Blonde Buy

Priceline recently had their 40% off cosmetics sale and I only really wanted to buy NYX Lip Lingerie in Bedtime Flirt after reading this article. It was out of stock everywhere I looked (though of course was back in stock right after the sale) so I settled for this el cheapo brow gel from Essence that I recall KathleenLights talk about. She described Make Me Brow as "the same as Benefit Gimme Brow", so how could I go wrong? Plus it was next to nothing at $3.06 after discount.

First mistake I made was my total ignorance at the 2 shades they offer: Blondy Brows (01) and Browny Brows (02). I thought they only had one colour so I didn't even bother checking what shade I picked up. Turned out to be Blondy Brows which was a fail on my part since it is way too light for my colouring.

The only other brow mascara I have is the L'Oréal Brow Artist Plumper in Medium/Dark (also bought during a previous Priceline 40% off sale), which I've been reaching for lately any time I want a more complete makeup look. I used to never care about brows (when writing this post, I realised I don't even have a brow tag on the blog), but increasingly I'm discovering the merit of brow products, especially for occasions where I know I'll be photographed.

Despite purchasing the Medium/Dark shade in the L'Oréal Brow Artist Plumper, I remember trying Light/Medium in the store and quite liking the effect. It completely changed the colour of my brows (it was like I had dyed them a lighter, warmer brown) and in turn, altered the appearance of my whole face. I was hoping that Essence Blondy Brows would be similar, but it's a much lighter, cool-toned ashy blonde than a warm chestnut brown like L'Oréal Light/Medium.

Essence Blondy Brows, L'Oréal Medium/Dark

The wand on the Essence is tiny tiny (much smaller than the L'Oréal Brow Artist Plumper) and there's small fibres that are meant to give more body to your brows. I have pretty full brows already, so the small fibres don't do that much. The minimal difference could be more the wrong shade though. Because of the size of the wand, it distributes less product than the L'Oréal, which may be a good or bad thing depending on your preferences. All in all, it's a much quieter, subdued product.

Bare brow

With Blondy Brows

You can see the product doesn't really make much of a difference. If there is any, it's extremely subtle. There's just a bit more colouring overall and the tip of the brow has a touch more definition.

I haven't tried Benefit Gimme Brow but Essence Make Me Brow does seem like a nearly identical offering at literally a fraction of the price. I definitely am curious about the darker Browny Brows shade and feel it would do a much better job at filling in small gaps in my brows and giving a more defined, polished look than Blondy Brows. Having said that, if L'Oréal could make a shade in between Light/Medium and Medium/Dark, and shrink the size of their wand, I'd have my perfect brow mascara.