MAC Eye Brows in Spiked

Confession: Although I'm still angry and feel mistreated as a consumer by Boxycharm, I let my subscription (that magically restarted) go through September. One of the items in the September 2017 box was this brow pencil- MAC's Eye Brows in Spiked.

This is a currently-available product. Spiked is one of ten shades available from MAC for $18, and the brand calls it a "rich brunette."

For that $18, you get 0.09g/0.003oz of product in a twist-up mechanical pencil. I'm partial to my ABH Brow Whiz, but decided to try this because brow products are essentially the only MAC product I've yet to try.

This is a tiny tip. I really like the tip- it's smaller than anything else in my collection. Here are comparisons to both ABH Brow Whiz and the L'Oreal Brow Stylist Definer:

Left: ABH Brow Whiz v MAC
Right: L'Oreal Brow Definer v MAC

I LOVE this teeny tiny tip and that's what sets this product apart from everything else. My brows are naturally quite lacking, so these teeny-tipped brow products are my favorite to add a little something without full-on Instabrows.

Look, brows aren't my strong suit. I could ignore that they exist, or I could share good products with you....

Spiked isn't my ideal shade, but it's close enough that I'll be using this guy up- and probably nabbing another brow pencil from MAC in the future.  I went through my brow collection and couldn't find an exact dupe currently in my collection. Here's a comparison of all of the similar products:

I see three drawbacks with this product. First, the teeny tip means that it will take some time to do your brows. I don't mind, but I know that's a deal for some people. Second, I think this product will be used up relatively quickly because of the formula and the tip. That said, it has slightly more product than the ABH Brow Whiz (0.09g vs 0.085g for $3 less). Third, there's no spoolie on the packaging. Grumble.

Bottom Line: This is a totally unexpected love for a more natural brow. I'll be more likely to take a look at MAC's offerings in the future.

Giorgio Armani Eye & Brow Maestro in Red/Acajou

Eyebrows have gone from being an under-appreciated, over-plucked afterthought in the beauty world to an essential part of the perfectly done face over the past decade. For me, personally, even if I leave the house with only concealer, clear lip balm, and a bit of mascara, I always take the time to make sure my brows are on point.  It's mainly because my hair color is not what I was born with, and I need to give my brows a bit of love to pull it off.

I went brighter and darker red for fall this year, so my beloved Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder in Caramel wasn't working with my new shade. It's admittedly a work in progress, and I'm currently a Redken Chromatics 5C.  Here's a shot of just how bold it is:

Anything with blonde in it clearly wouldn't work, and I needed to amp up the pure red in my brows. Enter Armani Eye & Brow Maestro.

While browsing the new releases from Armani, I noticed that a new line of brow products had just been released: Eye & Brow Maestro ($34, 5g/0.17oz, Made in France). These lovely creams are touted as brow color, eyeliner, cream eyeshadow, and root touch-ups. Naturally, I was drawn to shade #03 Acajou (Red). I'll be honest, the multiple names for every Armani shade are really throwing me off.

I was the first one to try the tester at my local counter, and both the SA and I were shocked at what a perfect match the shade was for my hair. Here's a shot of one of my brows, with the product combed through. This was taken indoors, with flash. It's pulling significantly more orange in this shot. Unfortunately, my outdoor shots didn't turn out well.

Let's take a moment to speak about this shade. There is a beautiful shimmer present in the pot that doesn't translate into the brows. I suspect that it might show up if you used this product as a eyeshadow wash.

I've been using this for about two weeks, and I'm in love. This is a waterproof (I tested this and it's true) product that is so simple to use. Just dip a spooley brush into the product (or rotate it lightly over top of the surface) and comb into your brows. This sets quickly, and doesn't require any other product to set (unlike the powder/gel combo I was used to). It also gives a wonderful, natural finish. The product sits in the eyebrow hairs, not on the skin like a liner/powder. This is the most expensive brow product I've ever tried, but it should last awhile and is worth it in my opinion. I'm actually going to pick up the new brush soon as well.

Although I'm using it as a brow product, let's look at this swatched since it could work an eye product as well.

Outside, in direct sun:

Outside, not in sun:

Outside, with flash:

Looking at it as an eyeliner, I immediately thought of Clinique Brush-on Cream Liner in Black Honey. The Clinique is darker and more of a true raspberry, but they're both reddish cream liners.

Since I rarely see a comparison of redhead-friendly brow products (and admittedly they're difficult to find), I decided to pull all of them for a comparison shot. Armani Eye & Brow Maestro is by far and away the most pigmented, as well as the reddest. I hope this is helps other redheads!

This is outside, without the aid of direct sun:

1: Giorgio Armani Eye & Brow Maestro- 03 Acajou/Red
2: Bare Minerals Brow Color- Redhead (DC)
3: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo- Caramel
4: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo- Auburn
5: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Whiz- Caramel
6: CK One Color Brow Pencil & Gel Duo- 200 Foxy Redhead


Giorgio Armani Eye & Brow Maestro is available in 8 shades, and is currently at Armani counters.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Mini Angled/Spooley 7 Brush

One of the items I made sure to pick up from the recent Sephora VIB sale is this wonderful tool from Anastasia Beverly Hills.

I received a mini version of this with the Anastasia Beverly Hills Bold and the Beautiful Kit, and it's become a staple in my morning routine.

At $18, it may seem a bit pricey but I find it to be useful. My Anastasia tools have all held up well to normal care and cleaning.  They don't shed, and pick up color evenly.  This is a key tool for keeping your brows in top shape.

Pricing/Availability: $18 via Sephora, Ulta, or Anastasia Beverly Hills

Anastasia Brow Powder Duo- Caramel

My new obsession with Anastasia Beverly Hills products has led me to testing out one of the famous Brow Powder Duos.

Us ginger-locked beauties usually have a hard time finding hair and eyebrow products geared for us.  Typically, brands offer a blonde line, a light brown, dark brown, and a black.  Where's the love for the redheads?  Luckily, Anastasia Beverly Hills has us covered.

Anastasia Beverly Hills offers a choice of two red-hued Brow Powder Duos: Caramel and Auburn.  I selected Caramel after a significant amount of deliberation.  Auburn is much richer and darker; I highly recommend all redheads to swatch the two in person.  Caramel is likely to suit the ultra fair much better though.

Anastasia Brow Powder Duos include 2 shades and have a net weight of 2 x 0.8g/ 0.030 oz.  They're described as "smudge proof, long-wearing powder features a light and dark shade for dimension and perfect color matching."

The compact itself is beautiful. It has the Anastasia Beverly Hills logo in rose gold on top and full product information on the bottom. Inside, there's a mirror along with the two shades.

I've been wearing this on a daily basis since I bought it.  The lighter/redder of the two shades is my perfect color match.  I use an Ulta Professional Angled Eyebrow brush to carefully apply the powder to my brows; apply carefully because it doesn't want to budge once you apply it.

I set the brows with Anastastia Brow Gel (review here), and I have to use makeup removing wipes at the end of the day to remove the product.

Swatches:

Outside, in indirect light

Inside, with flash

Inside, no flash

Bottom Line: I highly recommend finding your color match in Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duos.  They retail for $23 each and there are 7 shades for your perfect match at Sephora, Ulta, Nordstrom, and Anastasia's website among other places.

Anastasia Brow Gel

After falling in love with the Anastasia Bold & Beautiful Kit, this brand jumped on my radar in a major way.  It was perfect timing that Ulta was offering Anastasia Brow Gel as one of its daily Beauty Steals during the 21 Days of Beauty promotion.  I tested this for the past five days.

I was used to using a setting gel with my CK One brow duo, so this wasn't an entirely new type of product to me.

The only downside to this product is the applicator- a spoolie wand.

Why is that a downer?  Product can be picked up and mixed with the clear gel.

I tested this with both the CK brow pencil and the Anastasia brow powder.  It works equally well with either- and it holds your brows all day long.  The hairs will remain in place until you wash your face, so work quickly!  This exceeded my expectations.  It wasn't love at first sight like the Bold & Beautiful Kit, but I'm quickly learning to appreciate this brand.




Pricing/Availability: $22, at Anastasia Beverly Hills, Ulta, Sephora, Nordstrom, and others.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Bold & Beautiful Kit

Like most people, I'm familiar with Anastasia Beverly Hills as the brow gurus.  Admittedly, it's not a brand I've explored before, and I wouldn't have picked up this kit on my own.  I won this item recently, and have been spending some time exploring it.  When I won the item, I was obviously happy that I did so- but I've come to appreciate what a real gem this kit actually is.

The Bold & Beautiful Kit consists of two palettes housed in a beautiful cardboard case.

Volume 1 is devoted to Bold Brows, what Anastasia is known for.  This kit contains a brow powder, brow pomade, a mini tweezer, and a mini double-sided brush.

Here's a look at the colors in direct sun:

Lets take a look at the pomade and brow powder both outside:

And inside:

Although these shades are too dark and cool for my brows, they would be great for most brunettes.  I tested the combo out and loved the look. It just didn't work for a redhead.  However, I've got some ideas on how to use these products (keep reading).  I'd recommend this volume for most brunette beauties- and if you're not, the mini tools are pro quality and worth the palette alone.


Volume 2 is devoted to Beautiful Eyes, and contains a mini shadow palette of 4 (unnamed) shades, and a mini shadow brush.

Let's look at the palette in the bright sun.  These 4 neutrals are stunning.

Unfortunately the 4 shades aren't named.

Shade 1 is a light nude matte eyeshadow.  It's a perfect shade for finishing off any eye looks.

Full sun

Indirect sun, outside

Shade 2 is a beautiful, shimmering peachy-pink that is a beautiful lid and crease color, or part of a modern, daytime smoky eye.

In full sun

Outside, indirect light

Shade 3 is a lovely light fawn brown matte color that's appropriate in all situations.

In full sun

Outside, in indirect light

Shade 4 is almost beyond description. It's a rich brown-black laden with gold glitter that just shines.  This shade would be a show-stopper in a bold smoky eye for nighttime, or as I tried it, along the lash line.  It's one of the most beautiful eyeliners I've seen in awhile.

In full sun- look at the glitter!

In indirect light, outside.

The Anastasia website suggests dipping an angled eye brush into the brow pomade, then picking up Shade 4 as an eyeliner.  I hadn't thought about using the brow products like that, but I'll be giving it a try in the coming days.  I loved Shade 4 as an eyeliner without the pomade.


Here are swatches of the eyeshadows, in order.

First, outside:

And inside, with the flash turned on:

Bottom Line: This is an amazing palette that, at this price ($28-Ulta, Anastasia/ $36- Sephora) every beauty lover should have in their stash.


My favorite look when testing included the following products and tools:

• Brows: Lighter shade, Anastasia Bold Brows
• Eyeshadow: Brown smokey eye- Anastasia Beautiful Eyes (Lightest shade- to brow bone, Peachey/pink- crease to halfway to brows,   light brown- layered on lid, Glittery brown/black- along lashline)

• Primers: Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer, Nars Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base
• Foundation: Marc Jacobs Genius Gel Foundation- 10 Ivory Light (testing)
• Powder: Chanel Les Beiges No. 10
• Concealer: Benefit Boi-ing 01 Light
• Blush: Benefit Rockateur
• Bonzer: Tarte Park Avenue Princess
• Stila Smudge Stick- Kitten
• Eyeliner: MAC Pearlglide Eyeliner- Molasses (LE, no longer available) as winged liner
• Mascara: Dior Diorshow Extase
• Lips: Make Up For Ever Lip Line Perfector, Sugar Fresh Lip Treatment, Chanel Rouge Coco Shine #87 Rendez-Vous
• Brushes: Sephora Professional Powder brush, Sephora IT Foundation brush, Sephora IT Medium Shader (x2), Sephora Professional Angled Eyeshadow brush, Estee Lauder Powder brush

Pricing/Availability: $28, available online via Sephora, in-store at Nordstrom, Ulta, or via Anastasia Beverly Hills

Disclaimer: I won this kit as a giveaway available to the general public at a beauty event.  I believe in letting you know if I didn't purchase the item myself.

Deserted Island Faves: CK One Brow Pencil and Gel Duo

Along with reviews of new products, I'll be reviewing my "can't live without them" favorites, the all-stars in my beauty lineup.  They're the products that I'd insist on having if I knew I was going to a deserted island.  Sure, you can call them Holy Grails (or HG for short), I'll call them Deserted Island Faves.

My fellow redheads will understand the multi-year journey that was finding an eyebrow product that finally complimented my fiery tresses. Most products are geared towards the following shades: blonde, light brown, dark brown, black.  There's little eyebrow love for us redheads!  Luckily, CK One cosmetics has an incredible 2-in-1 product that has our backs.

CK One Brow Pencil and Gel Duo in 200 Foxy Redhead is that perfect brow pencil and has a bonus brow shaper and gel in one product.

With this product, there's no reason not to have beautiful brows adding the final polish to your face. Hair out of place? Simply use the little wand and gel it back into line.

I love this product because there's finally a product for redheads, but there's also shades for blondes and dark brown-haired beauties in this line- an Ulta exclusive.

Cost: $22

Available for purchase: Ulta