When Sephora opened in Sydney, the Anastasia Beverley Hills
Brow Wiz is one of the products that I was most excited about purchasing.
Until I purchased it, I had been consistently using the
Essence Eyebrow Stylist Kit and was very happy
with it (click here to read my review and it will open in another window).
Nonetheless, I still find the convenience of a pencil brow product
very appealing and I had only ever read good reviews of the Anastasia Beverley
Hills Brow Wiz.
I was a little nervous. It isn’t cheap and my only other
experience with brow pencils was with drugstore brow pencils and they are just
never quite right.
Fortunately, the Anastasia Beverley Hills Brow Wiz has been
a great purchase.
Read on for the review.
THE CLAIMS
Taken from the Anastasia Beverley Hills website:
This ultra-slim mechanical pencil flawlessly outlines brows
and fills in sparse or over-tweezed areas. Neither too soft nor too firm, the
retractable tip glides effortlessly to mimic natural hair and create the illusion
of texture.
THE SHADE
I went to Sephora in Sydney a few days after it opened and
it was still absolutely packed. The down side was that I couldn’t find a staff
member to help me shade selection. Shade selection is definitely one of my weak
points.
After some swatching I decided that it was between Medium Brown
and Taupe.
In the end, I settled on Medium Brown which was the slightly
darker shade.
The Medium Brown does suit my eye brows very well and I wouldn’t
say that it was a bad choice. I do still wonder, however, whether Taupe might
have been the slightly better option just because I like my brows to look very
natural and I think the lighter the colour going into them the more natural
they tend to look*.
* On 5 July 2015 I went to Sephora Australia and had my makeup done by one of the staff for a special occasion. She used the Brow Wiz in Medium Brown on me and said that it was my best match so it looks like I figured it out all on my own and chose the correct shade.
* On 5 July 2015 I went to Sephora Australia and had my makeup done by one of the staff for a special occasion. She used the Brow Wiz in Medium Brown on me and said that it was my best match so it looks like I figured it out all on my own and chose the correct shade.
For more information about my colouring, skin type and daily
routine click here and it will open in a new page.
THE REVIEW
Although I do really like the pencil format for its
convenience, I don’t think I really appreciated the Anastasia Brow Wiz until
recently.
The thing is, I really like the Essence Eyebrow Stylist Kit.
It has the perfect natural colour for my brows and leaves my brows looking
naturally perfect (I really don’t like the look of ‘Instagram brows’ on my
face).
I have always had pretty good brows really. I really like
their natural shape and with a little bit of a tidy up around the edges by a
professional all they tend to need is a little darkening up and sharpening
around the edges and they are ready to go. The Essence Brow Powder kit does that
perfectly.
So when I purchased the Anastasia Beverley Hills Brow Wiz I didn’t
initially use it as often as I thought that I might. The colour was quite a bit
darker than my preferred brow powder in the Essence Kit so I did tend to use the Brow Wiz
more when I was going out at night and wanted a slightly more dramatic brow.
Then came what I think of as “the brow disaster”.
A few weeks ago now I have my brows waxed by a new lady.
Disaster. She waxed most of them away until they were super thin, especially
right at the ends. I looked like I was straight out of the 90’s. So
disappointing.
The ends of my brows particularly are now so thin that they
almost seem to disappear into my face.
This is when I really started to appreciate the Anastasia
Beverley Hills Brow Wiz.
Anastasia Beverley Hills claims that the Brow Wiz “flawlessly
outlines brows and fills in sparse or over-tweezed areas.” This couldn’t be
more true.
I am finding it really good at thickening up the ends of my
brows but still keeping them looking quite natural looking. The precise tip
allows me to thicken up the ends of my brows sufficiently without them looking
too thick. It also means that by using the right short strokes I can create a
more natural looking brow using short thin strokes that mimic the look of real
brows. Also, the texture of the product which means that it applies quite
lightly and can be built up.
Also, where the Brow Wiz really performs better than the
Brow Powder is with its lasting power – this lasts all day on me without any
problems and no need for touch-ups. For more information on my daily routine
and how long I like my products to last click here and another window will
open.
Now that I actually need to do a little more creative work
to create some brow in places where there isn’t otherwise a lot – I have really
begun to appreciate the Anastasia Beverley Hills Brow Wiz.
THE COST
Sigh. $34.00AUD. Why oh why is makeup so expensive in
Australia?
Yes this is expensive. I want to say that it is overpriced.
In fact, it is overpriced; there is no doubt about it.
The problem is that the alternative is an equally expensive
brow product by a similar brand or a super cheap brow product from the
drugstore. I have tired brow pencils by Rimmel, Maybelline and Loreal and the
reality is that they just don’t come anywhere near matching the quality of the
Anastasia Brow Wiz.
Is it worth the money without taking into account anything
else? No.
Is it worth the money considering what your other options
are in the pencil format? Yes.
THE WRAP UP
There is a lot of good about the Anastasia Beverley Hills
Brow Wiz:
- The Brow Wiz is a retractable brow pencil which means that you don’t need too muck around sharpening it;
- It has a spoolie at one end which is really useful for combing through your brows before and after application of the product;
- The tip of the pencil is very pointy which means that it is easy to get quite natural looking brows for a pencil product (which is never going to look quite as natural as a brow powder);
- It has a waxy texture that means that it goes on quite lightly initially but easy to build, making it easy to get the colour pay off just how you like it;
- It is long wearing;
- As a pencil, it is very convenient for travel and taking with you during the day for touch ups.
In my experience, The Anastasia Beverley Hills Brow Wiz is a better product for a person who
needs to really fill and shape problem brows or for a person who like to take
their brow product with them during the day for touch ups.
I would definitely recommend it if you fall into those
categories.
Will I repurchase? Probably. Although I am keen to try the
Hourglass Arch Brow Scultping Pencil.
