Brow Definer Dupe?

While wandering around my local Boots today, I spotted this little baby in the corner of my eye. Being an Anastasia Beverly Hills lover, I was surprised to see what appeared to be a Brow Definer...in the Soap & Glory range!

Of course, I had to take a closer look and I was quite surprised to see just how similar the ABH Brow Definer and the Soap & Glory Archery Brow Sculpting Crayon & Gel were. At a glance, the only real difference I could see what the fact that the Soap & Glory product comes with a brow gel in the same applicator instead of just a spooly. 

Oh and the other key difference was the price.

ABH Brow Definer : £16
Soap & Glory Archery Brow Sculpting Crayon & Gel : £10

So, £6 isn't a huge difference, but when Boots are doing 'buy 1 get one half price' thats TWO Soap & Glory Archery Brow Sculpting Crayon & Gel's for less than ONE ABH Brow Definer.

The shape of the actual product was literally the exact same for both products: 

And the ingredients don't differ too much (everything in pink is the same and blue is similar. I'm pretty sure the other ingredients are very similar or have the same properties, but I'm not a chemist, so I can't be sure!)

ABH Brow Definer 
Behenic Acid, Mica, Rhus Succedanea Fruit Wax/Cera, Lanolin, Triethylhexanoin, Sucrose Tetrastearate Triacetate, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sorbitan Sesquiisostearate, Hydrogen Dimethicone, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopherol, May Contain: (+/-) Iron Oxides (Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499), Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Ferric Ferrocyanide (Ci 77510).
 

Soap & Glory Archery Brow Sculpting Crayon & Gel 
Hydrogenated soybean oil, Hydrogenated coco-glycerides, Hydrogenated vegetable oil, Zinc stearate, Stearic acid, Copernicia cerifera (Carnauba) wax, Polyglyceryl-2 triisostearate, Tocopherol, Caprylyl glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Ascorbyl palmitate, Hexylene glycol, [+/- (May contain) Mica, CI 77891 (Titanium dioxide), CI 77499 (Iron oxides), CI 77492 (Iron oxides), CI 77491 (Iron oxides)]. 

But what about the colour? Well these is a slightly noticeable difference when I swatch the two colours next to each other, it doesn’t appear to be huge, but colour can make a massive difference when you’re doing your brows. Below I swatches ABH Taupe with S&G Brown & Out. 

I'll leave you to be the judge!

DLJ

Xoxo

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer Defined

I'm pretty sure that anyone who has an Instagram account at the moment will see images of this product popping onto their screens, whether their account is make up based or not. With a following of just under 8 million people, Anastasia has a pretty strong army of brow loving girls and boys. So it doesn't come as any shock to see how quickly this product is making it's way to the masses and onto my screen.

Being one of the 7.9 million followers and a user of ABH I was keen to be quick off the mark with trying out the new Brow Definer. 

Having used the ABH Dipbrow Pomade for well over a year, I knew that Taupe was going to be the right colour for me. I promptly placed my order with Cult Beauty and was chuffed to receive my order next day!! 

The Brow Definer pencil is unique in that it has three different ways to outline and fill in brows:

Thin : use the sharpest point of the tip to create fine, hair like strokes
Medium : use the back side of the pencil to create thicker, hair like strokes
Wide : use the pencil on its side to create broad strokes.
(source : http://www.anastasiabeverlyhills.com/brow-definer.html)

Personally, I would say that I feel that it has two ways to define your brows. However, I did mess up the thinnest part of the pencil on my first application because I didn't read the above! Had I have know this, maybe I woudn't have been so heavy handed at first application!

I love my dipbrow pomade, so the brow definer has a lot to live up to. So with a little bit of apprehension, I decided to take the plunge as soon as my brow definer arrived. As I guessed, the colour was a perfect match, but what about the final look?

Even though I have pretty dark hair, my skin is really pale, so for every day looks, I stick to Taupe as I can always add brow powder / eye shadows on top to make the colour darker if needs be.

It did take me a few attempts to get my brows right, but that is just down to the fact that it's a different technique to apply this pencil over the dipbrow. However, once I had finally got over using something new, I was very impressed. 

My brows look so much more natural and the colour stayed in place much longer than my dipbrow pomade. Because I have pretty oily skin, by the time I get home after along day on the road my brows can appear a little deflated. They don't smudge per say, but they aren't exactly in the right place if that makes sense?

The texture of the pencil is creamy, but with an undertone that has more 'friction' to it. The dipbrow pomade on the other hand is just very creamy and doesn't have much to really 'hold' it in place. It's hard to explain without physically touching the products.

According to CultBeauty.com, Anastasia designed the Brow Definer to work in conjunction with the Brow Wiz...'After defining the eyebrow outline with Brow Wiz, use the wide end of the Brow Definer's triangular 'nib' to fill in gaps, before using the narrow end to create finer, hair-like strokes for a more natural effect'.

I think the most noticeable difference however is the amount of product you get for your money. The Brow Definer is £16 at CultBeauty.com and for 0.2g of product, the Brow Wiz is £15.50 for 0.08g of product and the Dipbrow Pomade is £15 for a whapping 4g of product. Now that is a hell of a difference. I find that on average, my Dipbrow Pomade will last me around 5 months, after just two applications of the Brow Definer, this is how much I have left....

 The verdict? I love this product so much, that even though you get so much less product for your money VS the dipbrow pomade, I'm still going to be adding it to my shopping cart! If you find something you love, then you just have to take a deep breath and click 'proceed to checkout'.

DLJ

Xoxo

Anastasia Cream Contour Kit : Fair

I had been thinking about purchasing this kit for a little while, but my make up artist for my wedding mentioned that she thought that the 'light' palette would be too dark for me, so I decided to hold of buying.

Then, a month or so ago, Anastasia released her newest Contour Cream Kit in Fair. As soon as I saw it,  I knew these colours would be so much better suited to my pale complexion. Like the other 3 palettes on the market, the Fair kit has 6 shades of contouring and highlighting creams. 

The top row has the 3 lighter shades which are : Soft Light, Lustre and Fair which will be our highlight colours and the bottom row has our 3 dark shades for contouring which are Fawn, Shadow and Mink. 

I was a little apprehensive about buying this kit at first because I had read some beauty reviews saying that the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Cream Kit's were more for advanced users. As a beginner, I was a little worried that I would spend a lot of money and be disappointed. In the UK, you can pick this set up from Amazon for £49.99 (Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Cream Kit (Fair) NEW 2015) each and I believe they are $40 in the states. 

The colours 

Soft Light

Lustre

Fair

Fawn

Shadow

Mink

First thoughts

The first time I used this palette, I thought 'oh my god, the reviews were right, this is not for beginners'. I found that the formula was a little bit more 'dry' to apply than I originally anticipated and I wasn't able to get the look I wanted. However, given the price tag, I wasn't going to give up on my goal of using this product and having amazing cheek bones ;)

So, I tried again. This time, I was more prepared for the formula and I didn't feel like I was out of my depth. I used a mix of Mink and Shadow for my contour and Soft Light and Fair for my highlight.

For application of my highlight I used the Real Techniques Essential Foundation Brush (which is part of their core collection)  and for the contour I used the Real Techniques Pointed Foundation Brush. 

I then used a Beauty Blender to blend everything in. It's important to make sure you 'dab' instead of rub as you don't want the dark bits where the light bits should be and visa versa!

As you can see, I have a pretty large forehead and jaw line, so I wanted to and make these look smaller than they actually are.

The finished result?

Some people like to apply a thin layer of foundation either before or after the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Cream Kit, but I decided instead to just use Benefit's Hoola and Dandelion to set the cream kit.

Final Thoughts?

This is the first cream contour kit that I have ever used, so I am not in a position to compare it to others. This kit can be a little tricky to master at first, but what new product isn't? I remember the first time I tried Gel Eye Liner and thinking, 'nope not for me'! But would I live without my Gel Eye Liner now? Hell no! A little practise makes perfect and I am still far from perfect, but I think I'll get there.

Manny recommends using a little bit of Tarte Maracuja Oil to make these a little bit more creamy and 'blend-able'  in this video (https://youtu.be/ZAqQjJanxNY). The oil that he recommends is pricey even by my standards. I've never heard of it before this video, so it may be worth it's weight in gold, so I need to do my research here. But if it works and price is not an issue, then maybe give this a go if you are finding the formula a little dry.

Would I buy this again? So far, I have only used this product four times and each time I am finding it easier and easier to use. I'm pretty sure that by the time I run out (which will be a little while off I'm sure) I will be more than happy with this kit and will buy it again. Even based on my limited experience with the palette, I would recommend it to other people.

The colours are perfect for my skin tone, they look amazing (after a few practise sessions) and you do get quite a lot of product for your money.

DLJ
Xoxo

Eylure : Tweezers and Brow Control and Shape Gel

To me, Eylure were always know for their lashes. However, it appears that as the beauty industry is more and more born focused, so too are Eylure.

Two of the products I have been using from Eylure when it come to brows are their tweezers and brow gel. 

Anyone who is keen to keep their brows in check needs both of these items in their make up bag. But are the Eylure products able to rival the top leading brow products on the market? For me, when it comes to brow 'maintenance' I think of people like Anastasia Beverly Hills (ABH), Tweezerman and Billion Dollar Brows. Being a frond lover of both ABH & Tweezerman products, the Eylure brow range had a lot to live up to.

I will admit, I have not used the ABH brow gel, but I have head lots of good things about this product. I currently use the ABH dip brow pomade, and even without a gel on top, this holds my brows really well. I have on the other hand use Tweezerman tweezers. They are amazing. Nothing more to say there! 

Let's first start with the Eylure Tweezers. 

Unlike most tweezers on the market, these have a brush on the end to help with brow grooming. Having this brush to hand also makes it easier when plucking to make sure that you are maintaining the correct shape. In terms of their usability, I would say that they are pretty good tweezers. I have really pale skin and dark hair, so I find that I need to pluck more often than most because my hairs show through really on. For me, it is important to have tweezers that can get the hairs when they have literally just come through the skin. These tweezers really do seem to do the job. I was really quite impressed! 

The only thing I would say I dislike about these tweeters? The direction of the brow comb. I know that sounds so weird, but honestly, the comb faces downwards so when I am plunking the comb digs into my hand and actually hurts by the time I am done. My advice to Eylure, face the comb the other way! Otherwise, a great product. 

Moving onto the brow gel. Like I mentioned above, I have't used the ABH brow gel myself, but have heard very good things. So onto a brow gel that I have tried and tested on many occasions. The Eylure brow gel does what it say on the tin sort of speak. It does help to control brows and is a shaping gel. 

However, if you need to go back in with brow product, like I sometimes do, I find that you can really easily brush this gel out. When you do this, it almost makes your brows a little 'fluffy'. You know like if you have hair spray in, then you brush it through and your hair becomes a bit puffy and static? This is what happens with this brow gel. But then, maybe its just me that goes back and re-brushes my brows after brow gel application? Anyway, if I have managed to do my brows correctly first time round and I don't need to re-brush after gel application, I find that this gel is okay. It does hold don't get me wrong, but I don't feel like it holds long enough? Again maybe I am expecting too much from my brow gel? Maybe I need to try out some other brows gels next to this one to get a really good feel for what else is out there and what I should be expecting? As it goes, I would buy this brow gel again. It does it's job even though I do feel like it could do it even better? 

Price is always an important factor when it comes to topping up my collection.

Brow Comb Tweezers : £12.50 (http://www.eylure.com/brow/brow-comb-tweezers.html)
Brow Control and Shaping Gel : £6.25 (http://www.eylure.com/brow-control-shape-gel.html)

In comparison 

Tweezermen classic tweezers : £20.95 (http://www.johnlewis.com/tweezerman-classic-steel-slant-tweezers/p430889)

ABH Brow Gel : £16.50 (http://www.beautybay.com/cosmetics/anastasiabeverlyhills/browgel/clear/?gclid=CjwKEAjwsvmvBRCT5ozK-dmY7D4SJACyIoJmvCuj9xc6a6B5XGcKhROCtAJwTAXklJ1uW0eNT5mKYRoCcJjw_wcB)

As you can see from the above, Eylure are a much more cosh effective solution to brow maintenance. Having used Tweezerman tweezers I would say they are worth every penny. They are steep, don't get me wrong, but if you don't loose your tweezers on a regular basis (come on, it can't just be me?) then they are a very good long term investment!

I would happily re-purcahse both of the Eylure products. I use their tweezers on a daily basis and have not had any issues with them (other than that comb pointing the wrong way!!) And the brow gel does do what it says it will. I would admit, I would like something that will hold longer, but when you look at the price, for just £6.25 a tube, you really can't go wrong! 

I know that most Superdrug stores stock both of the Eylure products I have discussed above, so head down to your local store to pick up some brow bargains!!

DLJ

Xoxo