Let’s talk brows… Specifically, a 3-in-1 brow pencil I recently received in a subscription box. If you are anything like me, brow shaping doesn’t come easy. In fact, I’ve got myself into a spot of bother before now - for failing to be able to recreate a no-chemical laminated look that, by some miracle, I managed to pull off at the first attempt.
This time around, I’ve left nothing to chance. The shape and fill I’ve achieved for this review, I have managed to pull off effortlessly for four days running. I've aimed for natural-looking brows, rather than immaculately coiffured ones. Before we begin, I’m usually an eyebrow accident waiting to happen. I can’t shape my brows with tweezers for love nor money - so a simple pencil that promises to fill in and give them some shape is my last hope, apart from an expensive trip to a salon.
What makes this pencil a 3-in-1? It includes a twist-up, slanted, fine nib pencil at one end, a matching-shade brow gel with the tiniest brush I’ve ever seen the other end and, in the middle, a plain spoolie. So, you shape the brow and fill in with the pencil, emphasise individual hairs with the gel and then brush everything into shape with the spoolie. Of course, you can use the spoolie before the gel as well, to ensure even distribution of pigment.
That’s the theory. So, how did I get on?
Using a 3-in-1 brow pencil
This product, Get Your Fix brow pencil, was exclusive to a PLouise Budget Box. However, products in the monthly subscription bundle sometimes get released shortly after. I will pop a note at the end of this feature if and when I see it launch.
As an alternative, in the meantime, there are pencils with gel available from a number of brands and most of us have at least one spoolie brush.
My brows are very sparse. Not only that, the few hairs that I’ve got seem to shoot off in all directions. I’d go so far as to say, they are the ugliest brows I’ve seen. Get the drift?
I lost all my body hair - yep, all of it - during cancer treatment in 2020 and 2021. The hair on my head is now half-way down my back, but the brows have never really recovered. Hence my interest in a 3-in-1 brow pencil.
Before using the pencil, I cleansed and toned my face, applied SPF and a primer. For this review, I worked on my brows part-way through doing my eye makeup. It’s probably better to do them first.
Looking at my brows from the centre of my face, I decided where the first ‘noticeable’ hairs started and drew a shape from there. I loosely followed the natural contour of the brows, bar a few ‘strays’ that could be camouflaged later with concealer.
After creating the shape, I carefully filled it in - still using the pencil. With the slanted nib, I could have drawn individual hairs - but I literally don’t have the patience for that. To be honest, the coverage was fairly even and the finish nice and matte.
I then used the brow gel, which adds fibres to individual hairs. The tiny brush aided precision application. What I found was that the gel built up the brows to cover quite a bit of the space I’d filled in with the pencil. It also helped to set the brows in place and keep them flat against the skin.
To finish off, I used the spoolie in a bid to tidy up hairs on the upper section of the brows.
The final result and would I buy this brow pencil?
The result? I have actual ‘brows’. As well as enhancing the look of my eye makeup, they definitely improved the overall appearance of my face and gave it more definition.
As a final, final step, I used a bit of concealer to ‘hide’ a few stray hairs that were outside of the shape I created.
I was lucky enough to receive five of these pencils, in different shades, in my Budget Box. For this review, I used one of the darkest ones - in the shade Espresso.
From a beauty point of view, full, well-defined brows are a must. From an anti-ageing point of view (I’m 60 next year), good brows can make a huge difference.
I really like the Get Your Fix pencil by PLouise. It’s easy to use and includes everything you need to get your brows in shape. For someone who counts brow shaping as a serious weak point, I think I’m making progress.
Yes, if it went on general sale, I would buy one. Because the pencil only takes up a third of the packaging, I can see it would need replacing on a regular basis. I recommend this product if, like me, you really struggle with your eyebrows.
Alternatives to the Get Your Fix pencil include Makeup Revolution Laminate Brow (£7.99) and Maybelline Build-A-Brow (£11.99).