• brow gels

    Brow Pencils & Gels | My Hits & Misses

    May 8, 2020

    Hi Everyone!

    Today, I’m sharing my favourite brow products!

    Check out my other Hits & Misses posts!

    MAKEUP || Primers | Foundations | Powders | Concealers | Mascara

    SKINCARE || Eye Creams

    BRANDS || Bobbi Brown | Burt’s Bees | L’Oréal | Maybelline | Nude by Nature | NYX | TULA | Volition Beauty

    Before you read this post, please remember that we all have difference preferences and skin types. These are MY hits, misses and likes. You might love something I don’t like or dislike something I love.

    My brow products of choice are pencils and gels. A few times I’ve used an matte shadow as eyebrow powder, but I prefer pencils. I’m not patient or skilled enough to use pomades.

    Two years ago, I wrote a similar post reviewing brow products I’ve tried (read my post). I’ve tried quite a few products since then and found some that I like more. 

    I’ve also written a few comparison posts (with swatches), check them out below:

    Lancôme Brow Shaping Powdery Pencil vs. Benefit Precisely, My Brow

    Dior Diorshow BoldBrow vs. Benefit 24 Hour Brow Setter Shaping & Setting Gel

    I don’t think they sell the Dior Diorshow BoldBrow anymore, they came out with a new product to replace it.

    HITS

    Colourpop Brow Boss Clear Gel – My friend recommended this clear gel and it’s my favourite clear gel that I’ve tried. It comes out of the tube white, but dries down clear. It leaves my brows feeling soft and not crunchy at all!

    Benefit Gimme Brow+ Volumizing Eyebrow Gel in 5 Deep – One of my favourite tinted brow gels.

    Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil Ultra Fine Shape & Define in 6 (read my review) – This has been one of my favourite brow pencils I’ve tried.

    NYX Micro Brow Pencil in Black – A great drugstore micro brow pencil. This is a fave of mine as well.

    LIKES

    Anastasia Clear Brow Gel – This brow gel does get a bit crunchy, but it keeps my brows in place. I just wish the wand wasn’t so huge. It’s like a mascara wand. I would prefer a thinner one.

    Lancôme Brow Shaping Powdery Pencil in Soft Black 09 (read my review) – I liked this brow pencil, but it felt like a waste to sharpen so much of it away. I prefer retractable pencils that you don’t have to sharpen. This pencil is nice for a natural look.

    Kevyn Aucoin The Precision Brow Pencil in Dark Brunette – I wanted to try a different brow pencil, so I grabbed this Kevyn Aucoin one. It’s the first product I’ve tried from the brand. The shade is a good match for me, but it wipes off more easily than other brow products. I wouldn’t repurchase it.

    NYX Fill & Fluff Pomade Pencil in Ash Brown – In my NYX Hits & Misses post, I put this in the HITS, but this is going into the LIKES section for this post. It’s a HIT for the products I’ve tried from NYX, but there’s other brow products I prefer. This is another pencil that I like from NYX. Although I prefer the Micro Brow pencil because it comes with a spoolie. This one comes with a little oval/paddle brush so you can diffuse what you drew on. You get a more filled in look with this pomade pencil.  

    Anastasiah Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel

    MISSES

    Benefit 24-HR Brow Setter Shaping & Setting Gel (read my review) – I don’t know if it was just the sample I got of this, but it was kind of tacky. When you pull the wandout, you would see a string of product from the wand to the tube. It kind of reminded me of clear lash glue in that way.

    Benefit ka-BROW! Cream-Gel Eyebrow Color in 5 Deep – I got a deluxe sample of this and it’s just too intense for me.

    Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil Easy Shape & Fill in 5 Deep – I prefer micro pencils so this was too thick for me. I prefer hair-like strokes instead of the filled in look.

    Burt’s Bees Natural Brow Pencil in 1610 Brunette* – This only comes in two shades and the darker shade is too light for me. It was too waxy for my liking.

    Maybelline Eye Studio Brow Precise Shaping Pencil in Deep Brown – This pencil was way too waxy for my liking and it never sharpened nicely.

    Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Brows Eyebrow Gel in Perfect Brown – I just wanted to try some Charlotte Tilbury products so I bought this during the sale. I love the size of the brush and the colour was nice. It’s a nice product, but I don’t think it’s anything special and it’s the most expensive gel I’ve tried.

    Brow Pencils

    Brow Gels

    ProductPrice in CADSizeCost per gram # of shades available
    Colourpop Brow Boss Clear Gel7 USD = 8.85 CAD3.10g2.2clear, 4 tinted
    Anastasia Strong Hold Clear Brow Gel29.507.85g3.8clear
    L’Oréal Brow Stylist Boost & Set Volumizing Brow Mascara13.493.2g4.24 tinted
    Benefit 24-HR Brow Setter Shaping & Setting Gel327g4.6clear
    Anastasia Clear Brow Gel (mini)122,5g4.8clear
    Benefit 24-HR Brow Setter Shaping & Setting Gel (value)516g8.53 tinted
    Benefit Gimme Brow+ Volumizing Eyebrow Gel (mini)193.5g5.4clear
    Benefit Gimme Brow+ Volumizing Eyebrow Gel323g10.710 tinted
    Benefit Gimme Brow+ Volumizing Eyebrow Gel (mini)181.5g12.710 tinted
    Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Brows Eyebrow Gel301.33g22.64 tinted
    charlotte tilbury legendary brows

    Brow Pencils/Pomade Gels

    ProductPrice in CADSizeCost per ounce# of shades available
    Benefit ka-BROW! Cream Gel Eyebrow Color320.1oz3208 shades
    Burt's Bees Brow Pencil13.990.04oz3492 shades
    Mini size Benefit ka-BROW! Cream Gel Eyebrow Color190.05oz3803 shades
    Maybelline Eye Studio Brow Precise Shaping Pencil10.990.02oz5504 shades on Maybelline,
    2 shades on Shoppers Drug Mart site
    NYX Fill & Fluff Pomade Pencil12.490.007oz17848 shades
    Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil Easy Shape & Fill320.01oz320012 shades
    Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil Easy Shape & Fill (mini)190.005oz38003 shades
    NYX Micro Brow Pencil12.490.003oz41638 shades
    Anastasia Brow Wiz280.003oz933310 shades
    Kevyn Aucoin The Precision Brow Pencil320.003oz106674 shades
    Lancôme Brow Shaping Powdery Pencil350.003oz116679 shades
    Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil Ultra Fine Shape & Define320.02oz1600012 shades
    Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil Ultra Fine Shape & Define (mini)190.001oz1900012 shades

    To Try

    I have the Anastasia Brow Wiz in my collection, but I haven’t tried it yet. I bought it earlier this year and wanted to finish my Kevyn Aucoin pencil first.

    • Dior Diorshow Brow Styler Ultra-Fine Precision Brow Pencil
    • Dior Diorshow Pump ‘N’ Brow
    • Fenty Beauty Brow MVP Ultra Fine Brow Pencil & Styler
    • Hourglass Arch Brow Micro Sculpting Pencil
    • Hourglass Arch Brow Shaping Gel
    • Milk KUSH Fiber Brow Gel
    • Nudestix Eyebrow Stylus Pencil & Gel

    What are your fave brow products?

    Love,

    Products marked with (*) were sent to me.

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  • Maybelline | My Hits & Misses

    April 5, 2019

    Hi Everyone!

    So, here are my Hits and Misses from Maybelline.

    Check out my other Hits & Misses posts!

    MAKEUP || Primers | Foundations | Powders | Concealers | Brows | Mascara

    SKINCARE || Eye Creams

    BRANDS || Bobbi Brown | Burt’s Bees | L’Oréal | Nude by Nature | NYX | TULA | Volition Beauty

    Before you read this post, please remember that we all have difference preferences and skin types. These are MY hits, misses and likes. You might love something I don’t like or dislike something I love.

    Surprisingly, I haven’t tried a whole bunch of products from Maybelline even though it’s an affordable drugstore brand. I think I have a lot of difficulty finding my shade match with their complexion products. I haven’t tried any of their blushes or eyeshadow palettes and only tried one lipstick so far, but here’s my list:

    HITS

    Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser Treatment Concealer – This is a great concealer for me, I love how natural it looks. The shade Light might be a bit too light, I’ve gotten a recommendation to try the Neutralizer, so I might try that. 

    Fit Me Loose Finishing Powder – I love this powder, but the shade 15 Light is a bit pink on me. Maybe it will be better during the summer time.

    Fit Me Concealer in 10 Light – Great drugstore concealer!

    Fit Me Shine-Free + Balance Stick Foundation in 130 Buff Beige (read my review) – I actually really loved this, even in the summer time. I don’t think it’s available any more though.

    Face Studio Master Chrome Highlighter – I love this highlighter, although for me, 100 Molten Gold is a bit too coppery gold for my skintone, but I would definitely repurchase in a different shade.

    Color Show Kohl Liner – I loved the nude shade they used to have in this, but they don’t have it anymore. I used to put it on my lower waterline and it would instantly brighten my eyes.

    Lash Sensational Full Fan Effect Mascara Washable (read my review) – This is a great mascara, I definitely want to try the waterproof to see if it holds a curl better

    Great Lash Mascara (Black or Clear) – This is a classic. The clear one is great for using as brow gel too.

    Volum’ Express The Falsies Big Eyes – From what I remember, this is a great mascara.

    Volum’ Express The Falsies Mascara – Loved this mascara, need to try it again at some point to compare it to others.

    SuperStay 24 Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick in 65 Seductress – A Toronto makeup artist posted a pic of her bride and I commented on it saying her lip colour was beautiful, she replied back saying it was this liquid lipstick mixed with a lipliner and gloss. I see why everyone loves this liquid lippie! I’m not one for matte lipsticks, but this one is super long-wearing and you can top with a gloss in the middle to give that 3D effect.

    LIKES

    Hydrate & Smooth Fit Me Foundation – The shade I chose in this isn’t right, so that’s probably why I didn’t love it. It was way too orange. I also don’t love that this has no pump.

    Matte & Poreless Fit Me Foundation – Same deal as the Hydrate & Smooth one.

    Eye Studio Color Tattoo 24HR Cream Gel Eye Shadow in Barely Branded – I am still debating whether I like cream shadows. I think I prefer sticks when it has shimmer. So, I might like one that’s matte.

    Total Temptation Washable Volumizing Mascara – This is one mascara that I’m not crazy about. It’s okay, but I prefer the others.

    Master Precise Curvy Liquid Liner (read my review) – This doesn’t have a really precise tip and it’s not super black, so if that’s what you’re looking for, skip this one.

    MISSES

    Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser – I didn’t like the silicone feel of this.

    Master Prime Blur + Redness Control Primer – This didn’t do anything to correct my redness.

    Eye Studio Brow Precise Pencil – I didn’t like the waxy feel of this pencil.

    Color Show Nail Lacquer – I prefer a fat brush, this has a round skinny brush. For me, I prefer fat because it’s less likely to be streaky since I’m no expert at applying nail polish.

    There’s a few products that I tried a long long time ago before I knew a lot about makeup…before using primer. So, here’s what I remember about them:

    Baby Lips Lip Balm – I think it was okay, it wasn’t anything special.

    SuperStay Better Skin Foundation – I used this a while back before I knew I was supposed to use primer. I don’t even know if I used to use a damp sponge when applying this. The shade I got was way off. I remember it being okay, but I’m not curious enough to to try it out again.

    SuperStay Better Skin Concealer + Corrector – I remember it being pretty good, but didn’t love the chemical smell of it (Fit Me doesn’t have that smell). I don’t think the shade was right either.

    What are your faves from Maybelline?

    Love,

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