Brow Drama – Brow Gel Beauty Review

Brows – they can make or break your overall look.  Wouldn’t you agree?  It seems the trend right now is a thicker, fuller brow but if your brows are a little ‘sparse’ what’s a girl to do?  I say – Fake it till you make it…

I tried out a few brow gel products to see which worked best for me and I wanted to see if a drug store brand could replace some of the higher end brow gels on the shelves – plus I just had my brows tamed at the salon so they are ready for their close-up.

Brow gels are meant to be a quick and easy way to ramp up your brows (in place of an eye brow pencil).  I do love the convenience of the brow gel – I never leave house without my brows out of place so the gel is perfect for the 5 minute face.

Stepping up to the test task are:  Anastasia Brow Gel ($29) • Benefit Gimme Brow Gel ($26) • Maybelline Brow Drama($12)

The first brow gel I bought was the Anastasia Clear Brow Gel (this was back in the day when brow gels weren’t tinted).  With this gel I could either work my magic with an eyebrow pencil first and then sculpt and set my brows with the clear gel or I would use the clear gel on the fly and just use it to set my ‘natural brow’.  Very versatile depending on how I was feeling or how much time I had that day.  The gel applies evenly and I did not experience any clumping on the applicator brush.  I have to admit that since I have purchased the color tinted gels that the clear gel is not my gel of choice anymore.  The color tints are much quicker and give me the look I want in one step.

The second brow gel I bought was the Benefit Gimme Brow.  Yes I always get caught up in the Benefit beauty hype – but the Gimme Brow did not disappoint.  The Gimme brow is a brow-volumizing gel – which means that you brows will be the star of the show and appear more full – right on trend.
This gel is pretty darn good: • applies in seconds • small brush applicator definitely gives brows a fuller appearance • good color match for my brows.  The only downside I could possibly mention is the applicator brush does tend to get clumpy with product after a few uses. With the product gathering on the brush it does make it a little trickier to evenly apply the gel without having to ‘touch up’ uneven application on my brows.  I also find that if I let my brows get a little ‘wild’ in between waxing appointments the Gimme Brow is not usually my choice to touch up my brows, as it adds too much volume to my already voluminous brow line.

The third brow gel I bought was the Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara . I bought this to try mainly for the drug store brand pricing. Oh yeah- and the application brush intrigued me with it’s ball shape tip – I’m so easily amused. Maybelline does not advertise this product as a brow gel – it is a brow mascara and I  have to say the product does kinda work like a mascara.  The brow mascara does not really add any fullness or  volume to my brows – it mostly adds color and shapes the brow that I have already.  I do like the applicator brush with it’s little ball on the tip – it allows me to really shape and contour my brows in a way that the Gimme Brow brush does not.  I have not experienced any clumping on the Maybelline brush – mostly because the consistency of the Brow Drama is more gel like than the Benefit.

As with anything – you can buy several varieties of a product for the same ‘body part’ and each will perform a little differently based on what their claim to fame is.  It really depends on what loving attention that your brow needs.  I am a Maybelline Brow Drama fan and user – it is now my go-to brow pick me up on a daily basis.  The Maybelline price point is fantastic, compared to the Benefit and Anastasia gels, and I am getting the brow look I want.

So step away from your eyebrow pencils and find a brow gel that works for you.  You won’t regret it.

BareMinerals Bareskin Beauty Review

I’m most likely late to the party on this review of the Bareskin foundation as I purchased this product in the fall. However – the foundation made it onto my Top 10 list so I think it’s still worth mentioning on my blog.

The Bareskin foundation is a brightening serum foundation with sunscreen (SPF20) built right in. It’s claim’s to fame are: brighter complexion, more even-toned skin, adjustable coverage with a no make-up feel.

Let’s give it at go.  Next stop – Sephora.  There I was, standing in front of the BareMinerals display, feeling a little anxious. There were lots of shades to choose from and….a brush.  What?!  Do I need the brush, if I get the brush how do I use the brush, the brush has a funny hole carved in the bristles, what the…. Yes, I was all consumed with this brush.  I had come for the foundation – not foundation and a brush – just the foundation.  So now what?

I needed to stop the insanity and get a little help.  Turns out with the help of a foundation ‘specialist’ at Sephora, the brush is indeed part of the package – if you want the full effect of the foundation.  I reluctantly have to admit, that after she showed me how to use the foundation with the brush I definitely agree.  I can now see that it would be difficult to effectively use the foundation without a giant mess and proper coverage if you didn’t use their brush.  Now I am a little annoyed that BareMinerals is making me buy this ‘special’ brush to apply their foundation to get the results that I want.  However, after the application lesson, I couldn’t deny that the foundation was great and despite my crankiness over the brush purchase the foundation is worth the money.

So for all of you lovelies out there who are also curious about the foundation and brush application I am here to enlighten you.

Foundation – drop a single drop (a drop is a good starting point – a little goes a long way) of the foundation into the middle of the brush.  I start the application on my cheek as it is a larger surface so I am able to control and manipulate the coverage better.  As you apply move the brush in a circular motion as if you are buffing the foundation onto your skin.  I then move onto my chin and nose using any excess foundation left from my cheeks and lastly I apply to my forehead.  I usually have to add a tiny bit more foundation onto the brush for my forehead and then any foundation remaining on the brush I use for touching up any areas that need a little smoothing.

Coverage – fabulous is the word.  The foundation is very workable and the variety of coverage options are endless.  I do find that if I use a primer the results are much better especially if you have dry skin or larger pores.  The foundation can look a little more visible if your skin is not prepped first.  One drop of the foundation will definitely cover my entire face if I am looking for a natural sheer look.  If I want fuller coverage (for workday/evening) I usually end up using two drops of foundation (in separate applications – let the first application ‘set’ for a minute or two before applying the second layer).  The first drop is the base and the second is the little extra you need to have more coverage all over.

I had wanted to try this foundation based on the even skin tone and adjustable coverage claims and I was not disappointed.  I tend to have red cheeks and the foundation definitely evened me out – even with a light application.  Score!  I did find that the more layers of foundation that I applied the less the ‘no make-up feel’ felt.  However my face looks flawless when I’m done and the coverage lasts the entire work day.  Top 10 foundation for me…every day of the week.