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This Or That?: Eyebrow Edition
One of my first posts on this blog was a "This or That" post comparing different types of eyeliners: pencil, liquid, etc. On this edition of "This or That" I decided to focus on eyebrow products. Bold eyebrows became a huge trend a few years ago so there's a variety of different types of products available to choose from. Eyebrows frame your face and give your face definition - it's one of those steps that, if forgotten during your makeup routine, is instantly noticeable - and not in a good way. That's why it's important to try and figure out which type of product works best for you.
There are two types of brow pencils: wooden and mechanical. The first type is not shown simply because I don't own any. When I first started filling in my eyebrows I started with a wooden pencil, but I quickly found that using a wooden pencil would constantly make my eyebrows look too thick, too dark, or weirdly matted in places. It just looked too thick because the tip of the pencil got dull fast so it got broader. I thought maybe I just have a heavy hand but all the problems I had with the wooden pencil didn't happen when I used mechanical pencils.
I switched to mechanical brow pencils such as the Anastasia Brow Wiz or the two pictured above. The Your Best Friend pencil above even comes with a built-in brow brush on the other end which makes pre-shaping much more convenient. These types of brow pencils work so much better in evenly distributing the product and has much better precision when shaping your brows since the tips tend to be thinner. However a thinner tip may also mean you're covering less surface area at once so it takes a little longer to fill them. My biggest complaint about these pencils is that the product runs out too fast so I constantly have to keep buying them shortly.
Pomades are my personal preference for brow products because you get the most bang for your buck. You need an angled brush for this product, but I just bought a small drug store one rather than the suggested Anastasia brush because it was three times the price, and the cheaper one does the same job just fine. This product covers surface area really well with just a little bit of product and doesn't make my eyebrows look weirdly matted. The angled brush also helps shape them to precision as well. Pomades last an incredibly long time, I think to this day I haven't finished my first jar and it's been about two years almost? It's really long lasting and it hasn't even dried out yet (which is a problem with products in a jar like this) so it's definitely the best bang for your buck.
Sometimes, thick, dark or defined brows are not someone's thing. Sometimes all someone wants is just a little tint and a hint of definition to eyebrows, and that's where brow gels come in. These are new products to me, and I sometimes use them as a "finishing" product after I've done my eyebrows and use the gel to keep all the hair in place. But others only use this product to give their eyebrows more color and it looks just fine. Whenever I've just had my eyebrows threaded I think they look so good they don't need to be filled in at all, so sometimes I use a gel to add a hint of color. I've used the above Benefit one and a Mac one and both work similarly. I think I'd prefer the Benefit one because the brush was smaller so it allowed me to shape each section of the eyebrow to perfection, but they were both good options.
The truth is, the main difference between all these products simply comes down to convenience. All of them work well and do work the way they're supposed to. It all comes down to what you prefer. How meticulous do you want to be? Are you the type to stand there and make sure every last hair is in place or do you accept that your eyebrows are sisters and not twins? How often do you want to have to go out and replace the product? How long are you willing to stand there and fill them in? Do you like a dark bold look or is a subtle color better? All of the products work great, so it's other outside factors that go into choosing which is best for you in the end.
Brow Pencils
Shown: Your Best Friend Automatic Brow Pencil and Sumita Brow Pencil
I switched to mechanical brow pencils such as the Anastasia Brow Wiz or the two pictured above. The Your Best Friend pencil above even comes with a built-in brow brush on the other end which makes pre-shaping much more convenient. These types of brow pencils work so much better in evenly distributing the product and has much better precision when shaping your brows since the tips tend to be thinner. However a thinner tip may also mean you're covering less surface area at once so it takes a little longer to fill them. My biggest complaint about these pencils is that the product runs out too fast so I constantly have to keep buying them shortly.
Brow Pomades
Shown: Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade and EcoTools Mini Angled Brush
Pomades are my personal preference for brow products because you get the most bang for your buck. You need an angled brush for this product, but I just bought a small drug store one rather than the suggested Anastasia brush because it was three times the price, and the cheaper one does the same job just fine. This product covers surface area really well with just a little bit of product and doesn't make my eyebrows look weirdly matted. The angled brush also helps shape them to precision as well. Pomades last an incredibly long time, I think to this day I haven't finished my first jar and it's been about two years almost? It's really long lasting and it hasn't even dried out yet (which is a problem with products in a jar like this) so it's definitely the best bang for your buck.
Brow Gels
Shown: Benefit's Gimme Brow Tinted Gel
The truth is, the main difference between all these products simply comes down to convenience. All of them work well and do work the way they're supposed to. It all comes down to what you prefer. How meticulous do you want to be? Are you the type to stand there and make sure every last hair is in place or do you accept that your eyebrows are sisters and not twins? How often do you want to have to go out and replace the product? How long are you willing to stand there and fill them in? Do you like a dark bold look or is a subtle color better? All of the products work great, so it's other outside factors that go into choosing which is best for you in the end.
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