Benefit Gimme Brow

I haven't been posting much because I've been trying to do a no buy and don't have a lot to write about! But I got an email from Sephora saying I was only $25 away from becoming a VIB so I had to make a purchase. I'm surprised I haven't gotten to VIB sooner but I find I don't actually spend that much at Sephora. It's just a few staples and most other things I get from MAC or the drugstore.

Anyways, I thought I would get Gimme Brow for those days I don't feel like penciling in my brows. I do my brows on days I do a full face but just day to day and work days I don't do anything. If filling in my brows would be as easy as just brushing them out then maybe I would do them more. It claims to have fibers that adhere to the hair and skin to create the illusion of thicker brows. It's C$26 for a little 3g tube (like a sample sized mascara).

I got the lighter colour, light/medium. It only comes in 2 colours which is unfortunate because I feel that's not very universal. I find the light colour is even a little dark for me. I usually use the ash blonde Brow Wiz from Anastasia and this by comparison is darker. I bet a lot of fair people will find the light colour too dark. But it is still wearable for me and I really like how it looks. The tone is right in that it is an ashy/taupe colour as I find a lot of brow products are too warm.

This product also doubles as your brow gel. I have worn it by itself and in combination with the brow wiz as a brow gel. I don't wear brow gel ever so I'm not really used to having a gel in my brows but that feeling of having product in your brows does pass. Once it dries I don't really notice it. They don't feel or look crunchy but they do stay in place. I don't have very unruly brows so I can't really talk on the holding power but it does keep mine in place.

I don't know if this will be like mascara that starts off wet but dries up a bit with time because I find it quite wet right now. I have to be very careful putting it on because it some how ends up on the brow bone and above the brow. But if you use small strokes it's pretty easy to use. You can't carve out a nice shape like you could with a pencil, it's more just for filling it the natural shape of your brows. The brush is tiny, but still not precise enough for shaping. I hold it perpendicular for the arch and tail but still find it a bit tricky to fill them in without colouring outside the lines.

I don't really notice the whole fiber thing. I think that's just a marketing scheme. The brows just look thicker because they're coloured in, not because there's added fibers. The product does adhere to the skin, though, and not just the hair so it does give a more natural, full look. Up close it just looks like a pencil would.

This product is definitely not replacing my Anastasia brow wiz, but will use this in conjunction as a brow gel or on lazy days when I can just quickly brush them out to add some definition. I like this product but I don't think its necessary. If you are content filling in your brows I'd stick with your method. If your looking to save time in the morning and cut some corners, this is a very handle little product and would definitely recommend it.

Have you tried this product? Do you like it? Let me know.

MAC vs Anastasia Brow Pencils

I'll start with saying I have blonde hair and never got in the habit of filling my brows. I always thought filled in brows looked really over done and unnatural. I decided a few months ago to try a brow pencil to lightly fill in my brows and I've never looked back. The first pencil I bought was the MAC "fling" brow pencil. I really liked this pencil but thought I would try the Anastasia brow wiz after all the hype I've heard about. After trying both, these are my thoughts.

MAC fling- This pencil is very soft and transfers very easily to the brow. The colour for me was perfect. This is the pencil that got me hooked on filling in my brows. That being said, the downside is that being so soft, I had to twist it up a lot. I had to twist it up for each brow, if not twice a brow. I kept it pretty short (didn't twist it up too far) as a common complaint is that it breaks off easily. I only had it break off once when I twisted it up a bit far, so as long as you keep it short, it's fine. Because I had to twist it up so much, I felt like I was going through it pretty quick. I probably used it 3-4 days a week on average (I don't fill in my brows for work) and it lasted about 5 months. It is 0.09g and costed $19 CAN.

Anastasia Brow Wiz Ash Blonde- I just bought this pencil and so far I really like it. It is also a twist up but it isn't as soft as MAC. It has more of the consistency of a pencil. For that reason, I find you have to work with it a bit more, but the results are very subtle and natural. It comes with a brush on the end which is handy so you don't have to go back and forth with a brush and it's easy to travel with. I would say this product is good for beginners or people who are more hesitant to use a brow product. The only downside is that the colour is not quite right. Looking up close in the mirror the colour seems a bit off but standing back it looks fine. I don't think anyone will be staring at my brows that closely. I can't tell you if this one lasts longer because I just got it, but I don't have to twist it up as much which I like. This pencil is also a bit pricier at $27 CAN for 0.085g.

I think these are both great brow pencils, but I think I prefer the Anastasia Brow Wiz slightly more.