Saturday, September 13, 2014

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz | Review


Eyebrows frame our faces, so having nicely groomed and natural-looking eyebrows can truly transform an entire makeup look. The Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz pencil has been a cult favorite in the makeup world, and I can understand why.

Yes, $21 for just 0.003oz of product can be a hefty price to pay, but I personally haven't found a brow pencil with as good of a color match for my asian black hair and works better than this Anastasia brow wiz (Sephora's brow pencil comes close and is only $13).

Here is a link to my blogpost with a bunch of eyebrow pencil swatches to match jet black hair.

I love that this one pencil is the only product/tool I need to complete my everyday brow! This dual ended pencil has a fine tip on one end and a dense spooly brush on the other, allowing me to easily define my brow, fill in sparse/bald areas, extend the end of my brow, and groom stray hairs. If I want a more bold and defined brow, I will use the brow wiz in combination with the dipbrow pomade in "medium brown" (see my dipbrow pomade review here).

Depending on the occasion, I'll use brow powder when going for a softer look, gel/wax for a more defined brow, or a combination of brow products +/- concealer to clean up edges; but because those require additional tools (separate brush), my go-to for my brows is simply a dual-ended brow pencil.

Related post: see my review of the ABH dipbrow pomade here
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Money saving tipEbates cashback program is offering 8% cash back for Sephora (sometimes they offer 10%!). Also, my Discover credit card offers 10% cash back for Sephora.  Definitely look for cashback bonuses before you purchase!
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PROs:
- excellent color selection (currently available in 9 different shades)
- the shade "granite" is a very natural match for my black asian hair
- ultra fine tip allows for precision and a natural finish
- spooly brush works well to tame stray hairs and blend out harsh lines
- easy to blend out
- retractable pencil requires no sharpening
- lasts all day 

CONs:
- Pricey! Retails at $21 for 0.003 oz (I bought mine from Sephora)
- Not entirely "smear-proof" as labeling claims. The color tends to fade if touched too frequently.
- Fragile; because the tip is so slim/fine, it can be easily broken if you're not careful.


Before and after the brow wiz application:
Please excuse my stray brow hairs; I'm currently in the process of growing out my brows!

Overall, this brow pencil is one of my favorites because it's precise, gives such a natural finish, and is so easy to use; in my opinion, it is very hard to 'mess up' on your brows using this brow wiz pencil. I am planning to try some Asian brands (ie Lioele) in hopes to find a gray color brow pencil that will look natural with my black hair.


More photos:
Packaging the brow wiz comes in


"granite" is the perfect color match for my black hair


I wound up the pencil all the way when I bought it to see how much product we really get.
You can definitely go through one pencil in just a few weeks if you use it on a daily basis.


Since the pencil is ultra fine, I only wind up a bit of product at a time.
This ensures the tip will not break.


I seriously love this spooly brush. It's a must to brush out any harsh lines.




Eyebrow pencil swatches that match dark brown/black hair (blog post w more photos here)



Do you have a favorite brow product?
Any recommendations for brow products to match Asian black hair?






21 comments:

  1. This is my favorite brow product to use but it runs out sooo fast for me since I really have to fill in my sparse brows. I really like this product though it looks so natural and nice!

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    1. Yeaa, I wish it didn't run out so fast! I read on a forum a bit ago that the brow wiz pencil is intended to just outline the brow, and then the pomade is supposed to be used to fill it in. I feel like using the pomade will take me a lot longer, though! I'll have to try it out.

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  2. Try the Nyx auto eyebrow pencil in Charcoal. It's a perfect match for black hair, yet sparse on fair skin kinda brows. It's a more cooler charcoal gray tone rather than brown and not too stark in comparison to a black brow pencil. And cheap too!
    I'm black haired/fair skinned asian too and it matches perfectly.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for this comment! My friend JUST sent me the NYX brow pencil in charcoal and I can't wait to try it! : ) I definitely like the price tag for NYX compared to Anastasia's brow wiz.
      I've also come to really like Forever 21's brow pencil in grey and it's only $2.80! The only downside is the pencil is kind of thick, so it's harder to be precise.

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    2. I was looking into the NYX Charcoal pencil as well. Can you post a review?

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    3. Yes I will write a review soon! I recently found the charcoal NYX brow pencil at Nordstrom Rack for only $4.75!

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    4. Here is my review on the NYX charcoal pencil: http://belinspired.blogspot.com/2015/04/nyx-eyebrow-pencil-review-photos.html Hope this helps!!

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  3. I had no idea the brow wiz pencil came in this granite shade! I can't wait to stop by my sephora later this week to try it out on my brows. I barely have any brow hairs :-( so I need a color that is natural and matches my black hair. I hope this works out for me.

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    1. Yes! I think granite is one of the later shades that Anastasia BH came out with. They now have the pomade in "granite" too! I haven't tried it yet, but it looks a bit dark/harsh. I'll have to stop by my local sephora soon.

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  4. Asian brands such as Etude House has a brow product that matches asian brows PERFECTLY (grey color is the most natural) only downside is that the formula is more like a dry crayon consistency, the price isn't bad if you're able to find it online.

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    1. Thanks so much for the recommendation and info on the Etude House brow product! I have had my eye on it and will probably order it off amazon when I run low on my other brow products. Thanks again : )

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  5. Have you ever tested the ABH Dipbrow pomade? If you have, what do you think about it? I found you through a youtube comment about the dipbrow. :)

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    1. I just bought the dipbrow pomade in "medium brown" a few weeks ago and have used it a number of times since then. I like it a lot, but I feel like it's too much work for daily wear. I like brow pencils for daily use since it's quick and easy. I feel like I have to be a lot more precise when using the pomade. I do like the pomade formula and it is very long lasting : ) I just reserve it for days where I wear more makeup! Hope this helps!å

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  6. I have a lot less brow hairs than you (darn over plucking in my earlier years!!). Can you tell me if this will still look natural for me? I have black hair too..... just not a lot of brows..

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    1. I also over-plucked my brows years ago. It took a long long time for the majority to grow back out and I still have some sparse/bald spots I'm hoping more hairs grow in :p
      You can definitely use the brow wiz even if you have very sparse brows. It may take a bit more practice to make it look super natural, but it's definitely very do-able since the tip is so precise/fine. Good luck : )

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  7. I just recently heard about the Boy Brow from Glossier-- it's a brow "mascara" and comes in 3 shades (one of them being black-which comes off as very natural and not too harsh, more of a dark grey, if you will). I've been meaning to try it out--made with very natural ingredients and is $16!

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    1. Ooh that sounds like something I'd want to check out, thanks for the heads up! :)

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