Review: Maybelline Eye Studio Master Shape Brow Pencil (Swatches + Before & After)

Maybelline Eye Studio Master Shape Brow Pencil

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: 

Master Shade: Subtle color pigments enhance your natural brow look
Master Shape: soft grooming brush adds final definition
Master Hold: exclusive wax technology keeps brows in place

Opthomologist tested - safe for sensitive eyes - Contact lens safe

Application: Fill and define brows using small, light strokes following natural brow shape. Groom brow upward and outward with brush to blend color and set brows.

What it basically is, is a tinted wax pencil. It's a little bit different than a retractable crayon (Maybelline Define-a-Brow or MAC Brows) for instance, as it's less crumbly and less pigmented. It's also the case for a standard brow pencil. Although heavy pigment is awesome for an eyeliner, it's a little less awesome for your brows.

As far as I know, it's available in four shades: Blonde, Auburn, Soft Brown and Deep Brown. This product is so new that it hasn't popped up on the Maybelline website yet, so I'm sure if there are any other additional shades.

 (Photo snapped in Walmart last night) From Left to Right: #260 Deep Brown, #255 Soft Brown, #265 Auburn and  #250 Blonde.

I picked up Deep Brown, as my hair is a very dark brown with no golden tones.

CONTINUE READING FOR SWATCHES + BEFORE & AFTER!

I really like that on the opposite end of the pencil, there is a spoolie (wand) to comb the brows in place. Many brow products have a wand or comb attached, and many of them are of poor quality or are non-functional/impractical. The wand on this pencil works very well.

 

Deep Brown is dark brown, completely absent of any red or orange tones. It's almost a dark, ash brown and matches my brows perfectly. I swatched it next to a few other brow products above for comparison. It's the most similar to MAC Eyebrows in Spiked, but slightly less golden.

First, I'll comb my brows in place with the wand. Then, with the pencil, I'll use light strokes, following the natural shape of my brow. It applies the product smoothly and precise. I love how it's not crazy pigmented, so it doesn't draw harsh lines. I'll comb through my brows again to blend everything together and I'm done!

Although the wax does keep my fine hairs in place, I still need a brow gel to maintain the coarse hairs.

I love the final result! I can't say yet how it holds up throughout the day yet, because I'll need to use it a couple more times, but I will update this post within around a week or so with my final verdict. The only thing I'm worried about, is because it's a wax, I'm worried it will make my brows look oily mid-day.. I'm hoping that won't be the case! I'll keep you posted.

I purchased this pencil at Wal-mart for around $6. I'm guessing this product hit some stores early, but won't make it's real debut until the new year.

UPDATE 1/1/12: I've been using this product for my brows every day, and it's been working great. The product stays put all day without causing my brows to look oily. But, I do have a big gripe with this pencil. HOW IN THE WORLD DO YOU SHARPEN IT?! I've twisted, turned, pushed it and apparently it's not retractable. The pencil itself is plastic.. so obviously it can't be sharpened? I'll e-mail Maybelline and see if I can find the answer.

UPDATE: Apparently, the proper way to sharpen this pencil is with a standard sharpener. Weird, considering it's plastic, but it sharpens just fine. I used my MAC pencil sharpener and it works well. Granted it doesn't give the cleanest outcome, but it's the only way! Kinda stinks because sharpening it doesn't yield a very pointy tip, so I can't be as precise as I'd like to with the pencil. Still, I like the product and will continue using it.