With my recent purchases of Ben Nye eyeshadows, I also purchased some brow pencils. Now, I know some of you are saying, "I thought Make Up ForEver Aqua Brow was your holy grail." Yes, that is true but sometimes I need a pencil when I want something quicker. And, that has been a major problem for me, finding a good pencil.
Yes, there are many eyebrow pencils available from drugstore to high end. I have researched the reviews and such but none of them fit my main criteria, it had to be cheap. I am not stingy, I just want a pencil that does its job without me having to spend a ridiculous amount only to be disappointed. Oops, maybe that is another criteria. Okay, then it had to apply color smoothly without feeling like a smeary wax pencil. It also had to be firm enough to allow me to draw eyebrow hairs yet not hard enough to make me cry as I drew them. Then the color had to somewhat match my natural brows (black) while working with my skin tone of (MUFE HD 120). It also had to be affordable. Wait, I said that already.
First, Ben Nye eyebrow pencils are waxed based. This may have you groaning a bit since everything nowadays has to be gel based and "waterproof". Ben Nye pro pencils are made with more pigment than a cosmetic counter brand, thus giving the pencil a dryer texture. Dryer texture also means less is more. The ingredients used by Ben Nye to make a pencil are of the highest quality ingredients this includes the wax. You probably never hear anything about this because the line doesn't brag about the latest ingredient found in the cave in the bottom of the seas in Fiji. (I am making this up you know. I know nothing of a secret ingredient.) High quality means clearer pigments and no bragging means affordable makeup. These pencils can be set with translucent powder and/or eyeshadow. The pencils come in 8 colors: white, light brown, auburn, taupe, medium brown, dark brown, black brown, and black.
Getting back to my list of criteria, Ben Nye happened to fit all that I mentioned and maybe more. For $5, I get a very long pencil (7 inches/17.8 cm) with major pigment and clear colors. I also get a firm tip that doesn't break when sharpened yet a soft enough to allow me to draw in hairs. Since, the brow pencils were so well priced, I bought three of them just in case I wanted to mix.
Here are the colors shown on my skin and on paper which can have a completely different result. I will explain this later.
Black Brown - On my skin it looks more dark brown but on paper it looks black brown.
Dark Brown - The red appears more on this pencil on my skin but you can see on paper it looks dark brown.
Taupe - I get a yellow based taupe and on paper it is the ashy taupe or grey/beige.
What allows the difference in color on skin and paper? Again pigment. My skin leans toward an olive base and some other weird undertones which I won't get into but the colors get warmer on my natural skin. If I had applied foundation, they would have adapted to more of a neutral color. If I had a cooler skin tone, the colors would be more ashy. More pigment and saturation allows the pencil to be more adaptable.
I am very happy with my purchase of these eyebrow pencils because they do their job and at a price that doesn't cost me an arm and a leg. Also, Ben Nye is a name I can trust. And remember, the products are made in the U.S.A.
*I disclose that I have spent my money wisely.*
