Eyebrow Pen

How I do my eyebrows – latest tutorial on my updated routine

November 22, 2016

I am very pleased with the way I do my eyebrows lately as I have perfected my routine. Since I have received a lot of requests from my readers to share how I do my brows, I have finally put together a tutorial.

Step 1 – Prime the brows with Anastasia Brow Primer. It is a clear wax brow primer that helps the color to glide on more easily and extends the wear time. I love it and always use it whenever I have the time.

Step 2 – Shape and fill the brows with my favorite Benefit Goof Proof brow pencil for your desired shape and thickness (I have a review on some of my favorite brow pencils in this post). Since I have very sparse and thin brows, I always draw my brows wider and thicker, and I find that this step is much easier to do if I use the primer first as in step 1.

Step 3 – Soften the head of the brows with a pencil brush using the MAC 219.

Step 4 – This is a crucial step for me. By now I have achieved the desired shape of my brows, but they look drawn-on. I like to use the BBROWBAR Brow Pen to mimic the strokes of brow hair on the areas where I filled beyond my own brows. When applying strokes, follow the natural growth direction of your hair, so they look completely blended in.

Step 5 – This step was taught by a makeup artist that is making a huge difference to the result. Apply an opaque concealer such as the Cle De Peau underneath the brows using MAC 242, and it instantly makes the brows appear more dimensional and popping out, and makes the whole look more polished and neat-looking.

Step 6 – Apply a light brow powder to the highlighted corner for a more prominent nose bridge (must do for Asians!). I am using the Tom Ford Brow Kit in Light which is perfect for nose contouring with Chikuhodo Brush Z5.

{ 2 comments }

Labels: EYEBROW • Eyebrow Pen • eyebrow pencil • TUTORIAL

BBrowBar Brow Pen Review

March 10, 2015

I am always on the lookout for a good eyebrow product and recently I have been very impressed with the BBrowBar Brow Pen. While I was placing an order for some Charlotte Tilbury products on NAP, I came across this interesting product which I was curious to give a try. A brow pen is quite common amongst Japanese drugstore brands but this is the first time I have seen it from a western brand.

If you are not sure if a brow pen would suit you, I would say that the benefit it offers is the same as how an eyeliner pen performs compared to an eyeliner pencil. It’s much longer lasting, and provides a more intense and precise finish. I can’t live without it (as mentioned in the tutorial post) because I have naturally thin and sparse eye brows, so I really need this to define the brows to make them appear thicker and more bold, and most importantly it lasts a whole day! It is a little more sophisticated to use than a pencil because of its intensity, but if you are not a makeup newbie it won’t take too long to master the skill required!

What makes the BBrowBar Brow Pen better than the Japanese ones I have used (all very sheer imo) is that it has the perfect balance of pigmentation – it’s not too dark neither too sheer. And it has a long, very sharp and thin flexible felt tip, which makes the application super easy as it allows you to control the intensity and the thickness of the stroke. The ink dispenses smoothly and consistently for an even and smooth line. Lasting power is at least 8 hours on me (non smudging and it’s waterproof)! To me such a product is a must have as I hate to redefine my brows throughout the day!

I bought this in color Indian chocolate – it’s a dark chocolate brown that has a dominant red tinge to it once it’s applied on me. It’s not my preferred color (I prefer more ashy) but it can be fixed by applying ashy colored brow powders such as the Suqqu Balancing EyeBrow (reviewed here) over it. I will definitely be buying it in color cinnamon spice next time because I absolutely love the formulation.

{ 3 comments }

Labels: Eyebrow Pen

Suqqu Balancing Eyebrow Palette 01 and Eyebrow Brush S Review

November 19, 2012

I often receive emails from my readers sharing their love for Suqqu products with me, and it is very flattering to hear that they find my reviews helpful for their purchases. To date Suqqu remains one of my favorite makeup brands. There are a lot of other great brands out there, but every time I use a new Suqqu product, it always blows me away. For instance, the Suqqu Balancing Eyebrow Palette 01 with the Eyebrow Brush S are just the perfect combo – they are officially my holy grail eyebrow products now.

There are two eyebrow powders in the palette – one is a medium brown shade and the second one is a moss green shade which allows you to mix the colors to your desire. The light brown shade shown on the right is perfect for contouring the nose or eye socket. You can hardly see this shade in my swatch which is why, ironically, what makes it a perfect contouring shade! As usual Suqqu product design is always very attentive, as the palette comes with a brow brush and a shading brush. The quality of both brushes are excellent for their mini size.

The powder is ultra smooth, very pigmented and long lasting. The most outstanding quality is that it is a perfect ashy brown palette for my complexion and hair coloring. The shade moss green is brown based with a tiny tinge of green to it. It might sound ‘strange’ but it’s a very common color used in Asian cosmetics. We refer to this shade as a ‘natural linen’ color. Since most Asians have black to black-brown hair, and red is the most dominant color in black, a tinge of green mixed with brown helps to counteract the red tone. This helps to lighten the hair with an ashy tone.

Compared to Laura Mercier Eyebrow Palette 01 Ashy Blonde and Shu Uemura Hard Formula 6

The Suqqu Eyebrow Brush S is the thinnest eyebrow brush I’ve ever used compared to other brands, so it gives the most precise and thin stroke that really mimics the natural eyebrow hair. Most eyebrow brushes including Stila and MAC are very firm and stiff, but the bristles of this Suqqu brush are firm yet soft (which might not make sense until you try it!), so it is a very directional brush for application and allows you to define and shape the brows better.

Left: Stila Eyebrow Brush Right: Suqqu

As you can see, the thickness of Suqqu is only half of Stila!Both products are available on Selfridges here and here.

{ 17 comments }

Labels: BRUSHES • Eyebrow Pen • Laura Mercier • Shu Uemura • SUQQU

How to do Eyebrows, K Palette Real Lasting Brow Liquid Pen Review

February 26, 2012

There are many posts requested by my readers that I have yet to do… so this week I am starting with how to do eyebrows. And in the meantime I might as well give a quick review on my holy grail eyebrow product – K Palette Real Lasting EyeBrows Liquid Pen which I have raved about in many of my previous posts.

I don’t mind going out with no makeup, but I would never leave the house without having my eyebrows done! I really dislike the natural shape of my eyebrow – it’s quite thin and too arched for my liking. People always say to only fill out the lower part of your eyebrow, and always follow the natural shape. Lol I am against that, and it took me years to figure out a shape that flatters the shape of my face. I have an oval face shape, and I like my eyebrows to be thick and straight (rather than thin and arched) as it creates a more approachable and youthful look. Then again it all comes down to your personal preference, and I know that many women want lifted and arched eyebrows to look more glamorous even to the extent of having Botox or eye lift surgery.

Products I am using:

K Palette Real Lasting EyeBrow Liquid Pen

Laura Mercier Brow Powder Duo in Soft Blonde: a nice ashy brown color that goes well with my complexion and hair color.

MAC Brow Set in Girl Boy

K Palette Real Lasting Eyebrow Liquid Pen Review:

Strictly speaking this is not an eyebrow product that I would use alone. It is a liquid based brow pen that I use as a base product to extend the wear time. Because I like to make my eye brows much thicker than it is, most products I used (trust me I have used a lot!) fade within hours. The K Palette liquid eyebrow pen is the only reliable product that lasts through the whole day (it truly lasts 24 hours as it claims). I am using the color light brown, and as you can see in my tutorial pictures, the color is very natural for my coloring and goes well with the rest of the products. It is also quite similar to Suqqu liquid eyebrow pen, if you don’t have the budget for Suqqu this is a great alternative! It retails for around USD$13-$15.

Tools I am using:

Stila Brush 10, MAC 219, MAC 224

My Eyebrow Tutorial

a picture of my natural eyebrow before I begin:

Step 1: I apply the K Palette eyebrow pen in short strokes to fill out the head of the brow (upper corner) and the middle area under the arch to create a more straight and thicker shape.

Step 2: Using the Stila Brush 10, gently dip it into the darker shade of Laura Mercier’s palette, then shade the natural eyebrow and also go over the same area created in step 1. I prefer to use eyebrow powder for a more natural look, but if I run out of time I would use a brow pencil for this step.

Step 3: An important step is to use a stiff blending brush – I am using the Mac 210 pencil brush. Gently dip it into the light shade of Laura Mercier’s palette, and smudge it over the head of the brow to blend the color out and soften the edge, otherwise it will look too harsh.

Step 4: By step 3 my natural brow hair still looks slightly darker than the extended area I applied. So I would use the MAC Brow Set to make my eyebrow monotone. When applying a tinted brow gel, remember to apply it against the natural direction that your hair grows then comb through for the most natural look.

Step 5: No, I am not finished yet! If you are Asian, this step 5 will be very beneficial. I like to use a soft blending brush such as the MAC 224, very gently dip it into the light shade of Laura Mercier’s palette, then blend it from the head of your eyebrow to the inner eye socket to create a “fake shadow”, that way it will make your nose bridge more prominent, and your eyes more deep set.

Viola, all done! My self-invented eyebrow routine to fake thicker eye brows which is the makeup look that’s been dominating on the runways for the last few years. I don’t follow trends blindly, I am doing this simply because it is the most flattering brow shape for my oval face.

So ladies, is shading eyebrows an important step in your makeup routine? If so, what is your preferred shape and is your routine complex?

{ 39 comments }

Labels: Eyebrow Pen • TUTORIAL

My Picks for the Best Eye Makeup 2011

January 13, 2012

It is Friday night! I usually don’t blog on Friday night as it is my “happy hour” time, but I wanted to lose a couple of pounds after the festive season so I decided to stay home and just vegetate, and in the meantime killing my time off blogging…This post is about my picks for the best eye makeup year 2011! The same with my previous post – I picked one or two of my favorite and most used items from every eye makeup category.

Best Eye Shadow Primer – Nars Smudge Proof Eye Shadow Base

Best Liquid Eye Liner: Dolly Wink Liquid Eye Liner in Jet Black, reviewed here.

Best Gel Eye Liner: Bobbi Brown Gel Eye Liner – an oldie but a goodie!

Best Eye Liner Pencil: Dior Crayon Eyeliner Waterproof – I use an eye liner pencil to define the outer third of my lower lash line, and I like the Dior as it is soft and pigmented so doesn’t tug my skin, and it stays put for a whole day without any smudge.

Best Eye Brow products: I get asked all the time what eye brow products I used in my FOTD. They are always by my holy grail combination – The K-Palette Real Lasting Liquid Eye Brow Pen in dark brown, followed by the Laura Mercier Brow Powder Duo in Deep Blonde

The Laura Mercier Brow Powder Duo in Deep Blonde has a light brown ashy color which works really well with my complexion. I use the dark shade to define my eye brow and the lighter shade to contour the bridge of my nose.Best Eye Brow Tint: MAC Brow Set in Girl Boy. If I go for a very soft and fresh makeup look, I tend to tint my eyebrow slightly lighter and I really love the color of MAC Girl Boy.

Best Cream Eye Shadow: Chanel illusion d’ombre long wear luminous eye shadow, I like the weightless texture and the shimmery semi-translucent finish.

Best Pigment: Inglot Pigments

Best Single Eye Shadow: Le Metier de Beaute True Color Eye Shadow. I haven’t used them long enough to do a proper review yet, but I was impressed and they win for their exclusiveness!

Runner Up: Chanel Ombre Essentielle Soft Touch Eye Shadow. Chanel offers a beautiful and wearable selection of single eye shadows. I have collected quite many of them and both the texture and the colors never let me down.

Best Eye Shadow Palette in general: Without a doubt that it’s my Suqqu Blend Color Eye Shadow, the entire range is easy to wear on a daily basis.

Best Cool Neutral Eye Shadow Palette: Other than Suqqu I have also included a few of my all time favorite neutral eye shadow palettes in this post. For the cool neutrals, Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow in Prelude wins my heart. Do you know Chanel les 4 Ombres has also won the 2011 Japanese Cosme best eye shadow award?!

Best Warm Neutral Eye Shadow Palette: the legendary Lunasol Beige Beige – perfect for a “no makeup” makeup look.

Best Sparkly Neutral Eye Shadow Palette: Tom Ford Eye Color Quad in Golden Mink (reviewed here)

Best Collectible Eye Shadow Palette: Shiseido Maquillage Eye Creator by Alexander Wang (limited edition). This is my most precious makeup as I am huge fan of Alexander Wang’s modern and edgy design. I was lucky enough to snatch up some products from his first makeup collection in collaboration with Maquillage.

Best Drugstore Eye Shadow Palette: Kanebo Lavshuca Melting Eyes – as the name suggests, the eye shadows are so fined milled that they almost felt they were melting into the skin.

Best Mascara: The Helena Rubinstein Lash Queen Mascaras. I have both the original lash queen and the feline extravaganza lash queen. The feline adds more volume to the lashes but the original defines the lashes better and gives a soft and feathery finish. Absolutely adore this range!

Runner Up: Fresh Supernova Mascara – it gives super thick and dramatic lashes (almost doll like). The only downside is it doesn’t hold the curl well so I have to use another mascara or a primer underneath.

Best Drugstore Mascara: Kiss Me Heroine Make Volumising Mascara

Best False Eye Lashes: It’s a tie between the Princess Lee criss cross 7 in light black and the DUP Eyelashes. They are the most natural looking falsies I have used so far – soft and feathery and the human hair blend into your own lashes. I get a panic attack if I don’t have multiple backups of them. Just a note to those of you wanting to buy the Princess Lee lashes, be aware that there are so many counterfeit on the internet as Princess Lee lashes are extremely exclusive.