Review: Anastasia Beauty Express for Brows and Eyes

I'm a little obsessed with eye brows.  When I see celebs with thick brows like Camilla Belle, it makes me so happy.  One of the first things I notice about someone's face is their eye brows.  I know.  I'm weird.  But I do think that a well-shaped and shaded pair of eye brows can really make a difference in framing your face.  I have naturally blondish brows with scars through both brows, so I need a lot of brow product but pencil can look very harsh.  I'm always looking for a more natural way to do my brows, so I jumped at the chance to try this Anastasia Beauty Express kit, $39.50 at sephora.com.  I have the Brunette kit, but it also comes in Blonde.

The kit comes with an outer black sleeve that explains what comes in the kit.  The sleeve slides off to reveal the kit, which looks like a little book covered in pebbled burgundy red leather.  I really love the packaging on this (sorry mine is a bit dirty, I've been using it every day!).  It feels very luxe.  This is the kind of packaging that makes me excited to pull it out of my makeup bag and show it off.

When you open up the kit (click the pictures to enlarge) you get a little mirror and instructions on the top half.  The bottom half has a brow wax on the left, a duo of brow powders in the center, and an eyeshadow duo on the right.  You also get an angled brush (which is basically identical to the brush I apply my gel liner with) and five eyebrow stencils.  The stencils are Petite Arch, Medium Arch, High Arch, Full Arch, and Slim High Arch.  My brows fit Medium Arch perfectly.  What you'd do to use the stencil is find the one that fits your brow shape best, apply the brow wax, hold the stencil over your brow, and then use the powder to fill in your brows.  Then you pluck the hairs that you didn't powder, and voila!  Nicely shaped brows.  I don't see myself getting a lot of use out of the stencils because my brows are naturally arched, but I think that if you're the kind of girl that gets your brows waxed a lot to keep their shape, this could be a great investment for you.  You could shape your own brows and end up saving a lot of money!

 

Here are swatches of the products.  The top left is the light brow powder, the top right is the darker brow powder, the bottom left is the shimmery champagne shadow, and the bottom right is the matte brown shadow.  In terms of the actual brow products, I was very impressed.  The brow wax has a nice texture, with just enough stick to keep my brow hairs in place but not so much that my eye brows look crunchy (which is the WORST).  It also helps the brow powder stick, which I love. I apply the darker of the brow powders with the angled brush.  I'm so pleased with that combination, because the brush is thin enough to be able to achieve a really natural-looking finish--it looks like individual hairs being drawn on!  And the brow powder lasts all day on me, which is much better than any pencil I've used.  As far as the colors go, I like that they have a lighter and a darker brown so that you can mix and match to find your exact color.  However, both the browns are on the ashier side, so if you have red/auburn hair, they might not work for you.  The eye shadows are lovely.  They are both very pigmented and apply like butter.  The highlight color is a pretty, golden champagne with a gorgeous sheen (no shimmer), and the matte brown is a nice contour shade.  I use it in my crease, and it reminds me of a lighter version of MAC's Wedge.  I get great lasting power with both shadows.

Awkward Chic rating: A+.  I've used this every day for a week, and I literally have no complaints.  I like the packaging, the stencils are fun, the brow powders work and look very natural, and the shadows are so easy to work with.  It is a pricey kit, but I think it's worthwhile if you want a convenient way to do your brows every morning and the shades in the Blonde or Brunette kit work with your hair color.

Also!  Anastasia Beverly Hills is having a really fun contest right now. You could win a trip to LA (aka my hometown, aka the best city of all the cities) and tons of cool prizes.  Here's the info:

Anastasia Beverly Hills presents Wish You Were Here! This beach inspired kit available exclusively at Sephora features the limited edition Pacific Coast Illumin8 Shadow Palette, HydraFull Gloss in Guava, and Clear Brow Gel to give you that cool LA look, no matter where you are. 

To celebrate this cool new kit, one lucky winner will receive a round-trip ticket to Los Angeles, a two-night stay at a Los Angeles hotel, a brow appointment with Anastasia, a hair and makeup makeover featuring the Wish You Were Here! kit at the Anastasia Beverly Hills Salon, and a photo shoot with the ABH team!

Here’s all you need to do...

• Take a postcard-worthy photo of yourself in front of your favorite local landmark!
• Make a new post of the picture on Facebook and tag Anastasia of Beverly Hills (www.facebook.com/AnastasiaBeauty) in the photo to enter. You need to first LIKE the page on Facebook in order to tag us.
• Or email your name, home address, and photograph to “wishyouwerehere@anastasia.net”.
• One entry per contestant only by 11:59 PM PST on February 3, 2012
• You must be a United States citizen to enter.

The Anastasia Beverly Hills team will select a winner and fly you out for a Los Angeles beauty weekend with Anastasia!   See anastasia.net/wishyouwerehere for complete contest rules and details.

Disclaimer: I was given this product to review.  However, all opinions are always my own.  I don't get paid to blog, and I will say if I don't like something.