NYX Cosmetics Brow Gel in Brunette

We all know that brows are big business, and after the myriad of products appeared on the market how do you even begin to start with purchasing the correct brow products for you??

I've been doing my brows now for the last few years, mine have always been black anyway so were always present on my face but having them 'done' makes such a big difference to my face. However I still haven't tried all of the different brow products that are available so I decided at the NYX cosmetics event in Cardiff a few weeks ago to try their Brow Gel.

The lovely Jade gave us a demonstration of a few products and this was one that caught my eye, we were told it may need some practice to get your brows right with this as it can dry really fast and be a bit pigmented.

With this in mind I didn't rush home and try this as soon as i could. I waited until I had some spare time and plenty of micellar water around just in case I ended up with eyebrows like Hagrid (subtle Harry Potter reference there!)

Following Jade's instructions I put a tiny but on the back of my hand, filled in the main section of my brows from the bottom with strokes moving upwards and outwards to the end, and then came back to fill the front in with whatever was left on my brush so I didn't have the dreaded Sharpie effect.

I got this right first time with these instructions so I'm really pleased (and thankful!) to Jade for taking us through the tips!



I did find that the tiniest bit went a long way, and it does dry quite fast although not as fast as I originally thought (I pretty much squeezed some out and gave myself a few seconds before thinking it would be dry!)

It all depends on the look you go for really, but I find outlining the bottom of the brow to give a clean line and then blending upwards and outwards in strokes gives a natural but defined look without being too heavy which is what I prefer for work. I have a few small patches at the front of my brows which are a bit sparse but it didn't look like these had been blocked in which was a small concern!

After using the brow gel to fill in i then either use a spoolie brush to blend the brow hairs or a product such as Benefit's Gimme Brow to set the hairs so they don't move. There's nothing that annoys me more than drawing my brows on and then the actual hairs (particularly at the ends) stick out in any direction later on in the day!

So how does it look on? Let's get very close to my face:

I find this easy to work with and I'm surprised, as normally I've always used a pencil or a product like Gimme Brow where the gel is on a brush already and simply needs to be brushed through.

Although this does take a little work I like drawing my brows on in the morning and I don't feel like it takes much longer either.

As far as longevity goes once this sets it does stay for the day. I have managed to smudge it at the end of the day (forgot I had it on and rubbed my temples after a long day - somehow managed to smudge the end off one brow at the same time!) so as long as your skin isn't too oily and you don't rub it I don't see any reason for it to move.

The NYX brow gel costs £5.50 and is available in 5 colours. I really think this is worth every penny and will definitely be back to try more from NYX.

This was the first product from them that I have properly tried, and I have a few more to review in the next few weeks including the infamous Lip Lingeries. I've been impressed so far especially for the prices, what do you think?

What's your favourite products from NYX? Have you tried the brow gel?

L xxx

Benefit's New Brow Range!

Hello everyone!

Apologies for the lack of posts from us, we have both been super busy recently and have been away at Glastonbury followed by seeing Beyoncé on her stadium tour so time and wifi access a been very limited! We are super tired and looking forward to quiet weekends to catch up on everything so expect lots of posts to be uploaded soon.

The first post I needed to write was to tell you all about the new brow products from Benefit.

I'm sure by now you have all seen the new range but i really wanted to give you my thoughts on it too. 

When I heard that Benefit we're bringing out even more products and redoing their packaging I was equally excited and a little confused, surely there couldn't possibly be any more brow products that were necessary?? Aren't benefit the top sellers for brow products anyway, how can we need more??

Well let me tell you I was suitably impressed when I was invited to the Benefit counter in Boots Llantrisant to see the new products in action. 

There are many of them for starters, and also in new much needed shades. There really is something for everyone depending on the brows you have, the colour of your brows and also the look you want to achieve (which if you are anything like me will change regularly!)

First we had a demonstration of the products to give us an idea of the purpose of each of the products and then we were allowed to go crazy and test them all out ourselves which was fun.



So here's the run down of the new range (all 10 products!) in full:

1) Browvo! - this is a conditioning primer to enhance colour and extend wear, it will help to make your brows appear fuller-looking too which is an added bonus! £21.50

2) Goof Proof Brow Pencil - this pencil twists up to dispense the product and the pencil is flat with one side wider than the other, this makes it so so easy to get your brows on in the morning! Cannot go wrong with this style and it's available in 6 shades. £18.50

3) Precisely, My Brow Pencil - a super fine pencil for the ultra-precise brow and creating individual hair like strokes with 12 hour wear. Available in 6 shades, £18.50.

4) Brow zings - the old favourite and best selling kit has new packaging and a new extendable dual ended brush, plus guess what? Available in 6 shades! £24.50

5) Ka Brow! - this is a new cream gel that almost feels a bit like a mousse, it's waterproof and buildable for all brows even the big ones! 24 hour wear, available in 6 shades, £18.50

6) Gimme Brow - another favourite of mine but now the volumising fibre gel now comes in three shades! £18.50

7) 3D-Brow Tones - a totally new idea to me, this gel will give you subtle brow-enhancing highlights to stop your brows from looking flat. As far as I can see this is available in 2 shades, £18.50

8) Ready, Set, Brow! - this newbie is a shaping and setting gel to keep the brows where they need to be. This one is clear and quick setting to stay for 24 hours. £18.50

9) High Brow and High Brow Glow - these pencils blend super easily to give highlights on your brow bone, one is more luminous than the other

There is also a pencil sharpener, angled brow brush with spoolie, and a grooming tweezer with brush too.

I'm already a big fan of Gimme Brow and have used Brow Zings in the past and liked that too. Nowadays I like brows to be as quick as possible and take minimal time, but I do particularly love the new Ka Brow, the new colours are really good and the gel is so buildable I spent ages playing with it and getting the look just right.

After this I tried the Precisely, My Brow pencil and this was really good for adding in the extra hairs where you may have some gaps.

After this I also tried the 3D BrowTones and was surprised how this came out, it actually looked like my brows weren't flat but they weren't glittery either. I'm not sure I'd purchase this myself but I can certainly see why some people may need it to stop their brows looking so drawn on.

Lastly i finished off my look with the Ready Set Brow! setting gel which was great and something I would definitely want to get my hands on.

So how did it look? See below for some quick selfies post event:

I really like the overall effect and although I was sceptical that I would need even half of the products I can understand why you could need all of them!

They each have their own job and they do all of them very well. I already have Brow Zings and Gimme Brow, but I now realise I need Ka Brow, Precisely My Brow and the Ready, Set Brow! setting gel. Luckily we were given a sample of the setting gel so that will keep me going until I splash out soon!

Have you seen the new products? Which are your favourite?


They are all available and have been since the 24th of June, see you in store!

Thank you to Benefit Llantrisant for inviting me to their event :)


L xxx

Smashbox Brow Tech in Dark Brown

Hello there!

If you're a regular reader you will know that a few weeks ago we went to a Smashbox, Bumble and bumble, and Ojon event, at which I obviously spent a little cash...
A substantial dent was made in my bank account and I've been using them ever since.

This is the first of three products, the Brow Tech, in Dark Brown.

The Brow Tech contains three products, two powders in a lighter and darker shade followed by a wax.
They recommend the Angle Brow brush to apply them but I use the detailer brush from Real Techniques and find it gets in the gaps of my brows very well.

The powders in this shade are perfect for me. My brows are almost black in colour naturally, but who on earth wants to fill in their brows with black powder?? I'm also super pale so if I did fill them in with black I'd look quite ridiculous.

Although I say all this, I've struggled to find browns sometimes that are the right shade. I need it to be dark brown and not a grey shade or a redder shade, sometimes they make my brows look gingery and that's even worse!

This powder however is absolutely perfect. I use the lighter shade to fill in my brows, especially the gaps that i have. I know most people have some gaps but I have some that matches my mums! It's definitely a hereditary thing!

That being said, I then use the darker powder to help define the beginning of the brows and underneath to create a clean line:

It can be difficult in the morning before work to create a brow that's defined and filled in properly. I use Rimmel's Brow This Way to brush my brows through and then I use the powders and wax as quickly as I possible can and hope not to make a mess!








I mostly manage to keep them even though sometimes it does smudge. The colour is pretty perfect for me and the brow wax works really well at keeping brows in place all day, even through a stressful day at work.

The Brow Tech trio costs £17.50. I'd say it was a really good price for three separate products in one pot and that means it's great for me for travelling as I only need to take this tiny thing!

Have you tried the Brow Tech from Smashbox? What did you think?
What is your favourite Smashbox product?

I bought two other products at the same time as this so will be reviewing them soon!

L xxx

Laura Mercier Brow Definer

Hey All

It's been a while since I've done a post on my own! Massive thanks to L for holding the fort while my life seems to have been getting busier and busier! After the rather excess Space NK haul and quite a few other purchase I've had loads I've wanted to write about but no time to write them.

Brows are something I can't leave the house without and always want to try and find the latest new product to give them great definition without looking scouse brow esque! My previous favourite was either Gimme Brow (review here!) or the Elf brow kit (review here). I've wanted to try a brow gel type product for ages since seeing lots of great things about the Anastasia brow range. The Laura Mercier Brow Definer caught my eye and was quickly added to my basket!

I went for the shade fair. With my ever changing hair colour it's always hard to know what colour to go for but I tend to keep my brows as the latest shade as possible. 

As with most higher end products it comes boxed. Laura Mercier keep classic colours and the range never looks tacky!

The little pot holds a lot of product! I can't imagine this running out any time soon. Having used it for over a month it doesn't even have a little dent in it. I was concerned at first I would need to buy new brushes as I seem to be lacking a good quality brow brush but I've actually found my H and M brush works perfectly. Where the bristles are a bit longer it doesn't take up too much product. The slanted edge makes it easy to apply and the thin bristles mean definition is easy to achieve! The brush is a bargain £1.99 and double ended!!

Pre brows

Post brows

I love how they look! The brows look soft, not powdering and well defined! It also lasts all day as a gel it helps hold the brow down without leaving them stiff like some brow mascaras can. There isn't any faults I can find with this. I also got the other half to admit my brows look better with make up on (he's always saying natural and no make up is better!) I also think for a higher end product it comes in at a reasonable £16.50.

What's your top brow product? 

Love M

xxx

Rimmel Brow This Way Styling Gel

Hey there!

Everyone loves a dupe, and I have been looking for some time for a dupe for Benefit's Gimme Brow. I will put my hands up and tell you that when Gimme Brow came out I wasn't sure....I wasn't convinced it would be any good, that it would last, that it would look any good or that it would be easy to use. I was very wrong and I will admit that!

However the £17 price tag does make me a bit squeamish...it just sounds a bit much. So I've been looking for a product that's as similar as possible....cue Rimmel's Brow This Way.

Brow This Way comes in four different colours, I picked Dark Brown due to my near-black eyebrows but there is also blonde, mid brown and clear available in the range. I think the colour range is great, the colours cover the biggest range of hair colour and is obviously better than the Benefit range which has only two colours.

The packaging is pretty simple but quite chunky, I'm not sure which I prefer out of the two of them to be honest, though it is easier to find the Rimmel product in my make up bag with it being a bit bigger! Gimme Brow feels a lot more dainty and is great for downsizing as it's a staple on my face and comes everywhere with me. So ultimately they are a tie on packaging.

What about the main deal, the brush:

Like the packaging the brush in the Rimmel product is also bigger, it's a lot more like a mascara brush. Gimme Brow has a tiny brush that perfectly shapes and brushes through brow hairs and fills in gaps.
Rimmel does exactly the same but the brush has its negatives with the size. It does comb through really easily and dispenses product evenly but it takes a few goes to get the knack of using a larger brush. The end of the brush holds a lot of product and I seem to knock it onto my face every know and then which is quite annoying! However, once you've used it a few times and got the technique down, here's the results:

They're natural, even and not too defined as I like my brows to look realistic. Working with men and in a not so glamorous occupation I tend not to wear anything that stands out too much so for me natural is 100% key.

I'd say Rimmel's Brow This Way is a contender for the crown for dupe of Gimme Brow, it gives a similar result and lasts just as long. The only issue I can see is the size of the brush, it does take a bit of getting used to, however with the Rimmel coming in at £3.99 and very often involved in a 3 for 2 deal, and the Benefit costing £17.50 it is definitely worth persevering with.

Have you tried Brow This Way? Have you seen any other brow products that could be dupes?

L xxx

Review: Elf Studio Eyebrow Kit

Hi 

Hope you all had a great New Years Eve and are feeling ready for the New Year. L and I had a night in with a Chinese, cider and films. We decided to have a chilled one as neither of us our fans of New Years Eve and had drunk a little too much on the weekend.

It was really nice to wake up today and not be hungover and feel positive for what the year brings. I've even been for a run today. Now I just need to keep it up. I'm so excited for this year already. I'm feeling in a much happier place with lots to look forward to including the prospect of buying a house, seeing my brother get married in Cyprus, Glastonbury with some of my closest friends and a few challenges including tough mudder and a half marathon. What plans have you got for the New Year?

Anyway onto today's review. I'm always on the quest for perfect brows. Being pale skinned with lilac/blue/pink (it's a mess) hair at the moment I aim for blonde brows as I think they suit me best. I always like my brows to look well defined with good shape but not too drawn on, powdery or dark for me. Two of my favourite products are BrowZings and New CID I-Groom brow pencil. I love both of these but had heard good things about the ELF brow kit and like the sound of the gel as I thought it would help soften my brows.

With ELF opening up in Cardiff I couldn't resist a sneaky purchase. I tend to not order make up online that I've not been able to look at in person so had been put off until the store opened. I was a little put off by the staff as customers around me seemed to be getting more assistance than me but it did save me money as I only got what I wanted. I'm excited to go back and try the cream bronzer though.

The brow kit has a slight rubberised packaging and comes in an impressive 4 colours. It does get dirty but it is a bargain at £3.50.

I went for the shade light. I'd be keen to see ash in person as I'm not sure which would suit me more. It comes with a brown gel and a light coloured powder. It also comes with a brush which I tend to ignore in kits like these. It had a few stray hairs on it so went straight in the bin.

I was excited to try out the gel. I love that it lightly tints my brows, holds the hairs in place and adds a soft amount of colour that looks natural and not heavy. I then add a small amount of the powder to set the brows and add a bit deeper colour. 

Here are a few photos of my brows done with the elf brow kit.

The kit has really impressed me. The colour is great. It gives light brows without them looking powdery. Below you can see it next to BrowZings. The gel is a light consistency than the wax and the shadow in the ELF is lighter. I still love BrowZings and when I dye my hair on Saturday will probably end up using the gel from the ELF kit and the powder from BrowZings.

Overall I'm really impressed with my first elf purchase and will definitely be repurchasing it though I can see it lasting me a long time. 

Have you tried the Eyebrow kit? Any Elf product recommendations? Are the brushes any good?

Love M

xxx