Step by Step Eyebrow Filling Tutorial.

How to Fill in the Eyebrows

Everyone uses different brow filling methods - some swear soley by pencils, while others prefer brow powders. You may even prefer a cream product (such as a brown cream liner) or a brow-marker (such as Milani Brow Tint Pen). I love switching up products all of the time, so my brow routine changes often. Today, I'm going to go through one way I fill in my brows using both an eyebrow pencil and an eyebrow powder.

Don't feel the need to go run out and purchase a brow powder - Any matte brown eyeshadow similar to your hair color will do. Although we all favor and thrive for eyeshadows with lots of pigment, we don't necessarily look for the same in our brow products because we want our brows to look to look natural. So, finding an inexpensive shadow at the drugstore should be a sinch. And, if you don't own an eyebrow pencil, you can use a brown eyeliner - but don't apply it straight on as it can look too intense for your brows. Scribble on the back of your hand, and run your brush through the product for a more natural look (or you can just lightly rub your brush across the tip of the pencil).

I don't always use both products, but I like combining both because the pencil yields a very precise, clean line, whereas the brow powder gives a softer, more natural diffused line. The result is a very clean and precise brow, yet it's not as clean/chiseled as it would be if only a pencil was used.

Products I used in this tutorial-
Anastasia Highlighting Brow Kit
MAC Eyebrows (Pencil) in the shade Spiked
MAC Studio Finish Concealer
MAC 208 Angled Brow Brush
MAC 194 Concealer Brush
E.L.F. Eyelash and Brow Wand (Spoolie)
Tweezerman Brow Shaping Scissors
Revlon Tweezers
Eyebrow Razor

Here's the classic diagram of where your brows should ideally start, arch and end. Since we all have different face shapes, natural brow shapes, etc, this figure might not work for everyone. It's often referred to as the ideal brow - with the beginning of the brow lining up with the side of your nose (if you hold a pencil vertical to your nose, it should line up with the beginning of your brows). But depending on the symmetry of your nose, placement of the eyes (if they are very far apart for instance), etc, this method may not work. Instead, use your tear-ducts as a reference of where your brows should start. The arch should ideally line up with the edge of your iris. Your brow should ideally end diagonal (45 degrees) from the outer corner of your eye.

Other brow products I love... 

E.L.F. Studio Eyebrow Kit - MAC Espresso Eyeshadow - Make Up Forever Eyebrow Corrector - Maybelline Define-a-Brow Eyebrow Pencil

What do you currently use to fill in your eyebrows?

Milani Brow Tint Pen Review, Photos and Swatches!

Milani Brow Tint Pen

Milani Brow Tint Pen ($5.99) is a quick-drying and long-wearing felt-tip eyebrow pen that is used for filling and shaping the brows. It has a fairly fine point for precise application.

The Milani Brow Tint Pen is available in (2) shades: Natural Taupe and Dark Brown.

Natural Taupe is a light brown that will work well for most light hair colors, while Dark Brown is about one shade deeper of a brown, with an ash-brown/moss green undertone (no red tones at all). Natural Taupe has a warm undertone, without looking too brassy.

The pigmentation is very sheer. The color is buildable to a light-medium, but the color will never reach opaque pigmentation. Because of the sheer color, it's excellent for darkening/adding color to sparse and fine brows.

I like applying Natural Taupe through my brows to deepen them, and go back with Dark Brown to areas that need a little more definition. The result is very natural, clean brows.

I find them to last well on their own, but I always make sure to apply the brow product before applying my foundation to avoid build up on the tip of the pen. For oily skin, you may find that using a clear primer (such as Nars Smudge-proof Primer or UD Primer Potion) on your brows prior to application helpful, or dusting a transparent powder across the brows to pick up excess oil which can break up the product later in the day.

Swatches:

I swatched both shades three times. As you can see, you can achieve a very fine line, as well as a thick line with the brush tip. The thickest swatch is two layers. Natural Taupe is on the left, and Dark Brown is on the right.

Overall, I think this product is a great alternative to the more expensive brands. There aren't so many alternatives there for brow pens; some include: Anastasia of Beverly Hills Brow Pen ($21), Suqqu Eyebrow Liquid Pen ($25) and GOSH Long Lasting Brow Pen ($7.98). I've always wondered about brow pens, and am happy I finally can say I've tried one. So far, I really like these, but time will tell as I continue using them. I'll keep you updated!

The Round-Up

Pros:

• Easy to use.
• Pigmentation is fairly sheer, for a very natural appearance - great for darkening fine and sparse brows.
• Dark Brown works perfectly well for my dark brows without making my brows look too dark or overpowering.
• Long-lasting. 

Cons:

• Because the product doesn't get quite opaque, it might not be the best product for shaping thin or non-existent brows. If you like full, prominent brows, you might want to look into a more pigmented product such as Maybelline Define-a-Brow. 
• Hard to find in stores - I've been looking for this product for months (thanks to a recommendation from one of my readers) and I'm never able to find it. I finally found it at a CVS with a full Milani display (my local CVS only stocks about half of the products).

Price: $5.99, CVS or wherever Milani products are sold.

Spotted Maybelline Define-a-brow Eyebrow Pencil at Dollar Tree!

I know the Maybelline Define-a-Brow has been a drugstore brow-filler favorite among many of us (including myself) and was shocked to see it on the rack at my local Dollar Tree today. There were at least twenty of them, all in the shade Dark Brown. Many have compared this pencil to the MAC Eye Brows retractable brow pencil - I agree!

Apparently Maybelline hasn't discontinued the product, but they discontinued the shade "Deep Brown", which confuses me because I'd assume it'd be a popular shade for dark brunettes.

I think they're trying to re-direct consumers to their newer brow product, the Maybelline Master Shape Brow Pencil, and won't be surprised if they get rid of Define-a-Brow all together. They aren't really comparable products, I like both, but Define-a-Brow has an advantage, as it's retractable (no sharpening) and the product has a small tip (for precise shaping of the brows). Maybelline Master Shape has to be sharpened frequently and due to the soft waxy texture of the pencil, you can't get a very sharp point.

I know stock of discontinued cosmetics will differ from location to location, but I just wanted to make sure you were all aware that you might be able to spot this pencil at Dollar Tree. It's regularly around $8, for only $1 at Dollar Tree - very well worth it!!

My eyebrow before and after it has been filled in with Maybelline Define-a-Brow in Dark Brown.

For additional reviews for this product, check out Makeupalley!

Happy Shopping!

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.