My teenage self would have never believed it, but I needed to thicken my eyebrows. Neither would those who used to make fun of me. But just like my eye sight and metabolism, my brows are not what they used to be. It's not that I'm paying the price of 1990s constant overplucking (I rarely did that), nor am I trying to get the Cara Delevinge look or even Instagram brows. I simply need a bit more volume, in the same vein that a good mascara plumps up the lashes. Hence the purchases of Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel.
I first got the one in Brunette, because I've been using Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Brunette for years. I usually mix a bit of the darker side into the lighter one and that's a perfect color for me. Now, I think that in the recent reshuffling of the products Anastasia has changed things around, as my old Brunette (Dark Brown) looks more like the current Medium Brown. It's definitely (used to be) cooler toned. I also have the old Brow Wiz pencil in Brunette (now called Dark Brown), but I don't use it as often because pencils give a more defined look and I usually prefer it to be softer. Which leaves me wondering why on Earth is the Brunette Brow Gel significantly lighter and browner than its equivalents in other formulas, especially as it's described as a "medium taupe brown".
There's nothing wrong with it and I can and do wear Brunette on its own, but it's slightly more true brown than I prefer, and half a shade too light, making it a bit too obvious and Instagramy for me. It would have looked perfect on my sister, I think, as her hair color is a shade lighter but her undertones are in the same ballpark as mine (despite having a significantly lighter skin). But I loved the extra bushiness the gel gave my my eyebrows and the fact that its extremely tenacious (though I wouldn't risky in 100 degrees and high humidity. That's where a waterproof pencil topped with powder are for). Hence my purchase of a second Anastasia Brow Gel, this time in Granite.
Described as a "grayish taupe", Granite is a really really dark ashy brown. This time a full shade too dark. When my eyebrows were naturally thicker I could get away with almost anything, including wearing a touch of Bobbi Brown espresso eye shadow to fill the sparse area at the tail. That's no longer the case, so my latest solution is adding a smidge of Granite to Brunette and all is well, except my patience. I think I'm back to using a powder.
Other details worth noting: the brush is relatively large, so I doubt it would suit those with little to no brows as they need a more precise application. It works for me well, though, as the product finds enough hair to hold onto. The other things is that the brush picks up and deposits a lot more product than I need, so I have to wipe it on the edge of the tube. Otherwise I get very crunchy brows.
Bottom Line: fabulous formula, could use more color options and perhaps a smaller brush.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Tinted Brow Gel ($22 each, made in USA) is available from Ulta and Sephora.
I haven't tried the gel, but I really like the powder in Granite as well as the Brow Wiz in Granite. The powder is nice for touching up the occasional bald spot which is usually all I need to do, and the Wiz is, as you said, great for creating a more defined look. Because my brows are black but the hair around my face is silver, I still need something dark and cool toned, but not hash or garish. No matter what type of product, though, be it powder, pencil, or gel, the most important thing is finding that perfect shade to create a natural brow.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I get sick and tired of the rules that so many "experts" spout: Brows should be a shade darker than your hair, brows should be a shade lighter than your hair, if your hair is this color then your brows must be that color, taupe is the universal color (try telling that to a redhead!), etc. Such silliness! You can take two women with the same color of eyebrows but who have different hair color and skin tone and they'll likely need different colored brow products to look their best. Since eyebrows became such a fashion statement, cookie-cutter advice abounds.
Thanks so much for this post. I've been using Anastasia products in Brunette/Dark Brown since it was just a BevHills local salon and I was one of the first clients when I was living in LA. Been able to reliably order online any new Anastasia product, or re-order current ones, without thinking twice about color changes. But the Dipbrow Pomade in Dark Brown, ordered online when that product was introduced in about 6 colors, made me look like Morticia Addams. Had to go to a Sephora store and wound up with Medium Brown. Now, that product's been expanded to 11 colors. And Anastasia has so extensively shaken up its color range and terminology that buying or repurchasing its products requires work and in-person road-tests. A First World problem for sure but it would be helpful if Anastasia posted some kind of translation guide to navigating the new versions based on old colors. But thanks again for this - I literally was about to order the same product online over the weekend and would've (wrongly) gone for Brunette.
ReplyDeleteI really like this product. Brunette is too red for me, Granite too dark -- Espresso is almost perfect (just a bit dark, but my hair is lighter than yours), a mostly ashy dark brown. I do have trouble getting the colors just right with Anastasia's brow products, ending up with a differently-named color for each one, but, when I finally do get a good color match, the product performs well for me. It's a good thing that my local ULTA is so cheerful about taking returns/exchanges while I get it sorted out.
ReplyDeleteHow does the shade granite compared to expresso for black hair
ReplyDelete