Buff is a soft, seamless cotton tube that covers the head like a cap - you just slide it onto your head and you're done. (Particularly nice to have to hand when you're relaxing 'au naturel' at home and the postman knocks at the door...)

There are a number of ways to wear your Buff, which this brief video introduces!

PS. Buffs are available in selected outdoors shops and online - here's their UK and US sites to get you started...

The easiest way to tie a headscarf - without knots!

This is my absolute favourite way of tying a scarf - by using a stretchy hairband instead of tying any knots. With a little practice, you'll be able to do this one with your eyes closed. It might sounds strange but trust me: it works!

EyelineHer: now on YouTube and Twitter

Eyelineher has only gone and got itself a YouTube channel as User 'EyelineHerBlog'! Here you can subscribe direct to my tutorial videos.

There's now also a brand-new Twitter feed where I'll be posting updates and generally chatting. Come and say hello - I'm @EyelineHer!

Recreating eyebrows with make-up: another video

Here's another video demonstrating exactly how to restore lost eyebrows with the aid of eyeshadow and pencil. (As comprehensive as my first video on this topic was, the recording quality could definitely have been improved - so, it has!)

If this is your first watch you might find my photo tutorial on recreating eyebrows a useful companion, too. Happy feathering and pencilling, amigos!

Video how-to: applying false lashes

As a follow-up to my earlier post on applying false lashes, here's a video that takes you through the process step-by-step, from applying the base eye make-up to 'hide the join' to actually sticking the little guys on. (The reptitive - ie. boring - bits have been sped up for a better tutorial. Saloon-style piano music to follow later...)

Hey, nice hat - plus, the importance of sizing

People are always nice about headwear - there's something about a good hat that just makes them smile. So I couldn't resist naming this post after the three words I nearly always hear when I'm wearing headwear from one particular company: Suburban Turban. 

In the interests of full disclosure, I should say I'm fortunate enough to now know their supremely talented head honcho Nicky, who's become a dear friend of mine through her work in UK hospitals*. But really, these hand-finished caps, hats and scarves speak for themselves.

Product review: BGDL Brow Sealer

Image: Tim Beach   / FreeDigitialPhotos.net

[UPDATED: now with online shopping links for this product! Go get 'em.]

First, I must kick off with an apology for the radio silence - I have been moving my life's possessions across the globe! EyelineHer is now based out of the California Bay Area, so this means that I'll most likely be covering a lot more US products from now on. However, fear not UK ladies: I will endeavour also to give prices in GBP, as well as mentioning your shipping options.

So, let's kick off the invasion with a new brow sealer product review!

Bad news and good news

First, the bad news: the saviour of faux-eyebrows, Benefit's She Laq, is being discontinued.

As a long-time devotee of this product, which lacquers drawn-on eyebrows into place for over 24 hours, I'm gutted. (The decision, by the way, has been confirmed by their UK head office, although I'm afraid I don't know how widespread the discontinuation is.) This wonder bottle was the product that first reassured me of the power of cosmetics and beauty products to recreate what I'd lost facially, and I know that many other hair-free ladies feel the same way.

Which, in the spirit of indefatigable optimism, leads me to the good news: I have realised it makes poor sense to put all your eggs into one lacquer bottle, and to rely absolutely on a single product. Cosmetics companies are businesses like all the others, and, as frustrating as it is for those who love them, certain products do get withdrawn from sale. So, in between panic-buying my local department store's She Laq reserves and hoarding them in my underwear drawer, I have decided to embark on a mission to road-test all the alternatives I didn't even know were out there, for your lacquering and sealing pleasure. Testing will be fair and rigorous, judging products on a range of consistent criteria. First into the fire is a new one on my radar:

On the lash (part two: falsies)

I'd like to open with a buzz-killing proviso: false lashes are a gigantic pain to master. They take ages to get the hang of, are super-fiddly, and take a superhuman measure of patience. Falsies are designed to cling to pre-existing lashes, so getting them to stay put with no natural lashes there is a real test of will. (Are you feeling disheartened yet?!)


BUT: once you get the hang of it, you’ve got it for life, and it’s like having your old eyelashes back - which, it goes without saying, feels pretty great.

(If any chemo patients are reading this, I'd recommend you stop here: for the length of time it’ll take you working how to get the darn things to stay on, your old eyelashes will have grown back. It’s not worth the hassle, seriously.)