REVIEW: Eyebrow products

Over the years I have tried a couple of different eyebrow products, I didn't get into the routine or obsession with filling my brows in until about 3 years ago when I was 20! Now it is a must to fill in my brows.

Here are my bare brows. My hair looks extra ginger in here..

I'll start in ascending order of products I have used so far.

Rimmel professional brow pencil

Excuse the scruffy brush, I haven't washed it for ages since I don't even use it..

Being a makeup newbie at the time, I purchased this Rimmel brow pencil in shade 002 Hazel, as my hair is brown. But even then, I didn't really use it much! The pencil lid has a little brow brush for you to brush out and blend any harsh drawn lines in your brows. Over time the brush will gunk up with product so make sure you clean the brush every so often.

The colour of the pencil is really off of the colour that I want it to be (to complement my dyed hair colour, which is always a shade of brown). It comes out ORANGE on application and just looks really wrong. I just don't like the finish and look of my brows after I use this product. I also wasn't really a fan of the brush design, I'm a spoolie girl.

Wearing Rimmel brow pencil in 002 Hazel

As you can see... the outcome is really unflattering on me. It just looks weird and very unnatural because it stands out so much.

As I got more and more educated about makeup products and techniques, I can now confidently say that I will not go back to this product.


Maybelline master shape brow pencil

As my Rimmel brow pencil was nearing it's end, I opted for Maybelline brow pencil in soft brown, just to try another brand. I find that this product is way too wasteful, I have to sharpen it after each use, as it is quite sheer and I have to layer it on, but even then I'm not really satisfied. The life span of this pencil is very short due to this. I also find that this product is way too waxy, and it leaves my brows looking like I've rubbed Vaseline on them... so greasy. Of course it is better after I use the brush to brush it out, but in the end it is still quite sheer. Coverage is very minimal for the amount of layering I've done.

Wearing Maybelline brow pencil in soft brown

On the plus side, this pencil comes with a spoolie brush on the opposite end to brush and blend your brows. I don't use the pencil anymore, but I do use it's spoolie! Therefore I will not purchase this again.


Collection 2000 Work the Colour Eyebrow kit

The brow gel is not pictured, I used it up ages ago and discarded of the empty tube!

As you can see, I hit the pan in the brown shade. Shows how much I use it!

I was looking for a brow powder to try for the first time, so I opted with a drugstore one to see if I liked the results compared to previous pencils. I ended up with a collection 2000 one since I saw that it came with 3 colours and a brow gel, which gave me a chance to try two new things at once! My first brow powder and I love it. Ever since switching to powder, I haven't looked back to pencils. It gives me a much softer look, the perfect colour to compliment my hair, and is easily build-able to achieve the desired effect. The palette contains 3 different shades; black, brown and light, which gives me a great option to mix and blend to get the right colour brows I want. I use the brown shade the most to colour my brows, the black shade to fill in any sparse areas, and the light shade to contour my nose.

Wearing Collection 2000 work the colour eyebrow kit

It comes with a little double ended brow brush, one side angled flat, and the other is rounded edge. I have always gone for the angled side of the brush as it work best for me. There's also a mini brow gel for you to set your brows after filling and shaping them to your desire! This is also what got me into eyebrow mascara. I love this product, but once it runs out, I will try another brow palette, just because I like to try and test new products.

GOSH eyebrow mascara 

As my hair is dyed brown, I find that my black brows look too harsh on my face. Although the brow powder helps to lighten my brows, I was also looking to get a coloured brow mascara to kind of 'tint' my brows temporarily each time. Looking at drugstore products, I found these GOSH brow mascaras in two different shades of brown, 002 and 003. There were no testers (Do people just steal testers? Loads are also missing!) so I just went and bought both of them to try myself and give my verdict.

The result? They don't add colour to my brow hairs. But they do keep my brows in place. Which is okay but not what I was looking for. Would I purchase these again? No.

MUA clear brow gel

Not much to say about a clear brow gel. It was cheap and does the job! You get a lot of product too as the tube is long. This is value for money and I'd go back to it.

Soap & Glory Archery brow tint & precision shaping pencil

My first try of Soap & Glory cosmetics! I had heard good reviews about the Archery brow products, so I went and bought both of them. I got the shade 'Brownie Points'.

The Archery brow tint is a light liquid pen brush applicator, and the shaping pencil is retractable. It took me a few tries to get the perfect brow look with this pen, the first few times my brows kept ending up looking thicker than usual. So after I brushed just below my brow shape to keep it from going too thick, and in the end I got the hang of it!

Wearing Soap & Glory Archery brow tint & shaping pencil

This product is good, however I am still straying back to the good old Collection 200 brow kit, as I am just more comfortable using powder. I do use the shaping pencil after filling my brows in with the powder, as the pencil is a little waxy, it helps to shape my brows even more. Also, you can use the brow tint to draw a precise line under the brow if you want more definition, just make sure you don't use a heavy hand. This is a product that I would definitely go back to.



Soap & Glory Archery 2 in 1

I've heard other beauty bloggers compare the Soap & Glory Archery 2 in 1 brow filling pencil and brush to the Anastasia Brow Wiz, which made me want to get it and try it out myself. First look at the pencil, it is really thin. Like reaaaaalllyyy thin, it feels very delicate compared to other brow pencils/pens i've used or held.

Wearing Soap & Glory 2 in 1 brow filling pencil

I like the result, although it is a little slightly darker than the brow powder, it isn't much of a difference. Easy and precise, as the pencil is retractable and its thin, you can draw nice soft thin lines to fill and shape the brows. The brush spoolie is also small and thin which makes brushing more accurate. I think I have a thing for small products, it feels so dainty and I love it!

This is another product that I would definitely go back to. I'd recommend this Soap & Glory 2 in 1 brow pencil to those that want a good Anastasia brow wiz dupe because you don't want to break your bank! 

Makeup Brush Collection

I've decided to share with you all the makeup brushes I currently own and use!

All of these brushes I purchased about 4-5 years ago and they have stuck with me ever since, they have lasted me for so long with no problems as I take good care of them. As you can see, the majority of my brushes are from E.L.F,

These brushes are so durable, soft and good value for money, very affordable! I recommend their Studio brushes (which are the black handle ones).

From left: e.l.f Studio Blush Brush. e.l.f Professional Bronzing Brush. Body BC Collection Foundation Brush.

I use the e.l.f Studio Blush Brush and the BC Body Collection foundation brush all the time. I don't really use the e.l.f Professional Bronzing Brush as I prefer to use the stipple brush when I wear bronzer, which is not often at all. It could be used to apply blusher but I prefer the studio blush brush.

From Left: e.l.f Studio Angled Eyeliner Brush x2. Ms. Makeup Angled Eyeliner Brush. Maybelline Gel Liner Brush. Makeover Essentials Eyeliner Brush.

Out of all of my eyeliner brushes, I only use the e.l.f Angled Eyeliner Brushes as these give me a thin and precise line. I honestly never went back to the other brushes after I tried the e.l.f one, and because it is angled at the head, application and drawing is easier than the average straight brush.

From Left: e.l.f Studio Eyeshadow "C" Brush. e.l.f Studio Contour Brush. e.l.f Professional Blending Eye Brush. Makeover Essentials Eyeshadow Brush.

I use the contour and blending brush the most out of these eyeshadow brushes. But the brush I use the most would have to be the one that comes in the Naked 2 palette as I use that palette the most.

e.l.f Studio Stipple Brush

I have two of these brushes, I don't remember why I purchased two. Probably because it is so cheap and worth the money my greed kicked in ahahaha. I use my stipple brushes to apply my foundation as I prefer a light coverage. Also use them to apply bronzer when I decide to wear it. So in the end the two brushes came in handy, one for each role!

e.l.f Studio Powder Brush and e.l.f Studio Complexion Brush

Again I have two of the exact same powder brushes, I use this to apply HD powder as I find the flat head of the brush is perfect for buffing and helps to achieve a flawless look. I actually have another unopened e.l.f Studio Complexion Brush that isn't pictured here! I use this brush when I feel like dusting HD powder over my face instead of buffing it in, or when I apply the e.l.f Complexion Perfection which is a pressed complexion powder in a compact.

The highlight of these brushes would be the e.l.f Studio Brushes. If you're on a budget or not willing to splash out on MAC brushes or an alternative, then I'd highly recommend you go get these as they are so affordable and I love them. I'm going to update my brush collection with more e.l.f brushes as I need a concealer brush and I want an angled foundation brush too!

Also if anyone is curious, I use Johnson's baby shampoo to wash my brushes with, as it is cheap and mild and will last you for a while too. I aim to wash my brushes every week or two! You should keep your brushes clean to prevent bacterial build up on the brushes which will transfer to your face, this will keep spots and acne growth at a low if anything.

Experimenting with colour: Eyes

My everyday eyes usually consists of nude, natural colours found in the Naked 2 palette, but i'll talk about that in another post.

So for today's post, I tried to add a bit of colour to my eyes, as it is now summer and time to be colourful!

From left: Eyeko Eye Do Mascara, Shu Uemura Lash Curler, E.L.F 32pc Eyeshadow Palette in Everyday, Eyeko Skinny Liquid Liner in Navy, E.LF Mineral Eye Liner in Coffee, and finally, Bourjois Lady in Black false lashes.

The E.L.F 32pc eyeshadow palette may look plain but that's because the colourful part is hidden! Here is a photo of the full palette:

Don't mind the holes... you can see how much I used it in the past haha

I stopped using this palette ever since I got the Naked 2 last year, but decided to take it back out again today.

I used the brown on the right (with the massive hole) as the base colour on the lids, then used the dark blue (middle bottom with massive hole) on the outer corner and extended it above the crease. The final effect turned into a purple shade, I had to put more brown onto the lids after applying the blue to make my lids pop more.

The Bourjois Lady in Black gives quite a natural look, until you look from the bottom or top and see the added gems. These lashes are quite different as they are half lashes which you apple to the outer corner of the eyes, I usually use full lashes, so this is new for me.

The Eyeko Skinny Liquid Liner in Navy is still dark enough to pass off as black, with a tiny hint of blue. I tightlined my upper waterline in a brown eyeliner by E.L.F to fill in the blank space.

This could be an everyday look for me in summer, I'll experiment with different colours and post here, although I don't think the lashes are for everyday wear haha.

Mascara Hack

Hello Everyone!

I've always had a problem with eyelash fall out when I try to remove waterproof mascara, but now I have found a way to easily remove it!

First off, curl your eyelashes to how you want them. Then, you apply one coat of normal mascara. That's right. Then after that, you then apply your waterproof mascara over that. Same effect, but makes it so much easier to remove after!

Hope you enjoyed this short tip!

Review: Eyeko

I've known of Eyeko since I was in secondary school, and my first product purchase of theirs was a beauty cream they used to sell, but is now discontinued. Ever since then, they have gotten bigger and better, and now only focus on eye makeup, specifically, eyeliners and mascaras.

A couple of months ago I was in need of a new mascara, so I decided to opt for the Lengthening Skinny Brush Mascara, as it claims to make your lashes appear long and tall. Not to mention all the hype and that it was an award winning mascara. 

It is jet black, and is water-resistant, and the tube it comes in is squeezy, like a lipgloss tube, which makes it much more easier to make sure you get every last bit of the formula on the brush. An 'eye shield' is also provided with each mascara.

Then for my Birthday in December, my friend gifted me with more Eyeko products to add to my collection!
I received the Alexa Chung for Eyeko Eye Do Mascara and Eyeliner, photos shown below.

My thoughts:

I naturally have very short eyelashes.. so sad!! Here is a photo showing my natural lashes, I've curled them here with my Shu Uemura lash curlers.

Before

Here is a look at the mascara wands:

Left: Eye Do. Right: Skinny Brush

After applying both mascaras, I found that both gave a very natural looking effect, although I only applied one layer here.

Left eye: Skinny Brush. Right Eye: Eye Do.

The Skinny brush made my lashes lose its curl, but the Eye Do managed to hold it, for a while. In the end both eyes lost their curls.

Here are my lashes with a second coating:

Left eye: Skinny Brush. Right Eye: Eye Do

As you can see, my lashes have dropped down even more.

Here is a view from below to see the lashes better:

Left eye: Skinny Brush. Right eye: Eye Do

Both products coat my lashes evenly with no clumping as you can see here, and they do also lengthen my lashes! Although I find that the Eye Do mascara gives me a more natural look rather than the Skinny brush as the Skinny brush makes my lashes look slightly spidery... you can't see it in the photos but I can see it when I look at myself in the mirror!

I find that I prefer using the Skinny brush on my lower lashes as they catch them easier than the Eye Do brush.

In the end, both products are okay for me, but they are not my holy grail mascaras. My search will continue.
Both are suitable for everyday wear. The majority of the time though, I end up wearing false lashes on top, so you can't really see the mascara anyway!


When removing the mascara, make sure you have a good eye makeup remover! I found that when I used Simple eye makeup remover, it was quite stubborn and some lashes would come off when trying to remove it! I now use Lancome Bi-Facial eye makeup remover, OR The Face Shop Rice Water Bright eye makeup remover. These two work perfectly in removing my eye makeup without rubbing too hard and making my lashes fall out.

Now onto the last product, the Eye Do eyeliner.

It is a liquid eyeliner with a pointed felt tip applicator, long pen so it is easy to hold and draw a perfect line across the upper eyelid.

Here is a swatch:

It draws a nice neat thin line, which is perfect. I use this all the time as I love it so much!

I always wing out my eyeliner as shown above, and with the Eye Do pen, it is just the perfect eyeliner, just look at how clean and polished it looks!

Final Verdict

The Eyeko Skinny brush retails for £15, available online on their website and also sold in Selfridges (which is where I purchased mine). Quite a pricey mascara, but I can't compare it to drug store branded mascaras as I've only started using mascara on the daily since last summer. My previous mascaras were by Lancome and Clinique.

I give the Eyeko Skinny Brush mascara a rating of ★★★☆☆

The Eye Do mascara retails for £20, which is even more pricey than the best selling Skinny Brush.

I also give the Eye Do mascara a ★★★☆☆

Finally, the Eye Do eyeliner, retails for £15. As I said before I am in love with this eyeliner so I give it a rating of ★★★★★

In the end, the mascaras are average to me as they do not hold my lash curls. But they do make my lashes longer. 

I do my BF's makeup !!

BF DOES MY MAKEUP