Early warning: this is going to be a very long post and there will be a wall of text and fewer pictures, so,
OK girls I know brows are the most important part of our daily makeup since the shape of our brows can change our entire face from looking like browless alien to middle-age auntie, or pretty Korean star, or Hollywood-star lookalike. Me? Personally I like natural, light coloured Korean straight brows. They give the impression of a pure, cute, and innocent girl. And I think it makes us look less fierce compared to high-curved or even slightly curved brows with darker colours.
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| BROW GAME IS STRONG WITH THESE GIRLS! Which one is your style? |
Yeah, GG's Taeyeon is my favourite Korean girl since she's so damn cute and funny and I'd go bi for her! I really like how her makeups were done in every concert or photoshoots or MVs and all of them suit her really well.
I started shaping my brows only around 2014 or late 2013, since I wasn't that bold to trim or shape my brows (I was scared I'm gonna accidentally clean-shaved both) though mine is the rainforest-brows type, a.k.a thick and long and really dense. But finally on one point, I asked my hairdresser slash makeup artist to trim my brows and I started keeping them in shape since then. My choice? Of course straight brows.
My first brow pencil was Etude House's Drawing Eyebrows in #3 Brown. The famous and best-selling brow product from Etude House in the recent years because it's easy to use and pigmented, and on top of it all it's CHEAP. It was tagged for IDR 50,000 or US$ 3.6 on the international website or around KRW 30,000 each. And since the release, the product has stolen thousands of girl's hearts all across the globe and climbed to the top for best brow product for years. WHO DOESN'T LOVE SUCH CHEAP YET FINE PRODUCT??
Well I really do even if you don't :p
My Etude one was running out without me having the chance to blog about it because I simply was in the writing block and not having any mood to write (uh yeah sorry about that) and I bought Faceshop's Designing Eyebrow in #3 Brown as my second one. So let's get to the review while it still lasts!
FACESHOP DESIGNING EYEBROWS IN #3 BROWN
Tagged at the similar price with Etude's Drawing Eyebrows in KRW 30,000, this is definitely a worth buy-again product just like Etude's. I bought this one because I was running out of Etude's stock and it was only coming in around two weeks by the time it cannot be retracted out anymore and I can't wait two weeks with my brows being super thin because I was just finished trimming it. No, definitely a no, so I chose Faceshop.
For a brow product, it came in the similar design with Etude's but slightly shorter in length and has more classy feel instead of cute like Etude. Coming in the colour of grey and content-colour for the caps, in this case it's brown, it makes it easier to differ the pencil from the brush. This is a plus point for Faceshop since Etude's caps have same colour so it's a bit hard to differ which one has the pencil and which is the brush unless you still have the barcode sticker on.
All of the information was packed into the whole pencil body, from colour to lifespan and production date. Here we can see in the body (click picture to enlarge) is
- Colour, in three languages: Korea, English, and French
- Product description, Eyebrow Pencil, in English and French
- Contents of the pencil crayon, 0.3 gram/0.01 oz
- Details on production printed: something in Hangeul (I can't read it sorry), distribution by Faceshop, Faceshop's website, and 'Made in Korea'
- Lifespan after opening: 24 months/2 years
- 'Recycle after use' logo
I think it's really good that that tiny body and space was packed with such information, and some even in three languages. That's a plus point to me--pardon my designer brain LOL.
The brush is on the grey end of the body. Shapes like any other brow brushes, so it's actually nothing much to be discussed. I can guarantee it shapes and has the similar hardness like any other brow brush in your eyebrow pencil set.
While the grey cap has brush in it, the brown one has the actual pencil with the colour you pick. In this case, it's brown, and fairly similar to Etude's brown.
Another pretty distinctive difference from Etude is Faceshop's pencil is rectangle-shaped while Etude one is triangle. I was wondering if I could make the outer ends of my brows pointy like I did with my Etude one. But it turned out well and I can make the same shape like I always did with my first brow pencil. Well, a great artist doesn't have to be depended on her tools, does she?
The colour itself comes up in pretty nice brown, a little bit darker than I thought it would be since it's said it's BROWN instead of DARK BROWN. I was expecting a lighter tone compared to this but I can say this is a really nice colour for you who likes natural brow colour even though you have dark brown or black hair since the colour was buildable according to your liking.
I usually coloured it thinly before going to darker colour as I layer it little by little to see if I already achieved the colour I want, and I prefer light colour for my brows as I'm not really fond of striking brows.
Well, that IS my preference, but in the real life, I often ended up with bolder colour than I wanted it to be since I tend to fill it again and again and resulting in darker colour, and I often end up with different shades of brown on the right and the left--that is seriously frustrating LOL.
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As you can see, the right one (our right) is darker than the left.
IDK if it's because of the lighting or I really drew it like that ^_^;; |
From all of this FIRST wall of text (HAHAHA), I can assure you this Faceshop Designing Eyebrow auto pencil is worth every penny you spend--and even more if you're a better brow-artist than me. Despite the rectangular lead shape, it actually can draw any shape you want even fine, thin tails for the outer ends.
As for the staying power, I often apply it from morning to night and only found the outer ends of my brows are missing but not the filler part. So it has great staying power for you who need perfect brows all-day long without touch ups.
Are you still up? Haven't got tired from reading my ramblings? (LOL)
OK let's get on to the next one!
Skinfood Mineral Ink Brow in #2 Light Brown
I bought this one on a whim because I was curious on HOW would it feel like to draw your brows with something looks like a whiteboard marker. Well it was pretty funny until I got to try this one.
This one is tagged around USD 10.90 or KRW 10,000, pretty pricey compared to the auto pencil brows scattered all over the market, and definitely won't be your first choice if you're really new to brow-making since it's expensive and if you have ultra-thick jungle-brows like me you probably would be disappointed.
As for the packaging, as I said, it looks like a whiteboard marker but classier. Wrapped in black and dark gold for both ends, it's quite classy for Skinfood products which usually have semi-cute, vintage packaging. Unlike the others from its lot, but I like it.
For the details packed on the body, it's pretty much alike with the Faceshop one but less despite the size being much bigger. It has:
- Name of the product: Mineral Ink Brow
- Tagline for product: Long-lasting eyebrow tint
- Colour: #02 Light Brown
- Followed by four lines in Hangeul which I can't read but I can assume the first two lines were product name and colour but I completely have no idea about the rest.
- Skinfood's website address
- Something that looks like phone number or postal/zip code? I don't know
- Shelf life after opened, six months
- Made in Korea statement
- Skinfood logo
- Manufactured date and something else stamped instead of printed
........
Well apparently the body is also filled with information just like Faceshop's smaller pencil. Probably because of the size difference, it looks like Skinfood has less compared to Faceshop's. Oh well not that it really matters, just a little trivia to compare both brow products.
As for the tip, it's a hard felt tip like any other makeup markers and it really looks like whiteboard marker except it's far more pointy, for the sake of outer ends of the brows. Imagine if we really have the exact same tip as drawing markers LOL.
I was thinking this would be a lighter colour compared to the pencils and I was right. Quite too light, if I must say. You'll need a few layers (3-4 or more) for this tint to appear naturally. But that's what I like from this eyebrow tint, it's easier to build to the colour/shade you want.
The picture above is the comparison of Faceshop's auto brow pencil and Mineral Ink Brow tint. Unlike the crayon pencil type which has red undertone, the tint ink looks more green-greyish rather than brownish. I was kinda confused because at first it looked like it was GREY instead of brown and because the felt tip was quite hard, I was afraid of it hurting your skin.
To achieve such colour like above, I need to 'colour' my skin, like what you will do if you're going to fill an outline with a marker, on a paper. At first, it will appear like nothing comes out but the more you rub the tip, the more you'll see the colour.
When you start filling your brows, there will be some colour flakes that will melt if rubbed more to the skin and makes the colour more opaque. I'm not really sure whether it happens to all makeup markers but mine works that way, so if yours aren't that doesn't mean yours is a fake product. Just make sure you check where you bought it and don't forget the manufacture/expiration date.
Even though it's looking like it's hard to use, but the colour will eventually shows up nicely and lightly like I want to. Light and subtle like how natural brows should look like, and how I want my brows to look like. So if you prefer thick, fierce brows, this probably will make you disappointed (IDK how about #1 Dark Brown, though) and I will suggest you to stick to ABH dipbrow (uhh fancyyy) or brow pencils.
Some said this brow tint can be used as long-lasting overnight tint which you apply before going to sleep and let it sit and then you'll have the tint stayed for few days. I tried it, but, meh, no. It didn't work that way to me, but if you're willing to try, go ahead give it a try and let me know later :p
TBH I don't have how this marker looks like on me because I usually forgot to take pictures on it. Maybe I'll update this blog later after I manage (if not forget) to put some makeup and take pictures on how the result will look like on me.
Wakey wakey girls, there's another review waiting for you!
It's getting longer and filled with texts so I guess let's just move to the last but not least product I usually use for my brows. This one is my favourite among these daily brow products I own.
Etude House Color My Brows #4 Natural Brown
YEP. Last but not least, and my favourite of all my current brow products.
Not a pencil, not a marker, but a brow-cara. Yes a brow cara, and I think, for me, this is the best brow product ever invented. Very pigmented, long lasting, and no need to draw ANYTHING.
This is actually my second tube since I really like it so much so I bought another after the first one ran out dry but I still utilize the brush to get some faint tint of brown on my brow hair. My first one was bought because I dyed my hair almost orange blonde with Etude House Hot Style Bubble Hair Color in BR08 Natural Brown. Apparently I let it sit for too long so instead of turning light brown, it turned to orange-ish blond.
And the moment I drew my eyebrows with brown colour like Etude Drawing Eyebrow #3 Brown, it looked HELLA WEIRD to have orange hair and dark brows so I bought this one to avoid looking like a weirdo LOL.
Comes in a simple book-like paper sleeve, this is actually quite cute for a packaging. The content's colour is displayed on both paper sleeve and tube so it won't be possible to mistaken which colour you'll wanted. But if you want to be more sure on what to buy, I'd suggest you to Google the number of the shade you're going to buy before purchasing because Etude House doesn't have any information on colours/shades in English.
The brush looks like lash mascara brush but it's actually denser and packed with small bristles to make sure you reach every single strand of your brow hair. My picture probably doesn't show it good so let's get one from the Etude House itself.
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| Click to enlarge, as usual ;D |
The body of the tube itself doesn't contain much information besides:
- Brand: Etude House
- Product name & illustration
- Product name & colour in Hangeul
- Made in Korea statement
The tube is pretty handy to travel with, only around 10 cm (4 inches) in length so it will fit even to your party purse--which is quite useless since this browcara is long lasting.
Uh OK my words are getting shorter and shorter, I've been writing this for hours and still not done yet lol let's continue
I said I love this product on top of the rest, yes, it's definitely true. Why? This browcara doesn't require any brow-outlining first and then got the brows filled with this, but it can be used alone and still make your brows gorgeous. If you're a lazyass like me, I will definitely recommend this little thing as your brows perfecting tool.
The only drawback is, if you don't have bushy brows (or, well, enough brow hair) like me, it will backfire and make your brows look like they're bald and bam here on your mirror you can look a browless Martian. I learned this from my cousin who has a quite thin brows and she bought this colour, same as mine in #4 Natural Brown, and when she tried it she screamed through LINE chat to me "CEEEEEEE (a call for older sis in Chinese) I LOOK LIKE I HAVE NO BROWS" like that so if you're not a bushy-brow girl, I won't recommend this for sure.
But worry not, if you still want to try this browcara, you can still draw and fill your eyebrows first before applying the browcara itself.
Tagged at around IDR 70,000-90,000 or USD 8-9 or KRW 8000, this product is definitely blasting itself to my "Top 10 Makeup Products A Lazyass Would Die For". Comes in six various colour from dark brown to concealer to make your brow vanish, also comes in two different sizes (4.5g and 9g), and a little goes a long way, this is definitely worth your penny and saves the day like Super-brow-man (LOL).
For the colour comparison and staying power, I'll include these pictures with all three brow products and additional Etude House's Drawing Eyebrow #3 Brown I managed to scratch hard onto the back of my hand and even though it only remains a bit it can still show the colour clearly.
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| Taken at around 200-230 PM |
As seen on picture, Etude brow pencil one is more reddish than Faceshop's, and if softer in colour and texture--but probably it's because the Etude one is already dried up from months unopened and unused.
Remember I said there's some flakes to the brow marker? You can see it at the bottom part on its swatch, but it's not a big deal. Once you rub it more with the felt tip, it'll dissolve and make the colour more visible.
The browcara here has the most brown colour to my liking, and it has a hint of yellow and gold colour in it, which makes it super pretty to my liking.
This picture was taken around 630 PM and had been through some rubbings and water ran on them and then wiped with dry towel and there they are staying stubbornly like every girl expect them to. Though the pencils are fading a bit, they're still clear in plain sight and it's already four hours with several rubbings. Imagine if it's applied on your brows without being touched even once.
The marker and browcara ones definitely looking not too different from when they were first applied and stubbornly staining my skin after some harsh treatments (?) from me and the colours are still clear and nice.
So here is the point where all three brow products are done being reviewed.
Soooooo LET'S WRAP THIS UP!
Faceshop Designing Eyebrow #3 Brown
❥ Buildable colour
❥ Nice creamy texture
❥ Easy to use
❥ Rub with finger if mistake was made before it sits is possible
❥ Waterproof enough for a pencil
❥ Staying power so-so
❥ CHEAPO
✖ Not rub-resistant
Skinfood Mineral Ink Brow #2 Light Brown
❥ Light colour
❥ Staying power OK
❥ A little bit pricey but still OK
✖ Weird green greyish colour
✖ Hard to build up the colour, needs a lot of layers
✖ Weird green greyish colour
Etude House Color My Brows #4 Natural Brown
❥ Nice gold, yellowish brown colour
❥ Staying power FINE
❥ Dense brush bristles
❥ A little goes a long way
❥ Affordable price
✖ Not for thin-browed people
From my point of view, the marker and the browcara have the best staying power out of four, of course, since the rest were pencils so it's obvious (LOL).
The browcara has the best colour out of all (for me), but the greenish gray-brown marker is also looks nice when applied evenly on your brows.
The auto pencils, although the name is only 'Brown' and not 'Dark Brown', they're are dark enough even if you have dark brown or black hair since the colour is buildable, and although they came from different brands, the colours and textures and staying power are pretty similar. So if you're confused on which one to buy (because they have similar price and colour), only consider which brand you prefer, the easiness to differ which end is which (I mean the caps' colours), and which lead shape you find better to draw your brows with (rectangle for Faceshop and triangle for Etude).
Overall, they are all great brow products ever purchased and none is such disappointment beyond salvation and they are all very helping in creating whatever brow shape you want to achieve.
So that's all, hopefully this will help you decide or add some products to your makeup stash. Thank you for reading this wall of text and stays until the end, see you on the next post!
(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
