Last weekend I was lucky enough to be invited to the Benefit Cosmetics AbracadaBROW blogger event down at John Lewis, Sheffield. The entire event was dedicated to the launch of 10 new or improved brow products. Promising to have an answer to every brow issue possible, Hannah + Sophia - our Benebabes for the morning - talked us through the new range. Here's what I learnt...
With champagne + apricot danishes in hand, we sat in front of the Benefit duo, and awaited our lesson in all things brows. Hannah talked us through the range, and then showed us two different looks on Sophia: a softer, more natural look on the left, and on the right a bolder, more defined shape coined "The Instagram Brow".
Us bloggers were then allowed loose to play around with all the new products. With the new range comes a new colour system - the lightest shade starting at 1, and the darkest at 6. Having dark brown hair currently, shades 5/6 suit me well. But as a blonde naturally, I know the struggles of finding brow products for lighter hair, so the variety of shades is definitely a plus! Unfortunately, I didn't see any reddish toned colours - their next brow mission maybe?
Brow Zings
Ahh, Brow Zings. My forever favourite brow product. I'm currently on my third palette, which is saying something because it lasts forever! A wax, powder, two travel-sized brushes + tweezers, neatly held in a compact with mirror - what more could your brows need? I mainly use the powder with my A14 brush from Spectrum, and dabble with the wax only for nights out to create bolder looks. Brow Zings now comes in six - that's right - SIX different shades. The other difference is the new packaging, including brushes that are joined together: a pretty useful feature as before it was a bit of a juggling act, and I have actually lost mine down the sides of train seats before - oops.
BROWVO!
Face primer, eye primer and now, brow primer! Packed with keratin + soy proteins to help thicken brows, as well as extending the wear of other brow products used on top.
Gimme Brow
A brow gel with volumising microfibres to help brows look thicker + fuller. This award winning product has not only had a packaging make over, but is now available in three different shades. If your brows never recovered from the nineties over-plucked look, then give Gimme Brow a go.
Ka-Brow!
This eyebrow gel was used for creating both subtle + dramatic eyebrows in the starter demonstration, as it's designed to give buildable colour + definition. Twenty-four hour wear AND waterproof, this product promises all! Having played around with it, it does look like a great product. There is a convenient brush in the lid, although I would personally recommend applying Ka-Brow! with a higher quality brush to get the best effect. Nonetheless, the compact brush makes on-the-go brow preening even easier - great, if like me, you end up doing your make up on public transport.
Ready, Set, BROW!
If by 5pm, your brows are down by your chin due to a serious face melt, this could be the product for you. Ready, Set, Brow! gives 24 hour-long hold, perfect over a brow powder, wax or gel. However, a word of advice... less is more with this product, as a few of us bloggers found out at the event!
3D BROWtones
A slightly shimmering brow gel, which holds your brows in place, whilst also adding dimensions to the brows.
Precisely, My Brow Pencil
As the name suggests, you can get absolute precision when filling in your brows with this pencil. The fine tip means that you can draw in hair-like strokes, to give a more natural but fuller look. The pencil also has a brush on the other end, allowing you to blend out any harsh lines.
Goof Proof Brow Pencil
A novice when it comes to brows? This may be the product you've been dreaming of. Goof Proof Brow Pencil is Benefit's solution to those who want to fill + shape their brows, with as minimal effort + skill as possible. And the tip is wind up, so it even sharpens itself so to speak!
High Brow + High Brow Glow
I love the idea of a highlighter pencil - it saves getting highlighter powder caught up in your eyebrows! Having bought High Brow before, and been left feeling unimpressed, I was happy to hear Benefit had changed the formula for their brow highlighter. The texture is a lot more creamier this time around, meaning you don't get that drag across your eyelid anymore, and the product is much easier to blend. Even better, they've brought out High Brow Glow - a champagney, luminous shade, in oppose to the original's matte finish.
 |
| Beautiful bloggers: Holly, Aimee + Alice having a brow-over |
After trying out the products for ourselves, we let the professionals take over the brow pencils. Using four steps, Hannah + Sophia magically transformed our brows into #InstagramBrows...
1. Brow Mapping - using a make up brush, find 3 points across your brow: straight along the side of your nose, from the outside bottom corner of your nose through your pupil, from the outside bottom corner of your nose across the outer corner of your eye.
2. Volumising - using Gimme Brow, sweep the brush against your hair growth to volumise, and then back again to smooth over.
3. Filling In - for this you can use a number of Benefit products, e.g. Ka-Brow!, Brow Zings. Line under the entire brow, but only fill the outer half. To create a gradient, brush up from the bottom line to fill the inner half.
4. Setting The Brow - a light coating of Ready, Set BROW! or 3D BROWtones and you're good to go! Perfect brows for 24 hours.
And there you have it - a complete essay all about brows. I got to take home samples of both Gimme Brow + Goof Proof Brow Pencil, which I shall be trying out over the next couple of weeks so that I can let you guys know what I think! Let me know if you've tried any products from this range, and if so what is your go-to Benefit brow product?
xo
xo
No comments
I love to hear your opinions, and your comments mean a lot to me!