So here we go again. Talking about my favorite eyebrow products, i have to say i kinda used more or less everything, or okay, A LOT of the most appreciated stuff. Some of them are products i still have, and some i have used. therefore here's my sincere and honest appreciation.
Powder or pencil- eyebrow shadows look more natural, but I personally can't get the entire brow done with only powder. I still need a pencil for more exact definition when filling in. Still, for the first half of my eyebrows i use powder. I went through many many brands, as i said, and stopped at one, for various reasons.
First of all, I am a bit sorry i can't talk more about the Mac eyebrow powders because i haven't used any. i know the powders are great and naturally looking but i didn't get the chance to shop for some due to the absence of a Mac counter in my city, and going to Stockholm always implies various activities that make me forget about brow stuff...mostly because i already have some.
In my quest for eyebrow magic stuffies i found many many good stuff...and i'm going to make a little top here, with pros and cons. Hope it helps, i would've needed this kind of help during the time i was researching a product and wanted to compare it with others, or just see the thing itself, realistically 'analyzed', not only on websites or in videos where the lighting is not always natural. So i begin with my favorite eyebrow pencils (drums):
1) Shu Uemura Hard Formula eyebrow pencil in Seal Brown:
Unfortunately I don't own this pencil anymore so i can't take a photo of what it looks like on my eyebrows. However, there are a lot of pictures of reviewers who wear this shade; didn't want to upload someone else's photo because well, it's unethical :) but from my experience i can say it is a very good product:
Color: Seal Brown is a very natural medium brown that has a sort of 'chameleonic' property- goes well with almost every skintone and hair color. The depiction of the shade on their website, that rich medium brown with hazel undertones is very close to reality, but just a little too saturated. Basically the hazel undertone is not so accentuated in reality (on the website the brown seems to have real green undertones, and it's not the case).
Quantity: by far the longest eyebrow pencil on the market, easy to sharpen, a little goes a long so you're gonna need just a little bit of it to do the trick.
Application: the well-known hard formulation allows for the perfect control of shading and buildability. The color is activated by the natural oils of your eyebrow hairs and skin therefore it doesn't smudge easily (their claim). It is a hard formulation meaning that the pencil itself has a hard consistency that won't come on the skin easily. You have to insist to draw your eyebrows on, which is a great thing for eyebrows that don't need a lot of definition- it gives a very natural effect and allows you to build up the color where it's needed.
Price: VERY expensive. I can't even get a hold of it here in Sweden, therefore i gave up trying to order online...always out of stock, high shipping prices, etc. So the price combined with their customer service is a little bit of a turn-off.
Therefore...: The cons are that the brown undertones are skin tone-sensitive- they will pop more or less depending on your skin color. They tend to look a little reddish on very pale skin, while perfectly blending in with darker skin tones. The brown actually appears more like an auburn-ish tint, which does not look good on someone with fair-medium complexion and dark hair like me. And a HUGE turn-off- it doesn't photograph well at all. Due to the hard formulation you don't get a powdery finish, therefore every little stroke in your eyebrow is going to appear 3 times more visible than when using even the cheapest eyebrow pencil. These are my major reasons for not repurchasing this product.
2) Anastasia Beverly Hills Perfect Brow Pencil in Medium Ash:
I uploaded a photo of this pencil in natural light, on the side of my palm, in natural light, no flash. I drew two lines, one of which i smudged, so the undertones would be clearly visible.
Color: Medium Ash is, in my opinion, the best color Anastasia came up with. it is very similar to Shu Uemura's pencil in terms of undertones, hardness, clever concept (the oils in the eyebrow etc..) and price (sigh). It is one of the few eyebrow pencils with no red undertones whatsoever, that caters to absolutely ALL hair colors and skin types. This one is even better than Shu's- though being perfectly universal in chromatic terms, paradoxically it doesn't appear different on different skin tones, despite fitting them all. I use this, and i have dark brown hair, my best friend uses it, and she's light blonde, my former classmate used it and she was a redhead, so on and so forth. It even works for that very difficult hair color, the natural 'mousy' light brown. Thumbs up for the magic in it, i seriously can't think of how Anastasia did this amazing job. It is simply THE pencil that goes for everyone and everything. I bought this and two days after i watched MacNC40's video on YouTube in which she uses this pencil, and her hair appears to be almost raven black. So five stars for the color. VERY natural undertones, but if you closely and carefully compare it with something else (especially with something with strong chestnut undertones) you'll see the weirdest thing ever- it has cocoa undertones, an almost imperceptible pink undertone if i can say so. I will upload a photo with a comparison, hopefully it's gonna be visible.
Quantity and packaging: It's not as long as Shu's but a little goes a long way as well. I also like that it has the greatest spoolie ever. I wouldn't actually go with saying that it lasts forever as some of the YouTube gurus have mentioned because it doesn't. I've had mine for almost a year now, kept sharpening it every three-four uses, and it's definitely shorter. Nevertheless, it doesn't disappear as fast as drugstore eyebrow pencils do.
Application: as hard as Shu Uemura, goes along the same lines of use- hard formulation that allows for perfectly controlling the coloring and buildability. You can either draw in your eyebrows or discreetly fill them in with the same natural results. Extremely, extremely natural. Easy to use, it's very hard to make a mistake. Very good for when you're on the run and you want to basically draw two lines and split. Either you're spending 30 minutes grooming your eyebrows in the mirror or just baby-drawing on your face, the result will be impeccable, and this is what makes it special. Can be used by professionals or by beginners with the same outcome.
Price: cheaper than Shu Uemura, but it remains a high-end product so it burns a little hole in your pocker (the equivalent of 20 euros here in Sweden...ouch!).
Therefore...: One big, major flaw: it doesn't photograph well at all in flash close-up pictures. Weirdly, it looks gray and unnatural, and very drawn on. BIG sadness. However, i will continue purchasing it because despite this major turn-off, it's still 'the one'.
3) Clinique Superfine Liner for Brows in 03 Deep Brown:
Color: This is as close as it gets to perfection. It is perfect for brown haired people, period. It has chestnut undertones, pure chestnut and not red. It is a deep rich brown that compliments very well the entire range of brown hair and even the black one, because it looks very natural. It photographs amazingly, what you see being what you're getting- VERY natural, very rich deep brown. This is the best choice of color i have ever found in a pencil. However...
Quantity and packaging: elegant fine pencil, okay, but the quantity inside is very small. The stick is short and slim, very fragile, and the worst is you can't screw it back, so the chances are you've pretty much screwed yourself if you twisted up more than you needed. Mine never broke but many ladies on Makeupalley said they experienced this when pressing a little harder. Big turn-off. It doesn't last long either, about two months or even less in case of constant use.
Application: again, i am terribly sorry because this pencil had serious HG potential but applying it is a hassle. It is simply too soft. You need at least 15 minutes to fill in your eyebrows, and its softness makes it very difficult if you need extensive eyebrow reconstruction, especially at the beginning of the brow. If not carefully blended it will look very unnatural. It smudges very easily so fixing it with powder is a must. It takes a long time and a light hand to work with this little guy here. Too bad...
Price: expensive but not very. I paid the equivalent of 15 euros.
Therefore...: I don't use mine every day, only for minor filling in, whenever i need more definition of the eyebrows. Photographs very well and looks natural because the color is very intense and the pencil itself is very pigmented. Will keep mine for as long as i can and then i'll think about repurchasing.
4) Isadora Eyebrow pencil in 22 Light Brown:
Color: Neutral brown with warm beige and very light gray undertones. No redness. Hands down, he best drugstore eyebrow pencil i've ever tried. Like Anastasia's, goes perfectly well with any skintone and hair color.
Quantity: The pencil is longer than Anastasia's but it doesn't last that long. The pencil is very soft and gets blunt very easily so i lose a lot of product because i have to sharpen it every time i use it. However, it is something i will continue and continue purchasing.
Application and packaging: as i mentioned, this is a pencil bordering on the soft edge yet it doesn't have Clinique's creaminess. It has a nice consistency and goes on smoothly, while remaining controllable. You don't need a light hand with this because it's not as pigmented as Clinique's, yet the effect is beautiful. It comes with a spoolie that's very similar to Anastasia's so thumbs up for it.
Price: here it's not extremely cheap, almost 9 euros, but i think in the US is definitely a cheapster.
Therefore...: will continue purchasing this until they discontinue it. It photographs very nicely and i don't need to set it with powder because it doesn't smudge.
5) Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in 01 Dark Brown:
Color: very beautiful, a perfect dupe for Clinique's Deep Brown eyebrow liner. Strong rich chestnut undertones, however the chromatic difference is that this one can appear a little red. But for a drugstore product is more than i would have ever expected.
Quantity and Packaging: normal length, nothing special. Has a different brush on top that's a little harsh but very good for intensive blending- if you have coarse eyebrow hairs like i do and need to seriously blend on a short portion, then this is the brush you want. The spoolie brush is more suitable for even blending, while this one is perfect for specific delimitation. However, you have to be light handed with it because the bristles are stiff. Lasts for a long time because the inside is thicker than in other pencils (the top is also thicker).
Application: this is softer than the Isadora one thus a light hand is again needed. it is VERY pigmented and quite soft so again, go easy with this. That's the minus of this pencil- tricky application, you can't just do it fast but need to be exact and careful. It tends to smudge pretty much like the Clinique one so fixing it with powder is a must, especially if you're planning to go clubbing.
Price: cheap. i got two of these on sale for about 4 euros. yay!
Therefore...: will definitely continue purchasing, but for the moment i'm set with 2 of these. it photographs very nicely as well.
6) H&M Eyebrow Liner in Dark Brown:
Color: this is the cheapest alternative for an expensive eyebrow product. the color is surprisingly natural and similar to the Shu Uemura Seal Brown (i'm so sorry i don't have it so i could compare them...argh!). However, the undertones are a little less pronounced and the color goes more towards a chestnut-hazel light brown. Very natural and especially suited for lighter-haired people. It appears very neutral with absolutely no red undertones.
Quantity and packaging: has the same brush like the Rimmel one though the bristles are much softer. The pencil is shorter and the color stick inside is thinner so you're getting less product. It lasts for a while because you don't have to sharpen it upon every application.
Application: The pencil is naturally soft, harder than the Rimmel one, more similar to the Isadora one in terms of consistency and drawing-ness. It doesn't smudge easily so fixing it with powder or Fix Plus or whatever is optional. It lasts the whole day, looks very natural yet is easily blendable within the eyebrow (doesn't make the creamy mess like the Clinique one). many people don't know about this or just don't even want to think of using it since it's H&M, and i used to think the same until i saw this girl with perfect eyebrows and had to ask her what she was using, and was pretty amazed when she said it was this cheap pencil. Cool.
Price: cheap. 3 euros or so.
Therefore...: because i don't use it very often (it's smaller and gets lost amongst my other pencils...) it's going to last me for a while. But i will definitely continue purchasing it.
Eyebrow powder:
My favorite is again one from H&M, in Brown Shades:
This little box deserves a post of its own. It is a fantastic product because I CAN'T NAME THE COLOR. Seriously, it looks like a dusty shadow and not brown at all. Inside there are two colors, one neutral, a light mousy gray that i can't describe, and the other one a darker 'brown'. I took a flash picture because there's no other way i could've made the color pop. It's simply fantastic. It is the most neutral thing i have ever seen. It's maybe gray...with a little light brown, full stop. These are the swatches:
I love them. Period.
The brush inside the box is obviously crappy so i never use it. I have one from Kicks (Sweden's Sephora), number 109 i think, i'm not sure (will write about my makeup brushes later). But this color is simply fantastic. Just the tiniest amount is enough to give my eyebrows an extremely natural color that doesn't smudge, doesn't change, doesn't oxidize. The consistency of the powder is smooth but not extremely creamy, and the pigmentation is good towards very good- i don't need a light hand with this, just dab the tip of my brush twice in each shadow and then shake it to remove any product excess. It just goes very well with my eyebrows and looks very very natural.
However, since it is a powder, i only use it for the first half of my eyebrows. I cannot stress enough how natural this powder is, and cheap, and wonderful! I do NOT follow the same eyebrow routine as the YouTube gurus do, namely drawing a line on the upper part of the eyebrow as a 'stencil' because if you tilt your head down the line usually appears very visible. This powder goes so smoothly yet discreetly, passing the brush through just doesn't create a visible line which I ABSOLUTELY LOVE. Then, if i want to continue filling in, i just keep building it. Fabulous.
So yep. these are my favorite eyebrow products but due to my nature i'll always be scooping for some more. so most probably i will soon rave about new findings...
