Tried & Tested - L'Oreal Brow Artist Genius Kit

As a beauty product obsessive finding the ultimate brow product is high on my must-do list. Groomed and well defined eyebrows can make such a HUGE difference to your face. Brows frame the eyes, lift the look of the area and give you an overall pulled together look. I flit from product to product in hope to find the quickest, easiest and longest lasting product at an affordable price.

When I spotted the L'Oreal Brow Artist Genius Kit this week I just couldn't resist. A sleek little package containing everything  you need for the perfect brows. Ohhh yes please.

For £9.99 you get two brow products, a wax and a powder, a double ended slanted brush/spooley and tiny tweezers. Being a brunette I picked the Medium to Dark colour option.

So the idea is that this little kit allows you to shape, style and set your brows. You clean up the brow area first with the tiny tweezers, you then define the shape with the wax using the tiny slanted brush and then apply the powder on top to fill in any sparse areas and add colour - finishing off with a swipe or two through with the spooley.

So, let's cut to the chase. I love the packaging - the cute little brushed metallic case is verging on perfect. The mirror in the lid is ideal. The tweezers actually aren't that bad, not something I would reach for on a daily basis but perfect for snaring the odd stray hair on a holiday. Let's face it though I wasn't actually expecting them to be any good. The brush and spooley aren't too bad either. The brush could be a little firmer for my personal liking but it does the job - the finished look wasn't as precise as I'd have liked but if you're not a perfectionist it's not the end of the world.

Now onto the products. The wax applies beautifully - very smooth and super easy to apply. The same with the powder. They're both highly pigmented and only a light hand is needed. Once you've used it the first time the wax does get a bit muddy with the powder as you use the same brush to apply both but it's not a big deal.

I had really high hopes. The products apply really well but here's the thing and it's a huge thing. The colour. It looks far far too red on me. It's unfortunately not a colour that suits me whatsoever - I did both brows, stepped back to look in a larger mirror and literally went "oh wow". I often find the reddy undertoned problem with products made in lighter shades so it was a surprise to see this from a shade in medium & dark. A huge disappointment. 

The products are supposed to last 12 hours but I didn't put this to the test - I just couldn't step out with my brows looking so obviously done.

So over all I actually enjoyed the product but I just wouldn't wear it out or use it again. I do wonder if the lighter shade would have been a better match but if I'm honest I'm not willing to spend another £9.99 to find out.

If you're looking for a great drugstore brow product the Soap & Glory 2-in-1 Brow Filling Pencil & Brush is much much better and cheaper too - check out my review here.

So my quest for the ultimate affordable brow product continues! Have your tried the Brow Artist? How was the colour for you? Any brow product recommendations?

I'm off to groom my brows,
Love Emma
XOXO

New product review - Soap & Glory 2-in-1 Brow Filling Pencil & Brush

They say that your eyes are the windows to your soul. (Who's they? I have no idea....). 

Anyway, if that's the case your eyebrows are the window frame and a pretty frame can make all the difference. 

Eyebrows that are groomed can give you an instant face lift, make your eyes look bigger, make your face look finished. Who doesn't want that?!

You may pluck, tweeze, wax or thread your eyebrows to get that perfect arch but using an eyebrow product to finish off is pretty much essential in my book. 

I'm a huge fan of eyebrow pencils. I find them fuss free & super quick, especially when you find the right pencil for you. 

I almost let out a squeal of excitement when I saw that Soap & Glory had launched a brand new eyebrow pencil. Say hello to the new Archery 2-in-1 Brow Filling Pencil & Brush. 

These bad boys were available in two colours in my local Boots, Hot Chocolate & Blonde-Shell. I picked up both, of course.

So, what's this new launch like? Well, the pencils are sleek and pretty simple looking, double ended with a spooly at one end and the twist up pencil at the other.

The two shades are quite different, Hot Chocolate being the darker of the two. 

The pencil itself is fine, perfect for drawing on individual looking hairs. They are creamy but not overly so. Easy to draw on, you only need a light touch which is perfect for filling in any gaps or adding shape and length with minimal pressure. 

The spooly is perfect, quite stiff which I love. Once you've used the pencil it blends the lines seamlessly. If you've been a little heavy handed with the pencil work the brush softens any harsh lines making it look oh-so natural. 

Here's what the colours look like on me (this was the very first time I used them so I didn't go overboard with filling and shaping).

Here's the best bit: MAJOR DUPE ALERT!! The lightest of the shades, Blonde-Shell is the *exact* same shade as Mac's Eyebrow pencil in fling.

I'd say that the Soap & Glory Archery pencil is a pretty good Mac dupe over-all. Both are twist up, both have the same fine nib. The pencils are in fact so similar you'd be pushed to tell the difference. 

The fact that Soap & Glory's Archery pencils are £8 each *and* come with a spooly compared to Macs spooly-free pencils at £13.50, I from now will be reaching for S&G's when it's time to repurchase (especially as they're buy one get one half off in Boots at the moment). 

Over-all I think the Archery pencils are a pretty decent budget friendly buy. They last all day, they don't smudge and they get the job done easily and quickly! A big thumbs up from me! 

I've tried to find these pencils on line so that I can link to them but I can't seem to find them? No idea why. (They're not even on the Soap & Glory website). Odd. 

Have you tried these pencils? If so what did you think? What are your must have brow buys? 

Check out my review of the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes here. 

I'm off to fill in my window frames! 

Happy brow-ing,

Love Emma 

XOXO