A Pink, Blue and Burlap Gender Reveal

As soon as we found out we were pregnant, we knew we wanted to have a Gender Reveal Party. It just looked like so much fun and the perfect way to share with family. The theme was "What Will Baby Bee?" Here's a recap of the night:

It has been pretty warm around here even though its September so we took advantage and had a BBQ with all the fixings.

We decorated with pink and blue accents with some touches of burlap. I ordered the mustache and lip cutouts from Etsy and then we glued them to bamboo skewers to use as a fun prop for guests to cast their vote.

There were definitely more boy votes than girls...

The cake was from Guilty Bakery in Plymouth. They did such an amazing job recreating the design I had found and really brought it to life. They even added an extra layer of frosting so no one could peek through the rosettes.

The baker instructed us on the "right way" to cut into a gender reveal cake, which is to cut straight into one of the sides and tip a piece over. I was so happy that she told us that because it was so much more climactic with everyone finding out at once!

It's a boy!! The room exploded into screams and even a few tears! It was such a great way for our families to share in the experience of finding out the sex of our baby.

The cake did not disappoint. It was a vanilla cake dyed blue with whipped cream and blonde Oreo filling. Oh so delicious!

Reference: 

Burlap Chalkboard - Michaels

She or He Banner - Ichabods Imagination on Etsy

Mustache and Lip Cutouts - Custom Creative Craft on Etsy

Cake - Guilty Bakery

Blue Mason Jars - Target

Beverage Dispenser - Bed Bath & Beyond

Anastasia Brow Wiz vs. Nyx Micro Brow, is it a dupe?

When it comes to brow products, Anastasia is queen. I've tried her powders, pomade, brow gel and pencils. What I've always liked the most is the Brow Wiz. It is such an easy, quick product to use that packs a big punch.

When I saw that NYX came out with a similar product, the Micro Brow Pencil, I knew I had to try it to see how it compared to the Brow Wiz.

When it comes to product design, these two are essentially the same. They're both mechanical pencils with the product rolling up on one side and a spoolie brush for combing and blending on the other. I tend to favor the brush on the Brow Wiz. It's just slightly more dense and pointed at the end. The one design flaw for the Micro Brow is that the caps are two different sizes. If you aren't careful, you'll put the slightly smaller brush cap on the pencil side and end up smashing the product. Can you tell I'm speaking from experience? On the Brow Wiz, both caps are the same size so this can't happen. Smart!

As far as the consistency of the product, the Brow Wiz has more of a creamy consistency while the Micro Brow is a bit dryer. I think the Brow Wiz is easier to work with in that respect, it glides on the skin a bit easier. Both products do a great job at making it easy to use short strokes to fill in your brows, which in turn makes them look more natural. Both products have great staying power. They won't smudge and last all day.

For colors, I use Taupe in the Brow Wiz and Blonde in the Micro Brow.  One thing I've always thought was lacking in the Brow Wiz was the color selection. Taupe is the lightest shade. I have dirty blonde hair and this shade is just a tad dark for me. Micro Brow also comes in a Taupe color but I bought the Blonde. This one is more of a color match for me. Color match is an important part of brow products. If a product is too dark, your brows immediately stand out in a bad way, making them look obviously filled-in, so it's always good to go a shade lighter than you think you need.

Verdict:

I would vote that the NYX Micro Brow is definitely a dupe for the Anastasia Brow Wiz! They aren't exactly the same but the similarities are so close that if you're looking to save a little money, NYX Micro Brow is the way to go. The Micro Brow is a much better value at $10 for 0.003 oz while the Brow Wiz is $21 for the same amount of product.


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