Back at the end of June all of us beauty buffs waited with baited breath for the launch of the new Benefit brow range. Never in my life do I remember a brand launching so many individual products within a range all at once. It was amazing but it was confusing, so many products to choose from, how were we to know which one was going to work best for our particular brow issues?. To give us a sneak peek of what was to come Benefit put gorgeous little miniature sizes of some of their products in various glossy magazines in the lead up to and just after the launch and I for one was hooked.
But having tried out the miniatures and honestly loving all of them (apart from the Goof Proof pencil being in the wrong shade) I wanted to know more. I wanted the inside scoop on what products were designed for what brow type and for that I headed into Boots in Half Moon Street (my spiritual home) and got to chat with the gorgeous Emma the Benefit counter manager about the range. She very kindly walked me through each of the products and their purpose and now I’m going to share what she told me with you!
Browvo Conditioning Primer €30.50
So Emma explined this product as being the first step product . Its a conditioning treatment so like a face primer or an eye primer gets your brows ready for the product you’re about to put on them. It softens and conditions the brows and helps to extend the wear of other brow products used over it. Its a completely clear gel so its suitable for all shades of brows and it has an easy to use applicator on top making it super handy. This is the first step simply because it can be used ahead of any of the other brow products you chose to use.
High Brow & High Brow Glow €24.00
Ok so I’m going to put these here, again because they are products that are used at the start of your brow prepping. Now High Brow is not a new product but it did get a little make over so it could match the glamour of it’s new counterparts!! This product is designed to highlight and brighten under the brow bone. The High Brow has a Matte baby pink finish and the High Brow Glow has a champagne pink shimmer finish, this is essentially the difference between them both, otherwise they both do the same job. They both increase the height of the brow arch giving a instantly “lifted” look, Benefit claim that “It’s like a brow lift in a pencil” so what’s not to like about that!! You apply these products along the browbone following the arch and gently blend. Emma also suggested popping them in the tearduct to open up the eye which is a fantastic idea!
Ready Set Brow €26.00
I’m going to put this next in the list as its the finishing product so it can be used with all of the other brow products to finish your look or on it’s own if you’re looking for a more natural brow. Now this is a shaping and setting product, it’s a clear gel so it doesnt affect the colour of any other product you use with it. If used on it’s own it helps to maintain the natural shape of the brows and set them in place for the day. If used over another brow product it seals that product into place and helps to increase the longevity of your look. It has a dual-sided wand, you apply the product using the long bristle side and shape the brows using the short one. This was one of the products that I got free in a magazine and I have to say I loved it for days when I was going for a really natural look, especially during the hot weather when you don’t want to wear too much makeup.
3D Brow Tones €26.00
Now bear with me with this one because at first this sounds like a bit of a mickey take but I promise you it’s not. I would have never entertained it for one minute unless I had actually tried it and saw the difference it made to my overall brow look. Essentially it’s highlights for eyebrows and it makes sense, you highlight your hair so it adds dimension to the colour why not do the same for your brows? So 3D Brow Tones is a shimmering brow gel and what it’s really good at is adding texture to overly full brows and making thin brows appear fuller. I would urge you to go to your local Benefit counter and ask them to try this on for you so you can see how natural and different this product is. You may laugh now but I think this will be a “normal” part of all of our beauty routines in the not so distant future.
Gimme Brow €26.00
Now this was one of the products that I got free in a magazine and I have to say I absolutely love it. In fact when I was heading in to go through the brow products with Emma I thought there was no way whatsoever that she was going to show me anything that I liked more than this!! Again this is another product that Benefit previously had that got a makeover and a new shade added too for good measure. This is honestly the easiest brow product you’ll ever use, it’s a volumising gel that has tiny little microfibres that adhere to the hairs creating a defined, natural look. It’s perfect for gappy brows making them look fuller without being too over the top. It’s also water resistant and long wearing and in my experience of it it lasted all day without anything over it to set it. It comes in three shades, 1-Light/Medium, 2-Medium and 3- Medium/Dark I used number 5 on my brows.
Ka-Brow €26.00
So as I’ve said previously going into Boots I didn’t think I was going to like any of the other brow products anywhere near as much as I liked Gimme Brow but then I tried this!!! This is just the most beautiful product firstly from an aesthetic point of view, it’s a gorgeous little pot with an in-built angled brush in the lid which you can flip around and attach to the lid to make the brush longer, so handy for brows on the go!!! Secondly the product itself is beautiful, it’s a cream gel which makes application a breeze, it glides onto the brows effortlessly and is waterproof too so extremely long lasting. Because it’s a buildable product you can create whatever shape brows you want, from a more defined look to a softer one and anything in between. By using the angled brush you can define and shape the brows if they are more sparse or for those like myself with fuller brows you can use it to fill in gaps and make a more defined brow. It’s so close but I think this is my favourite of the range and judging by how much you actually need to use doing your brows you’ll have this product a really long time so it makes it great value indeed!! It comes in six different shades.
Brow-Zings €35.00
Probably the most iconic of all of Benefit’s brow products, Brow Zings is an oldie but a goodie and is back better than ever in gorgeous new packaging with a very cool fold up brush and tweezers still included!! I have previously used this product but my experience of it was sullied by the fact that about two months after I got it I dropped it and a little piece cracked off and that was the beginning of the end for it. I’ve never seen anything (so expensive) disintegrate so fast, not cool Benefit but apparently I wasn’t alone with this issue. The packaging seems a lot more secure than before thankfully and the colour choice has been extended from three shades to six which is no harm although some of the colours in the medium bracket still seem a bit on the reddish side.
Brow Zings is a wax and powder duo compact and how you use it is a bit of a personal preference to be honest, some like to use the wax first followed by the powder, others do powder followed by wax. Me personally when I was using it dipped a bit in both first and then applied it and I found that way really worked for me. If I’m to be brutally honest here I don’t think this product is worth the extra money, I understand it’s more expensive because you get the brush and the tweezers included in the set but Ka-Brow is a far more superior product in my opinion and it’s €9 cheaper. You also get a brush with Ka-Brow though and even though it’s a smaller product I’d still pick it over Brow Zings every single time.
Goof Proof Pencil €26.00
This is the first product I used from the new brow range having got it free in Elle Magazine back in June and although it wasn’t the right shade for me it gave me the opportunity to see it in action. The most perfect product for quick, everyday brows. Perfect for uneven or patchy brows to even them out and the “Goof Proof” tip doesn’t need to be sharpened so a handy one for the handbag. It’s really soft and glides on easily. It’s waterproof and according to Benefit lasts up to 12 hours which I’d be inclined to agree with having used it. The full size product also has a spoolie included so you can brush through the brows to give a softer look. This product is available in six different shades.
Precisely My Brow €26.00
What an absolute dark horse of a product this is!! When we went through the full range briefly to begin with I immediately dismissed this one thinking it would do nothing for me, in fact I didn’t understand the point of it at all if I’m honest. Why would you choose a brow pencil with a rounded tip? I’ll tell you why…. because it’s awesome!!! This pencil has an extremely fine tip so it’s incredibly precise. This is obviously brilliant for those who have very fine or sparse brows because it allows you to create precise hair strokes allowing you to keep the brows very natural. Even though I have fairly full brows myself I’m so in love with this product, I love the idea of adding fine hair strokes to my own brows too to add more texture to my finished brow look. A must have product in my opinion!!
Overall I’m so impressed with this range, I wasn’t expecting to REALLY like so many of the products if I’m honest. Having tried them all now I’ve added Ka-Brow and the Precisely My Brow Pencil to my ever expanding “Want List” they were definitely my favourites on the day.
The one thing I would suggest you do if you want to know for sure which one is best for you would be to head into Benefit in Boots Half Moon Street to the really lovely girls who’ll only be too happy to help you. They offer a brow mapping service in store too which goes through the best products to use for your brow needs and how to use them correctly. I know they’ll only be too happy to try on any of the products you’d like to try too!! You can tell them I sent you!!
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