Eyebrows, eyebrows, eyebrows. It’s all I’m seeing everywhere these days. Thick, thin, filled in, or natural, perfecting the brow seems to be all the rage right now. And there are products a-plenty to assist you with that endeavor.
Show of hands: Have you heard of Anastasia Beverly Hills® by now?
I’d never heard of this company or the makeup goddesses who run it until the past several weeks. And it was as though after I heard it once, I heard it everywhere I went. Beauty bloggers and YouTube hosts were all singing the praises of one product or another by Anastasia, particularly her Brow Wiz, Dipbrow™ Pomade, and Tinted Brow Gel.
It caught my attention enough that I finally threw up my hands in impatience and decided I had to know what it was about these products that has everyone and their shih tzu dubbing them the “holy grail of brows.”
Prior to testing out Anastasia, I had been using the Natural Brow Duo by Pixi that I picked up at Target. It was definitely affordable at $16, but still a step up from the $7 or $8 brow pencils you can get from drug store brands. I was relatively happy with it, considering that three months ago is the first time in my life I even gave my eyebrows a second thought. So how much better could Anastasia actually be?
I decided to pit a few products against each other to compare the results. This is what I ended up with:
Pixi Natural Brow Duo Anastasia Brow Wiz Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade
1: Pixi Natural Brow Duo
What I loved about Pixi right off the bat was the shape of the crayon. The way it tapers from one end to the other made it really versatile. I’m able to hold it one way to draw on the tail of the eyebrow, and then I turn it so the crayon tip is held perpendicular to my brow so I can sweep it across and get more even coverage.
I also liked the texture of the product. Compared to pencils, it was much creamier and blended more easily for a natural look. There’s nothing dramatic or overbearing about the final look, but it’s definitely an enhancement from naked brows. Unfortunately, the formulation keeps it from being very buildable, so you won’t have much luck making it darker while still keeping it clean cut if you prefer a bolder look.
2: Anastasia Beverly Hills® Brow Wiz
First, let me start out by saying that I ordered this online before I found out Ulta was now carrying the line, so I had to guess on color. My hair is naturally more of an ashy blonde, but I like to lighten it from time to time to the more golden blonde that it was when I was younger. In reading the reviews, I found some blondes like myself who swore up and down that the Caramel color was perfect for the tone of their hair. So I took a shot.
I love that it draws on the warm tones in my hair, and I like how it creates a more dramatic look. However, I do find it a touch too orange. I’d like to give it a try in another color, perhaps the Blonde or the Taupe, but this will do for now.
Anyway, initial reactions: The tip is SO TINY. (That’s what she said!) But seriously. It’s so precise in its application it’s insane. You can see in the photo comparison how much more of a dramatic effect you get with the Brow Wiz over the Pixi or the Dipbrow™ Pomade.
To create a gentler look, you can always use a lighter touch or blend the product more. I was apprehensive at first about how well it would blend, given that each stroke seemed SO dark and dramatic. I was convinced that no amount of spoolie action was going to do the trick here. Much to my surprise, the product combed out to an even finish, without sacrificing the bold shape and creating “fuzzy” edges.
Additionally, after using the Brow Wiz, I realized that what I had initially dubbed a “creamy” consistency with the Pixi product was actually more waxy, like a crayon. As you can see in the photo, the Pixi still blended very well, thought it took more effort to get an even distribution than it did with the Brow Wiz. The ease of application is another huge bonus with the Anastasia products. It cut the time I spent doing my brows in half!
Overall, the Brow Wiz really impressed me with how easy it was to create a bold, dramatic look, without looking like you’d just taken Crayola® to your face.
3: Anastasia Beverly Hills® Dipbrow™ Pomade
Despite my love affair with the Brow Wiz, I did feel a little as though the outline of my brows always looked just a bit too harsh for everyday wear. I wasn’t going for an obviously drawn-on brow. I wanted my brows to look natural, as though they were growing out of my brow bone rather than being painted on top of it.
I got lost in a kaleidoscope of Instagram photos for a few days, studying the many up-close shots done by MUAs to discern what they were doing differently than me to get that clean look that didn’t cross the line into looking painted on. I noticed a few things. 1) They focused less on the shape of the natural brow, and more on drawing the shape they desired; and 2) while the brow hair certainly remained a focal point and the product blended in to keep it all looking cohesive, it looked like what was REALLY happening was that the skin underneath the brow hair was being colored in. The coloring of the brow hair was more of a consequence of the goal than the goal itself.
Unable to figure out how to achieve that using a pencil and a spoolie (and yes, I grant that this could be partly to blame on the color of the Brow Wiz that I was using), I decided to try the Dipbrow™ Pomade. As more of a cream than a pencil, I envisioned having and easier time of creating the “base” for the eyebrow. Think of it like the difference between dipping a paintbrush into an oil paint and sweeping it across a canvas to create an eyebrow, versus taking a colored pencil and drawing an eyebrow one hair at a time. Both can turn out beautifully, but the resulting look is very different.
I was going for the look you might expect to achieve with paint. As you can see in the photo, it’s a much less dramatic look than what I achieved with the Brow Wiz, but more than what I ended up with when using Pixi. I think this is a byproduct of the method of application. You’ve got to use a brush (I used an angled gel liner brush) to shape and fill in your eyebrows. I’m sure that with a finer, more precise brush, you can drastically alter the end result.
So what are my conclusions? Anastasia Beverly Hills® is definitely a high potential product line! Once you figure out what you’re trying to achieve and get color, product, and application working together, you can’t beat these products. For me, on most days I like a bolder look than what I can get with the Pixi Natural Brow Duo. However, when I just want to do a nude makeup look, the Pixi fits the bill.
So which do I prefer? :o) Both together! Applying the Dipbrow™ Pomade and then cleaning up the look with the Brow Wiz created a more multidimensional look that I really love for everyday wear!
Betcha didn’t see THAT coming, did ya?? What’s your favorite brow product???
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