Milani Brow Shaping Clear Wax (pencil) and Brow Shaping Clear Gel - pics, reviews

Hello, Beautiful!

Milani just keeps coming out with great new products! They have two new Brow Shaping products to add to their ever growing collection: their Clear Gel and their Clear Wax. I personally prefer the Clear Gel over the Clear Wax, but they're both great products and definitely an affordable option from the drugstore. Check out all the product info below, along with my full review, after the pics!

Milani Brow Shaping Clear Gel
Shade: 01 Clear

 

Milani Brow Shaping Clear Gel Info & Review:

Cost/Availability: $4.49 depending where you shop (0.15 oz full size). Available on the Milani website, at CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Kisses!

Product Info...

A clear brush-on gel for full looking, well groomed brows. Bristle brush manages stray hairs and combs brows in place. Natural sheen finish. Light to medium hold. Made in USA.

Apply gel in short upward strokes in direction of hair growth. Can be used alone or with any other brow product.


My Review...

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this brow gel. The wand is tapered, and although not the tiniest brow gel wand I've ever used (but don't think it's super sized or anything), it works great at combing through my brows and setting them into place. In fact, that's what I love about this the most. I don't know what it is about this spooley in particular, but it really does a nice job!

The brow gel itself goes on clear and doesn't leave my brows crunchy or hard, yet it holds them in place nicely. Maybe not the most heavy duty hold I've ever had, but certainly enough for my brows to stay in place.


Final Thoughts...

This is a great drugstore brow gel! If you've been looking for one to get the job done (and way better than any clear mascara you may have tried from the drugstore), then this is one to pick up next time you're near a Milani display!

Milani Brow Shaping Clear Wax
Shade: 01 Clear

 

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Milani Brow Shaping Clear Wax Info & Review:

Cost/Availability: $4.49 depending where you shop (0.09 oz full size). Available on the Milani website, at CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Kisses

Product Info...

Transparent gel like formula to tame unruly brows. Matte finish for a natural look. Medium to strong hold. Sharpens with Milani's Duo Sharpener (or any chubby/fat pencil sharpener you may have). Made in Germany.

Apply pencil in short upward strokes in direction of hair growth. Can be used alone or with any other brow product.


My Review...

This is a dupe for the Anastasia Brow Fix, which is $21 verses just $4.49 from Milani (even cheaper if you catch a sale).

The wax in this pencil is great - it's non-sticky and goes on smooth and even. Does a good job at holding hairs in place. How I like to use this is apply it to my brows, then use a clean spooley to comb through (although it's not necessary, it's just my personal preference).

This is really good for getting those stubborn hairs to stay in place because you can be really precise with it.


Final Thoughts...

If you've wanted to try the Anastasia Brow Fix, try this Milani Clear Brow Wax first. You may be pleasantly surprised, and you'll save yourself some money! If you want an clear brow wax but in pencil form, this is the product for you!

Now let me know what you think...

What do you think of these two brow products? Have you tried either of them or are either of them on your beauty wish list? Discuss in the comments below.

Milani Brow & Eye Highlighters - 3 shade duos - pics, swatches, review

Hello, Beautiful!

Another new Milani product! They've really been coming out with some great new products for their Spring 2014 collection. In this post, I have their new Brow & Eye Highlighters, which come in three shades and I have all three shades to share with you. Only one of the three shades could be used to actually fill in your brows, but each shade duo has their special use. Check out all the product info below, along with my full review, after the pics!

Milani Brow & Eye Highlighters
Shades: 01 Matte Beige/High Glow, 02 Matte Cream/Luminous Lift, 03 Vanilla/Natural Taupe
Continue scrolling down to see more pics of each individual shade.

 

Milani Brow & Eye Highlighters
Shade: 01 Matte Beige/High Glow

Milani Brow & Eye Highlighters
Shade: 02 Matte Cream/Luminous Lift

Milani Brow & Eye Highlighters
Shade: 03 Vanilla/Natural Taupe

Milani Brow & Eye Highlighters Info & Review:

Cost/Availability: $6.49 depending where you shop (0.17 oz full size). Available on the Milani website, at CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Kisses for the first two shades, 3.5/4 out of 5 Kisses for the last shade

Product Info...

This perfect duo brightens, highlights and lifts/shapes brows. Each pencil has two sides; the matte side is a creamy, non-creasing formula and the pearl side is a cream-to-powder formula with light diffusing pigments. Shade 03 is the only duo where both sides are matte.

Can be used as a brightener, highlighter and eyeshadow. Brow lifting, light diffusing pigments. Defines the eyebrows and emphasizes a fresh complexion under the brow arch. Easy to use and blend. Sharpens with Milani's Duo Pencil Sharpener (or any chubby/fat pencil sharpener you have). Suitable for all skin tones. Made in Germany.

Available in three shade duos:

01 Matte Beige/High Glow -- Both sides can be used underneath the brow bone as a highlighter. Matte Beige can be used as an eyeshadow or eyeshadow base. High Glow can be used in the inner corners of the eyes to brighten.

02 Matte Cream/Luminous Lift -- Both sides can be used underneath the brow bone as a highlighter. Matte Cream can be used as an eyeshadow or eyeshadow base. Luminous Lift can be used in the inner corner of the eyes to brighten.

03 Vanilla/Natural Taupe -- Both sides are matte. Vanilla can be used underneath the brow bone as a highlighter. It can also be used an an eyeshadow or eyeshadow base. Natural Taupe can be used to define and fill-in brows and also be used as an eyeshadow or eyeliner.



My Review...

I was excited to try these out - especially for the matte side of each pencil that would work as a matte highlight, brightener and even concealer.

The first shade, 01 Matte Beige/High Glow, has more of a yellow toned matte cream on one end, and a golden shimmer on the other end.

The second shade, 02 Matte Cream/Luminous Lift, has more of a pink toned matte cream on one end, and a pink shimmer on the other end.

The third shade, 03 Vanilla/Natural Taupe, has a more neutral beige cream on one end, and a matte taupe brown on the other end.

Out of the three shade duos, only one of them - 03 Vanilla/Natural Taupe - could be used to fill in your brows. However, I personally do NOT like it for my brows. I find it's too chubby of a pencil end to really be precise about it, and it's also very creamy. The shade looks okay from a far, but up close - and in the before & after photo - you can see how off the shade is for my brows. The taupe brown shade is just a bit too warm of an undertone and I prefer an ashy undertone to my brow products. That's not to say it won't work for your brows, because it very well could, but for me this isn't a brow product I would use. Instead, I would use the matte brown side as a shadow base.

There are other products out there similar to this, including many high-end versions. I think the most similar high-end version is the Anastasia Brow Duality - which are $23 each. They come in two shades duos that look awfully similar to two of the Milani duos (01 Matte Beige/High Glow, and 02 Matte Cream/Luminous Lift). I don't own the Anastasia Brow Duality, but just by what I could find online, the Milani one's seem awfully close to being a dupe! Benefit also makes a one-sided pencil, their High Brow, and they have a shimmer version of it as well: their High Brow Glow. Each are $20 and seem like they could be close to one of the Milani duos, but without having tried them I don't want to say if they would be closer to the more yellow/golden toned Milani duo or the more pinky duo (just by my guess, I'd say the more pinky duo). Then there is the Clinique Instant Lift for Brows, which would be similar to the one duo from Milani that has the brown shade (03 Vanilla/Natural Taupe). The Clinique version is $16.50 and both ends are automatic, in addition the brow end seems thinner. Also, the Clinique highlight end seems to have a shimmer to it. Antoher high end version is the It Cosmetics Brow Power Lift Pencil, which is $24. It seems like it may be close to one of the two duos from Milani. As for a drugstore product similar, there is the NYX Push-Up Bra, which is $9.99, and most resembles the one shade duo from Milani in 03 Vanilla/Natural Taupe - except the NYX Brow Pencil side is much thinner of a pencil. Also, e.l.f. Cosmetics has their Studio Eyebrow Lifter & Filler, which has a brow shade one one end and a matte highlight shade on the other. That option is cheaper than the Milani, but doesn't offer the matte/shimmer duos like Milani does. I'm sure there are other brands that offer similar products, but I just wanted to name a few.

I personally LOVE the matte sides to these pencil duos. They're great for highlighting without any shimmer. Depending on your skintone, you could even use them down the bridge of your nose for a highlight or even as a concealer. Use on the inner corner of your eyes for a non-shimmer highlight that will still brighten (even makes a great brightening base for other lighter shadows so they really pop).

The pearl/shimmer side is nice for an inner corner eye highlight or shadow base. If you like a shimmer highlight under your brow bone then you could also use it in that way. I don't find them to be as creamy as the matte side, and I find they take a bit more work to blend in, but they're still really nice.

If you have a cool undertone, then you may want to try the 02 Matte Cream/Luminous Lift.

If you have a warm undertone, then you may want to try the 01 Matte Beige/High Glow.

I personally wouldn't re-purchase 03 Vanilla/Natural Taupe, as I don't think I would ever use the matte brown side other than for a shadow base - but I already have plenty of matte brown cream bases (including one from Milani, one of their Shadow Eyez, which will be coming in a future review).


Final Thoughts...

I think this is a great addition to have in your makeup collection if you want to amp up your brow routine. It will really clean up and highlight the brow area, as well as useful for inner corner highlight and as an all-over base to your eyelids.

If you've been curious to try one of the higher end versions then maybe this is the perfect place to start!

Now let me know what you think...

What do you think of this product? Have you tried this or is this on your beauty wish list? Discuss in the comments below.

Billion Dollar Brows - Brow Buddy Tool, Tweezers, Universal Brow Pencil - swatches, pics, reviews

Hello, Beautiful!

I have three more great products to share with you from one of my favorite brow brands, Billion Dollar Brows: their Brow Buddy Tool (a great way to find the perfect shape for your brows), their Tweezers (an essential item for anyone with brows), and their Universal Brow Pencil (a good-for-almost-everyone brown pencil).

Check out my pics, swatches, info, and reviews... click on pics to view them larger.

Billion Dollar Brows - Brow Buddy Kit 
* PLEASE NOTE: This kit comes with a white pencil for marking, NOT the Universal Brow Pencil as shown in the photo above.

Billion Dollar Brows Brow Buddy Kit Info & Review:

Cost/Availability: $19.95 (per kit). Available on the Billion Dollar Brows website and everywhere else Billion Dollar Brows is sold. Click here to find a retailer near you.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Kisses

Billion Dollar Brows Brow Buddy Kit is a patented brow tool that shows you where to start, arch and end your brows with precision and ease.

The Brow Buddy makes shaping your brows incredibly fast and simple. Unlike eyebrow stencils, this handy tool takes into account your facial shape, giving you perfectly symmetrical, beautifully shaped brows. That means you can say goodbye to thin, crooked, cookie-cutter brows forever!

This kit includes the Brow Buddy and a white pencil for marking - plus full instructions on how to use it and get your perfect brows! Please Note: My Brow Buddy Kit came with the Universal Brow Pencil and that is not what actually comes with the Brow Buddy Kit.

I think this is a genius tool to have. It was super easy to use and allowed me to find the perfect brow shape for my face shape - which I found out I pretty much already had; it was just sparse and I just need to do my arch a little different on my right side (if my hair grows that way in the future). I wanted to see how this would work for others, so I tried this out on a few friends and it was such a help at getting the perfect shape for each of them. They all said it was simple to use and made finding your perfect brow shape a breeze.

Obviously you'll want to tweeze after you've marked off your perfect brow shape, then remove the white pencil and fill in brows with your favorite brow product. It may not be easy to wax the perfect shape, but that's fine with me because I'm a tweezer-type of gal (I never wax; it's just not for me).

I do think it's a little pricey for the tool, especially because after you find your perfect brow shape you're pretty much set and don't need to re-use it again. However, if you're growing out your eyebrows then yes, you'd use it again and again. This is something more of an essential beauty tool to have in your collection. Just like a sharpener, which you may use every now and then, you'll pull out this tool to use. Great for anyone who does makeup on others!

I'd recommend this to anyone who wants perfect brows!

Billion Dollar Brows - Tweezers

Billion Dollar Brows Tweezers Info & Review:

Cost/Availability: $20.00 (for one). Available on the Billion Dollar Brows website and everywhere else Billion Dollar Brows is sold. Click here to find a retailer near you.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Kisses

This is the exclusive tweezer of the Billion Dollar Brows salon. Stainless steel and specially coated, these are the only tweezers that meet the Billion Dollar Brows artist's extremely high standards. Guaranteed to grab every hair, every time.

I found these tweezers to have a really good grip, allowing me to pull out hairs easily. It's not the greatest tweezer for those super small hairs - which I normally prefer to use needle-nose tweezers for, but they do a great job at everything else.

I do think the squeeze/bounce back was a little weak, but it's also good because your fingers don't get tired fast because you don't need to squeeze as hard to get them to close.

A little pricey for tweezers, yes, but they were nice and I'd recommend checking them out!

Billion Dollar Brows - Universal Brow Pencil

Billion Dollar Brows Universal Brow Pencil Info & Review:

Cost/Availability: $14.95 (1 fl oz full size). Available on the Billion Dollar Brows website and everywhere else Billion Dollar Brows is sold. Click here to find a retailer near you.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Kisses

No more guessing games when it comes to choosing your brow pencil color. This universal brow pencil is formulated to work with almost all skin tones and hair colors. This pencil goes on smooth and natural; perfect for creating beautiful, natural brows for when you're on the go.

This pencil will change tone depending on how light or hard you apply it. Apply it harder for a darker color; apply lighter for a lighter color.

For me, a brunette, this pencil worked great as far as color goes. It did go on really nicely and looked natural. The spooly brush on the opposite end combed through my brows nicely, blending and perfecting the pencil.

It has decent staying power, but I find it did smudge off during a photo session -- meaning my face up against my camera rubbed my brow up and off in certain spots. However, you won't be rubbing your brow like that under normal conditions so you may not have any problems with its staying power. Plus, I should mention that a lot of brow products don't stay put on me for some reason.

You can see my before and after using this pencil in the before & after pics above under the Brow Buddy Kit.

This is a nice universal brow pencil that I'd recommend checking out.

Now let me know what you think...

What do you think of these brow products? Have you tried any of them or would you like to? Discuss in the comments below.