little white truths

I bought this brow pencil a while ago because I'd run out of mine and I hadn't used anything but budget brow pencils before so I thought I'd try something more upmarket for once.

While it's ok, I'm still not convinced that you need to spend money on a brow product (I personally prefer to save my pennies for things like foundation) - and the best things about it to me are that it's thin and that it has a decent spoolie on the end. Otherwise I don't think it performs any better than some of the budget products I've used. More on that below.

When I went to buy this, I also looked at the Kevyn Aucoin pencil (the Hourglass one wasn't thin enough for my preferences). 

I went for this one in the end because it was slightly paler and my brows are dark enough without adding to the situation, but in hindsight I still want to try the Kevyn Aucoin because this one doesn't last as well on on the brows as I'd hoped.

On top of that, the Kevyn Aucoin pencil contains three times the amount of product as this one - although unfortunately I didn't realise that until it was too late.

Urban Decay claims/product details:

• The ultimate accessory for obtaining healthy, full, defined-looking brows
• The mechanical, retractable pencil is ideal for filling and shaping brows while the spoolie side perfectly grooms and blends the formula
• Colour and tame brows while providing the skin with the hydrating formula of vitamin e, argan oil and coconut oil
• This microfine tipped pencil provides a smooth, even and precise application, making for long-lasting wear
• Self sharpening, on-the-go application is easier than ever
• RRP $36 AUD for 0.028g

There's the spoolie:

There's how thin the pencil is:

There's a thinner/lighter and a thicker/heavier swatch:

Verdict

I think this product is ok but I agree with the mediocre reviews on Mecca's website: it's not that good and I personally don't think it's worth the money.

It's a thin pencil with a hard formula that's rather dry and sometimes flaky. For this reason it can be patchy when applied and you'll need to work with it, and while that's not a huge issue for me because my brows are so thick and dark anyway, it may be an issue for someone who needs something with more punch.

I've also found that the formula takes some building, and even though I prefer to go gently with my brow products, I still need to give this one a few good swipes to get it to show up. Not so good if you're time-poor and also used to products with more pigment.

I've already commented on the small amount of product this contains and I think that's defintely something to be aware of: you only get 0.028g in this, and for me that's meant that it's lasted less than three months (I finished it when I was doing the swatches just now), and I haven't even used mine every day. That's not good enough for a product that costs this much, in my opinion.

The other issue I've found with this is that it doesn't last as well on the brows as I would like. Yes I have two toddlers so I constantly have kids' hands on my face, but I've never used a brow pencil before that has fallen off as easily as this one has.

Do note that this product claims to both colour and tame brows, but it certainly hasn't tamed mine and I still need to use a gel with this or they'll be sticking out at all angles. So if you have crazy brows like mine, you mightn't be able to rely on this to keep them in place: I certainly can't.

Overall I think this product is ok but it's not worth the money in my experience and the best thing about it is the spoolie. But you don't need to spend this much to get a decent spoolie: you can buy one in the pharmacy for a fraction of the price.

Not worth the money.