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.

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 Gels

Product	Price in CAD	Size	Cost per gram	# of shades available
Colourpop Brow Boss Clear Gel	7 USD = 8.85 CAD	3.10g	2.2	clear, 4 tinted
Anastasia Strong Hold Clear Brow Gel	29.50	7.85g	3.8	clear
L’Oréal Brow Stylist Boost & Set Volumizing Brow Mascara	13.49	3.2g	4.2	4 tinted
Benefit 24-HR Brow Setter Shaping & Setting Gel	32	7g	4.6	clear
Anastasia Clear Brow Gel (mini)	12	2,5g	4.8	clear
Benefit 24-HR Brow Setter Shaping & Setting Gel (value)	51	6g	8.5	3 tinted
Benefit Gimme Brow+ Volumizing Eyebrow Gel (mini)	19	3.5g	5.4	clear
Benefit Gimme Brow+ Volumizing Eyebrow Gel	32	3g	10.7	10 tinted
Benefit Gimme Brow+ Volumizing Eyebrow Gel (mini)	18	1.5g	12.7	10 tinted
Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Brows Eyebrow Gel	30	1.33g	22.6	4 tinted

Brow Pencils/Pomade Gels

Product	Price in CAD	Size	Cost per ounce	# of shades available
Benefit ka-BROW! Cream Gel Eyebrow Color	32	0.1oz	320	8 shades
Burt's Bees Brow Pencil	13.99	0.04oz	349	2 shades
Mini size Benefit ka-BROW! Cream Gel Eyebrow Color	19	0.05oz	380	3 shades
Maybelline Eye Studio Brow Precise Shaping Pencil	10.99	0.02oz	550	4 shades on Maybelline, 2 shades on Shoppers Drug Mart site
NYX Fill & Fluff Pomade Pencil	12.49	0.007oz	1784	8 shades
Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil Easy Shape & Fill	32	0.01oz	3200	12 shades
Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil Easy Shape & Fill (mini)	19	0.005oz	3800	3 shades
NYX Micro Brow Pencil	12.49	0.003oz	4163	8 shades
Anastasia Brow Wiz	28	0.003oz	9333	10 shades
Kevyn Aucoin The Precision Brow Pencil	32	0.003oz	10667	4 shades
Lancôme Brow Shaping Powdery Pencil	35	0.003oz	11667	9 shades
Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil Ultra Fine Shape & Define	32	0.02oz	16000	12 shades
Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil Ultra Fine Shape & Define (mini)	19	0.001oz	19000	12 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.

Concealers & Colour Correctors | My Hits & Misses

April 3, 2020
Hi Everyone!
I’m sharing my hits and misses for concealers and colour correctors that I’ve tried.

Check out my other Hits & Misses posts!

MAKEUP || Primers | Foundations | Powders | Brows | 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.

HITS

Nars Soft Matte Complete Concealer – This has become one of my favourites. I still need to try the Radiant Creamy Concealer.

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer – This is a great concealer, but it needs more shades.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer – This is another great concealer from Maybelline, but I feel like I finished it really quickly compared to other concealers.

Shiseido Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Concealer – Love this concealer and would definitely repurchase.

Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Self-Setting Concealer – I really enjoyed this concealer and would definitely repurchase.
LIKES

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer – I tried this before I started beauty blogging so I never tested it out in different ways. I really enjoyed it, but I need to try it again to see if I would bump it up to my “Hits List.”

Cle de Peau Concealer – This is a really nice concealer, but I don’t think it’s worth it for me.

Coastal Scents Eclipse Palette (read my review) – I liked the colour correcting shades from this palette.

Milani Retouch + Erase Light-Lifting Concealer – I liked this concealer, but it needs more shades.

Colourpop No Filter Concealer – I know this concealer is affordable, but it’s hard to find the perfect shade match online. Also, this concealer oxidizes which I didn’t love.

Cover FX Correct Click Color Corrector in Brick – A Sephora associate suggested this corrector to cover a dark spot I had on my leg for my sister’s wedding. It was a very nice, blendable corrector when I bought it in 2016.

Hard Candy Sheer Envy Concealer Palette – I liked the colour correcting shades in this palette. It was very emollient and not too thick. The concealer shades weren’t quite right (even when I tried to mix them to get my shade).

Urban Decay Naked Skin Color Correcting Fluid in Green – I liked this colour corrector. It was nice and creamy.

RMS Beauty Un-Cover Up – I liked this concealer, but it started to smell different after a few months.

Maybelline Super Stay Better Skin Concealer – This concealer was okay, but I prefer the Fit Me Concealer.

NYX HD Photogenic Concealer in Green – The shade of this colour corrector is very minty-green compared to the Urban Decay one (see swatches).

Physician’s Formula Concealer Twins 2-in-1 Correct and Cover Cream – I tried this when I was first getting into makeup. It was a great starter concealer and colour corrector.
MISSES

Marcelle CC Concealer + Corrector (read my review) – This was probably the worst concealer I ever tried. It was gritty!

Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Concealer – This was too thin to provide any coverage for me. It also settled into lines and made my dry under eyes look even drier.

Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Wear Camouflage Concealer – This was way too tacky for me. I also got the wrong shade in this one.

Revlon Colorstay Concealer – I didn’t like the smell of this concealer. It was an okay concealer, but it doesn’t have a very wide shade range.

Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer – This is an unpopular opinion, but I don’t like this concealer at all. This is too full coverage for me and the scent is way too strong for me.

Sephora Bright Future Color Corrector (read my review) – I didn’t like this colour corrector.

Cover FX Correct Click Color Corrector in Yellow – I don’t know if they changed the formula since I purchased the shade Brick in 2016, but the Yellow would pull on my skin and it wasn’t as blendable.

Concealers I Own, but Haven’t Used
- Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer in Neutralizer
- Laura Mercier Secret Concealer
To Try
- Bare Minerals BARESKIN Complete Coverage Serum Concealer
- Bare Minerals BAREPRO 16-Hr Full Coverage Concealer
- Charlotte Tilbury Magic Away Concealer
- First Aid Hello FAB Bendy Avocado Concealer
- Ilia True Skin Serum Concealer
- Kosas Revealer Concealer Super Creamy + Brightening Concealer
- Milk Flex Concealer
- Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer
- Revlon PhotoReady Candid Antioxidant Concealer
- Too Faced Born This Way Super Coverage Multi-Use Sculpting Concealer
What are your fave concealers?
Love,
Read More
My 2020 Goals

January 1, 2020
Hi Everyone!
Happy 2020 Everyone!

I thought I would write a GOALS post to start the year off. I’m not going to call them Resolutions because I always fail to keep Resolutions but here are some goals I hope to accomplish in 2020:
- Exercise!
- Eat healthier/try to eat vegetarian 2-3 times a week
- Drink more water
- Improve photography skills
- Improve blogging skills (SEO, coding, etc.)
- Read more books
- Add more listings to my Etsy shop, Prints by JenCat
- Practise brush lettering
- Practise watercolour art
- Add more listings to my Poshmark Closet
- Spend less money on makeup and skincare (see 2019’s beauty expenses)
- Streamline my makeup collection to 50 products or less
Here are some things I hope to continue doing:
- Drinking lots of water throughout the day
- Eating/drink less sugar products (I used to drink quite a bit of juice and pop. Now I only drink it every now and then)
- No milk or cheese (my face has cleared up a lot since I stopped eating cheese and drinking milk). I still eat products that contain dairy, but cutting down on cheese and milk has improved my skin
- Bullet journalling
- Keeping a skincare journal to figure out what products work for me
What are your goals for 2020?
Love,
Read More
Sephora 2019 Wishlist

January 25, 2019
Hi Everyone!
I’m on a no buy/low buy this year, but it doesn’t mean I can’t window shop and get a bunch of samples to test out until I find my HG (holy grail) products.
I have quite a few primer/foundation/concealer products on my wishlist since I want to have a selection of different things, i.e. different formulations (liquid, powder, cream), different coverages (sheer, medium), mattifying vs. smoothing vs. hydrating…the list goes on!
Also, as a beauty blogger, I want to keep trying new things (even if I’ve found something I love). Maybe I will find something else even better!
I have some new products on the list and I have some cult faves that I want to try (I’m slow to the game, I know!):
- Winky Lux Whipped Cream Primer
- RMS Beauty Un Cover-Up Concealer/Foundation
- Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Concealer
- Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer
- Milk Makeup Flex Concealer
- Becca Hydra-Mist Set & Refresh Powder
- Laura Mercier Blush Colour Infusion
- Marc Jacobs Enamored Hydrating Lip Gloss Stick
Here are some products that I’m planning to get samples of:
- Dior Forever Skin Glow 24h Wear Radiant Perfection Skin-Caring Foundation
- Laura Mercier Flawless Lumière Radiance-Perfecting Foundation
- Benefit Hello Happy Soft Blur Foundation
- Hourglass Vanish Seamless Liquid Foundation
- Milk Makeup Blur Liquid Matte Foundation
- Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Liquid Highlighter
- Marc Jacobs Dew Drops Coconut Gel Highlighter
In addition, I also have a few products that were recommended to me by others that I want to try:
- NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer
- Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer
- IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream
What’s on your wishlist?
Love,
Read More
How to Make Milk Tea with Grass Jelly

June 20, 2017
Hi Everyone!

I don’t know about you, but I love bubble tea: slushies, green tea, black tea and milk teas. A while ago, I tried making my own milk tea with grass jelly using Red Rose Orange Pekoe tea, but it didn’t have the right taste in my opinion. So I tried making milk tea with grass jelly using Dollar Tea Club’s Assam Organic Black Tea. I used carnation milk, but you can use soy milk, almond milk or any other milk of your choosing. I think almond milk would give it a nice nutty flavour, like the drink they offer at Chatime.

There’s no real recipe, it depends if you like your tea stronger or more milk, but here’s what I put in mine:
- Dollar Tea Club’s loose leaf Assam Organic Black Tea
- carnation milk/almond milk/soy milk (any milk of your choosing)
- grass jelly (from a can)
- brown sugar
- ice
Bring water to a boil and steep the black tea for at least 5 minutes (either add more than usual or steep it for a bit longer than usual so that it’s stronger). Add some brown sugar, I put a teaspoon, you can add more or less depending on how sweet you like it.

Once steeped, you can add ice to the tea, but I prefer to put my mug into an ice bath so that I don’t water down the tea more than I need to. If you’re going to do an ice bath, get a shallow bowl and put your mug of black tea into it. Then, carefully pour cold water and ice into the bowl. Let the tea sit until it’s cooled down. Add your carnation milk to the black tea (if you like your tea weak, add more). I had a 500mL mug of black tea, so I put about 1/4 cup (give or take) of carnation milk.

I poured my tea into a mason jar and chilled it overnight. If you add ice to your tea, you can drink it right away. For the grass jelly, open a can of grass jelly and rinse it with cold water. I put the grass jelly into a glass container so I could rinse it more easily and cut it up. Spoon out the grass jelly into a cup and pour the milk tea into the glass and VOILA! (To save myself from having to wash a cup, I just carefully spooned out the grass jelly into the mason jar cup that already had my milk tea in it). You’ve made milk tea!

Love,
Read More

HITS