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Meghan Markle Had Prince Harry Deliver a Sweet Voicemail to Her Pen Pal


Meghan Markle has been taking a break from the public eye since returning to England from her royal tour of South Africa. But despite being absent from royal appearances this week, the Duchess of Sussex enlisted Prince Harry to help her with a special mission during one of his solo engagements.

On Thursday, Prince Harry visited students at Nottingham Academy as part of his programming for World Mental Health Day. There, he met Aleyna Genc, a teenager who is recovering from a brain tumor and has been Markle’s pen pal for the past two years. 14-year-old Genc reached out to the royal after she saw a speech that Markle delivered at the United Nations, the Nottingham Post reports. “I wanted to tell her that she had inspired me and so I sent her a letter,” Genc said. “We have been sending letters back and forth ever since then.”

All that time writing one another built a special bond between the two—which Genc got to experience firsthand during Prince Harry’s visit. After speaking with Genc’s classmates, Prince Harry took her aside to deliver a gift: a voicemail from Meghan herself.

Genc didn’t reveal the voicemail’s specifics, but it sounds like the royal’s message was from the heart. “She sent me a voice note which I got to listen to on Harry’s phone. She basically wished me well,” Genc told the Nottingham Post.

Genc delivered a gift of her own for the royal family. Prince Harry headed home from Nottingham Academy with a stuffed dog the teen picked out for baby Archie.

EAMONN M. MCCORMACK
Britain's Prince Harry Duke of Sussex gives a student who is Meghan Markle's pen pal a hug.
EAMONN M. MCCORMACK



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This $8 Eyebrow Waxing Pen Saves Me Hundreds on Appointments


Like clockwork, I used to get my eyebrows waxed or threaded every three months. They’re just light enough that I could space out the appointments with plenty of time in between, and no one except me would really notice the difference. But when I finally learned how to shape them with makeup, I became frustrated every time they lost their slight arch a few short weeks after each appointment. The stubbly hairs that prevented my pencils and highlighter from going on smoothly were immensely irritating. As much as I wanted to book more sessions, I definitely did not want to turn it into a monthly expense. Luckily, it was around this time I discovered a drugstore gem: Nad’s Eyebrow Shaper.

When it comes to beauty, I’ve never been the DIY type. Boxed dye terrifies me, and at-home lash tinting gives me anxiety. It’s not that I don’t think people can do beauty treatments at home; it’s that I’m always fairly sure I’m bound to screw it up. When I first considered giving at-home waxing a try, visions of entire missing eyebrows danced through my mind. My DIY skills basically extend to shaving my legs, but after watching (and rewatching) a demonstration, I decided to take the plunge. Turns out, it was both easy and painless, and I’ve been doing my own brows ever since.

The bargain tool retails at just about every drugstore (at around $8 to $13, depending on where you buy it from). It comes with cleansing wipes to prep your skin pre-wax, the shaper itself (a wax-filled pen), and cotton strips to remove the hair. Nad’s also sells a more extensive $15 kit, which includes a bonus pencil for shaping and a post-waxing cream to soothe. Having tested both, I will say that as long as you have a brow pencil at home, you’ll be just fine.

To use the wand, I start with completely clean skin, usually right after I shower. I go in with the cleansing wipes before moving on to the most important step: shaping my brows. I’d suggest using your favorite brow pencil instead of the one Nad’s provides here. (I’m currently loving Benefit’s Goof Proof Brow Pencil.) Once you have a rough outline of each brow (no need to fill them in), it’ll be easier to place the wax exactly where you want it. To help it go on more smoothly, I roll the tool between my hands a couple of times to warm it up, then twist the bottom a few times to dispense.

I start between my brows and along my brow bone to clean up the small, fuzzy hairs that grow there. As someone who enjoys a fuller shape, I tend to leave the tops alone, but to each their own. Speaking from experience, cover several small areas at a time with more wax than you think you need instead of trying to do it all at once. This way, you don’t have to worry about taking off too much (a personal fear of mine)—and you’ll make sure the strip attaches properly. Once you firmly cover the wax, pull against the direction that your hair is growing. I promise, it doesn’t hurt. I usually get red after any kind of hair removal, but if I follow up with a gentle cleanser, toner, and calming moisturizer, it goes down within 20 to 30 minutes.

Olivia Muenter



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Maybelline's $10 Brow Pen Makes It Look Like You Got Microblading


As far as brow horror stories go, mine was actually a blessing. The year was 2002, it was a Friday night, and all my friends were getting their eyebrows waxed at the mall. Well, except me. When it was my turn to sit down, the waxer gave me one look and some real talk: “I could wax you, but honestly you don’t need it,” she told me. “Just tweeze. Trust me.” Being left out of this coming-of-age ritual was, of course, devastating to eighth-grade me who only wanted to look like Drew Barrymore. But fast-forward to my twenties, and it’s been a real joy not having to spend the time and money trying to finding the best brow growth serum. (Colleagues tell me it’s this one, though, if you’re curious.)

So when microblading—the semi-permanent eyebrow procedure that gives you full, natural-looking eyebrows—came along, I sat yet another brow trend out. It’s not that my brows wouldn’t benefit from some slight filling-in, I’ve just held steadfastly to the advice that hasn’t steered me wrong in 16 years. Also, I hate needles and I hear it’s hella painful. So there’s that.

But now, the best of both worlds has arrived: Maybelline’s Tattoo Studio Brow Tint Pen. Unlike most clunky brow markers, this one has a four-pronged tip that give you the same realistic hair-like strokes as a pro microblading tool. It’s also got a slanted design that makes it easy to flick and follow your brow’s natural shape.

I mean, just look at this thing in action:

Not only does the angled design make it faster if you’re doing a rush-job in the morning—and, honestly, who really wants to spend more than 30 seconds on their brows each day?—I’ve also found it keeps you from getting too heavy-handed at the tail, which is where most people’s brows tend to be the most sparse.

The formula also boasts a lofty 24-hour smudge-free claim, and while I haven’t slept in it, the swatches I made on my hand in the morning legit didn’t budge until I washed them off at the end of the day. And after a week of testing, same goes for my actual brows, which are probably are the most important gauge. The best part of all, though? Unlike microblading, which costs an upwards of $1,500, this pen is only $10.

I never did get to properly thank my fairy brow godmother. But hopefully this counts as paying it forward—if only to save some 14-year-old’s brows for two decades from now.

Maybelline Tattoo Studio Brow Tint Pen, $10, ulta.com

Related Stories:
–Microblading, Microshading, and Microfeathering: What’s the Difference?
–10 Secrets Every Woman With Perfect Eyebrows Knows
–6 Things No One Ever Told You About Eyebrow Threading



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This Makeup Eraser Pen Makes Getting Perfect Eyeliner So Much Easier


There’s a special place in my heart for fun, cheap eyeliner markers. Back in the day—pre-Stila and Kat Von D—I could only find bright eyeliner colors in beauty supply stores. Even now that I’ve got options (and access), I can’t really help myself when walking past Sally Beauty. It doesn’t help that I’m eyeshadow illiterate. A crease cut alludes me, but a cat eye is my jam. There’s an obvious downside to cheap eyeliner pens though: most of them are really smudgy. Budge-proof liner comes with a price that I’d rather not pay. Instead, I’ve mastered the art of the touch-up.

Makeup wipes were my go-to for years, but they can be irritating, especially if they get in your eyes, and you almost always lose a layer of foundation or hard-earned highlight when you go the wipe route. Makeup remover swabs are great if you have space in your purse for a box of them, but I’ve found that even the best ones require a bit too much rubbing. This fall, I found a third option that beats out both wipes and fancy Q-tips and works so well that I’ve been rolling in compliments on my “perfect” cat-eye abilities. While it’s nice that people think I’m extra-skilled with eyeliner, the truth is I’m not. I just keep a stash of Lashfood’s Chamomile Makeup Erasers in my makeup bags, totes, and purses.

Here’s how it works: the tip of the pen is made of charcoal. If you’ve ever worn a charcoal face mask you already know it has an uncanny ability to suck up dirt, and the same goes for this little makeup eraser. The formula inside the pen contains a lot of the same ingredients as the hardest working makeup wipes, but it’s infinitely easier to use. It’s more precise, there’s less waste, less mess, and doesn’t leave my eyes feeling irritated thanks to an infusion of chamomile.

It’s also great for when your lipstick feathers or migrates onto your chin after lunch and helps tone down brows if you go too hard when filling them in. It works just as well on bright colors as deep, dark pigments, and while it’s only available on the Lashfood website, for now, it’s well worth the $18 (think about it, that’s like three cheap eyeliners). The best part, honestly, is that these little pens fit right into my life, which is the whole point of beauty tools: they should make makeup easier and let you do you with minimal hassle. With this eraser, consider that mission accomplished.

Lashfood Chamomile Makeup Eraser Pen, $18, lashfood.com

Related Stories
–I Tried Eyeliner Stacking, and I’m Never Going Back
–This Dental Floss Eyeliner Trick Will Give You a Perfect Line Every Time
–11 Mistakes Holding You Back From a Perfect Cat Eye



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