little white truths

I bought this brow pencil a while ago because I'd heard so many good things about it that I had to give it a go.

As you may know, I don't normally buy fancy brow pencils because I don't think you need to (you can buy cheap ones that look the same on the brow so who cares), but since I don't get through them very quickly, I thought I may as well buy a nice one for a change.

I like it. A lot. Do I think you need to buy a high-end brow pencil? Absolutely not. Save your money. But there's a lot to be said for a nice one that works and that's easy to use.

Kevyn Aucoin claims/product details:

• Sculpt, enhance and define your brows with this bestselling, ultra-slim retractable brow pencil
• Includes a double-ended grooming brush to ensure expertly refined brows
• Developed to enhance your frame 
• Shape, define and add fullness to your brows with this lightweight pencil
• Made from the thinnest lead on the market, allowing you to create the most precise strokes imaginable for a natural-looking result
• Water-resistant
• RRP $38 AUD for 0.1g

There's the tip above. You can see it's very thin, so it allows for precise strokes.

Note that the pencil is available in four shades: Ash Blonde, Warm Blonde, Brunette and Dark Brunette. My brows are very dark so I probably could have gone for the darkest shade, but I like to keep things natural so I picked Brunette.

There's the spoolie above. It's a good spoolie, and I use it every day - even when I'm not using this pencil.

Swatches next.

Light and heavy swatches, direct sunlight:

Verdict

This is an excellent brow pencil, and while it hasn't convinced me that fancy brow pencils are worth the price-tag, I still love it and I recommend it.

It's a very thin, dry pencil that you twist up so no need to sharpen it (huzzah). Note that mine came without a lid, and because the packaging it arrived in looked worn, I thought that maybe it had been returned and someone had forgotten to return the lid. Not so. It just doesn't come with a lid. Unusual.

When I first used this, I thought it was too dry to get much colour happening - but after that first use, it started applying more easily. It's still a dry formula, though, so if you want dark and thick brows then this mightn't be for you.

I love how thin this pencil is: it's exactly the right kind of pencil for my brows. Mine are very thick and dark but I do have some gaps these days (damn ageing) so this is perfect for me because I can get in there and fill them where needed without looking overdone.

I also love how natural this looks on the brows - you wouldn't know I'd used it - and that it lasts well throughout the day. Indeed, it lasts a lot better than that Urban Decay pencil I used recently (reviewed here), so I would pick this one over that one any day.

The shade 'Brunette' is a nice neutral brown that can look cooler or warmer, depending on the light. It's the perfect shade for my dark brows because it fills them in without overtaking them or announcing itself as eye pencil by being too warm.

I also really like the spoolie on the end and I use it all the time; plus the twist-up arrangement suits me because I avoid sharpeners whenever I can.

The only bad news is that it's very expensive - especially considering how little product you get - so I save this for weekends and just fill my brows in with shadow during the week because I want it to last. I've also heard that this can break very easily so that's something to be aware of.

Overall I think this is an excellent pencil and I recommend it, but I would still save your pennies for eg a high-end foundation or finishing powder because those will look different on the face, whereas a brow pencil is a brow pencil and it's mainly about finding a colour that works for you and something that's thin enough to give you good control.

Lovely.