Maybelline Brow Satin in Medium Brown buy here
As I've said in previous posts, I am trying to be more mindful of the beauty products I buy. This is because I feel it's wasteful to have so much of the same sort of thing; I seem to have about a thousand red lipsticks, for example, and I am currently trying to work my way through my perfume collection before I buy any more. The reason for this is not simply frugal; makeup, like food, goes off and if you stockpile products that you don't get around to using, they'll eventually end up in the bin. Just the other day I went to use a cream eyeshadow and on opening the tube decided the smell emanating from within was not right at all. And I was going to put it on my eyes! No. Into the bin it went, but what a waste!
With this in mind, I had a good clear out of my makeup bag, turfed anything that was past its best (my selection of semi-used body lotions was severely edited) and made a mental note of anything I actually needed, rather than just wanted, to buy.
It's not easy. Every time I open a magazine, read a blog, or even walk past a pharmacy, there's a million reasons to want to buy some new things. A wonder product, a new lip colour, a new mascara that promises this, that or the other. Everyone likes to look nice, and when products tell you that they will help you to achieve that, it's hard to resist.
The point of this blog post is to actually talk about a purchase I made of an item I actually needed; a new brow pencil. I usually buy the No. 7 eyebrow pencil, which I wait to purchase until the money off vouchers come around periodically which makes it about £3. This time, though, I thought I'd try something different, the latest release from Maybelline, Brow Satin. I was definitely hooked by the advert (sucker!) which promises to make your brows look naturally defined and basically just great.
I am keen on a good brow. I like a strong brow, not too perfect or 'HD'/Kim K, but a statement brow to frame the face nicely. I do find myself buying into brow products though I'm yet to try a 'brow mascara' (reminds me too much of the 90's) or the Anastasia Brow Whiz which I think every blogger in the world but me has reviewed (it's too expensive/wouldn't know where to get one.) I have used, and loved, the Sleek brow pencil which is meant to be a dupe for the Anastasia one but I rattled through it; I must have used a whole one in about 3 weeks so it wasn't the most economical choice at nearly £7 a time!
The Maybelline Brow Satin costs £5.99 and I got this one from Boots. I bought Medium Brown which is actually quite dark; I imagine the next colour up from this would be dark enough for someone with very dark features, black hair or even a darker skin as the medium brown is a lot darker than I anticipated it would be. The product comes in 4 colours and includes a mahogany shade for people with redder toned hair.
The product is a double ended pen with a waxy pencil at one end and a sponge applicator with brow shadow set into the lid at the other. You draw in the shape of the brow with the pencil and sketch in the hairs, then blend and set using the powder to fill in the gaps. Sounds like a really useful and simple two step product to perfect brows!
I do like this product, and I don't want to focus on the things that I didn't like about it, but there are a couple to address. Firstly, and importantly, to me anyway: There's no spoolie. A spoolie is the bottle brush type implement that most brow pencils have on the non-pencil end, to brush the brow hair through. I didn't even think about not having this as a factor in my purchase, until I went to use it and realised I couldn't brush through my brows to prep as I normally could. Secondly, the waxy pencil is hard. Really hard. A little scratchy, almost. Again, maybe this is something I'll have to get used to, and apparently, the waxier the pencil, the longer it will hold, which is a good thing, but it does mean that actually doing my brows will take a little longer as I'll have to be more precise.
What I did like about the product was the colour payoff, which was really strong, and the twist up design of the pencil lead, which is much easier than faffing about with a sharpener every time you want to put your brows on. I also like the idea of the filling powder very much, and having both the powder and applicator in the wand is a stroke of genius-this is perfect for travelling as everything you need is right there (except the spoolie!) meaning no need to carry around separate brushes or powders.
I have only used this product infrequently so far, so hopefully as I get more used to the application it will become easier. I'd love to know if you have tried it and if so, what your thoughts were? Or alternatively, your go-to brow product?
XO Amie
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