It hasn't been blatantly obvious on social media until recently, but I've been dyeing my hair from dark brunette to a golden blonde since earlier this year. It's definitely enough material for a separate post, I'll tell you that much. And it's actually one of the reasons why I'm reviewing this product.
Because my natural hair color is quite dark, my eyebrows don't match my hair color. I am very much an advocate of soft brows and for a while (during the first stage of lightening my hair) I would use MAC's Browset in Girl Boy. But now that my hair has gotten even lighter (and so has my wallet from using up so much browset), I wanted to try and see if I could find an alternative.
Luckily, Maybelline has been coming out with new eyebrow products since last year and the big sign saying "SALE" definitely caught my attention. And I found this!
What is it?
According to the lady at Maybelline, this is a long-wearing eyebrow tint/mascara that will color your brow hairs and keep them in place for the rest of the day. There are three colors, Yellow Brown, Rusty Brown, and Dark Brown. Originally, this product retailed for P359.00, but since the sale, they rolled back the price. so now it's P259.00, which is pretty darn affordable in my books.
Bare brows vs. Using MAC Brunette & Maybelline Yellow Brown
What I like about it:
Dirt cheap.
Let's face it, almost every makeup brand is selling their version of a brow gel/set/tint/mascara. What drew me in to trying this was that it was cheaper than the alternative brands. It's definitely perfect for anyone on a tight budget or just anyone who doesn't want to spend too much on makeup.
Unique Shades.
I am a firm believer in MAC's Browset and I pretty much have all the original colors in triplicate in my makeup drawer. However, since turning this unique shade of blonde, both MAC's shades of Toasted Blonde and Girl Boy were looking a bit too tawny in comparison with my hair. Even checking out Etude House's Color My Brows yielded the same results. But! When I tried Maybelline's Yellow Brown shade, it blew me away. Plus points for color accuracy! It has an almost true yellow base to it, rather than a brown or ashen color, which makes it perfect for anyone with warm or golden blonde tones to their hair.
Hey, it's matte!
No hate towards glittery or shimmery brow products. Like I said, I am a big fan of MAC's Browset. This, however, is a nice change. It's also great for people who don't wear a lot of makeup on a regular basis because it looks very natural when applied.
Actually long lasting!
I was pretty surprised at how long this actually lasted. I have super oily skin so I need makeup with staying power. I noticed that this mascara did not flake or melt into goop at the end of the day, but in fact kept my brows neat and in place! Plus, the matte formula actually helped reduce the appearance of shine on my brows (which is the ultimate no-no if you're going for full and natural looking eyebrows.)
Nice Packaging.
I don't know why, but the packaging is actually pretty awesome for me. There is something satisfying about feeling the *click* while sealing the mascara shut. It's almost as if you're locking in all the goodness and deflecting all bacteria and possible air bubbles from seeping in in one airtight twist. It's sleek and compact, which makes for easy dumpability into the nearest makeup pouch. And kudos to the fact that the color of the product actually matches the color swatch!
What I don't like about it:
Okay let's talk for a minute about this mascara wand...
Seriously, when has it ever been a good idea for a brow mascara wand to have a bulbous clump at the end? I mean, I understand the purpose for when applying mascara to the eyes, but his one just doesn't make sense to me. The product just applies all over the place, and the bulb just hinders me from using the actual useful part of the wand. I'm almost tempted to just cut off the top portion. It's not a very good design choice, to be honest.
Formula is too watery.
Color matches great, but what I noticed is that I need to apply a second coat once the first coat has dried in order to completely tint my brows. It's not as noticeable from afar, but up close, one coat looks very unfinished, and my dark eyebrow hairs seem to peek out underneath the tint. Maybe it's one of those products that need to dry out a little bi in order to thicken in consistency? Needs to decant like a fine wine? Meh.
Not too many shades. Other shades are unremarkable.
It's a great product so far, not without its kinks. But a great product to improve on. So far there are only three shades available in the Philippines, and the other two colors aren't super remarkable. Rusty Brown could pass for a dupe of MAC's Show Off, and Dark Brown is close to Etude House's Rich Brown if I remember correctly. So yes, they're basically shades that have already been done. I'm hoping to see more colors in the future that haven't been developed by other brands yet, as well as more light brown/ash brown options.
Overall?
I like it. It's cheap, it's easy to bring around, and it does the job. It's definitely one of the better brow mascaras I have used, and it has a unique color that I can't seem to find in other brow mascaras on the market right now. It does require some skill in applying, but with a little bit of practice, even a beginner can master this product. It has its design flaws, but nothing that can't be fixed in the future. Would I buy it again? Yes. I am a sucker for cheap makeup. I would buy it again for the color alone!
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Know of any good brow mascaras? Have any makeup products you want me to review? Just want to ask random questions? Comment below and I will try my best to get to you. :) 'Til next time!
