Battle of the Brows-Reviews on 3 Brow Products! (Lorac, ELF, City Color)

Happy hump day! It’s been quite awhile since my last post, simply due to moving back to school and getting in the groove of classes, etc. However, though my blog posts stopped, my obsessive makeup-shopping did not. I have been very obsessed with brows lately, probably because I got mine threaded for the first time ever (and that was the first time ever getting my brows done, EVER) and I am now hooked. Brows are ALWAYS a part of my makeup routine, and so I like to try new brow products all the time to experiment with what turns out the best.

First off is the Lorac Creamy Pencil (I have the shade Blonde). I know this isn’t necessarily a budget beauty item (retails for around $20), but I found it on Hautelook for $7 (PSA: Lorac will be on Hautelook this Friday, 9/4, so GET ON THAT).

(There will be a swatch of all 3 products at the end of the post)

I love how natural this makes my brows look. The color is spot on for my brows, and I have definitely had some trouble with finding an appropriate color for mine. This comes in several shades, including auburn (which I have never seen before, but probably because I generally stick with drugstore finds). It has a very creamy texture, and it’s easy to apply if you keep it sharpened. It is just a pencil with a brush on the end, and the pencil definitely needs to me maintained in order to get the maximum amount of color and precision. I also really like the brush on the end because it’s very durable, and it works great to brush out the color a bit to make sure it’s evenly applied. I honestly don’t think that it’s worth the full price, but if you can get a good deal on it like I did, I think it’s a great option. I will say that a definite con for me is the fact that it needs to be sharpened regularly, simply because I am lazy, and also because the pencil doesn’t last quite as long as I would like. I have stopped using it every day because I don’t want to have to buy a  new one just yet! All in all this is a great option for very natural but full-looking brows, but in my opinion, the full price of $20 is not worth it. Keep your eye out for it on Hautelook-there are always amazing deals!

Next up is the ELF Instant Brow Lift Pencil (I have the shade Taupe).

This is a very cool-toned shade that is also perfect for my brow color (online it says that Taupe is good for blonde-light brown hair, and I would have to agree). There are 3 shades of this product. This also has a very creamy texture, but it’s in the form of a twistable crayon. I prefer the crayon to a pencil because I don’t need to sharpen it, and it lasts longer. There is also a brush on the opposite end of the crayon, which again, is great to brush the color through to ensure an even distribution. This is my favorite product of the three that I am reviewing because of the crayon-form, and also because this is one of the first brow products that I’ve tried that hasn’t given my brows a faint tint of red. I don’t know why, but many products end up making my brows look also auburn, even if I only use a little bit (I had this problem with the ELF Studio Eyebrow Kit). The skinny tip is ideal for precision, especially at the end of the brows, where they are often more skinnier than the rest. This has become my new everyday staple, and it’s only $2 on http://www.eyeslipsface.com

Last up is the City Color Bold Brow Eyebrow Powder (Shade: Light to Medium).

I found this at 5 Below for $3, and it includes 2 powders that are only slightly different in color (although I’m glad that for a product that says “Light to Medium,” there are 2 color options). I apply this with an angled brush (the kit comes with 2 mini angled brushes). I feel sort of “meh” about this product. The color did pull a bit red on my brows, but that’s not to say that it would do that on all brow colors. I’m sure that if you had darker brows, this would be fine, but for my blonde hair, I wasn’t very impressed. You do get a lot of product for such a cheap price, so that is definitely a pro. The color just didn’t quite do it for, but in general, the texture is nice and easy to apply with the right brush. I would be interested to know if darker brows had the same issue with this product and pulling a red tint.

Also, for every one of these products, I used a clear brow gel on top to set the product, and so the staying power for all of them was roughly equivalent with the use of that gel.

Here are the swatches of all three products:

Starting on the left (it’s very very faint) is the City Color Brow Powder, and then the Lorac Creamy Brow Pencil, and the ELF pencil is on the right.

All in all, I would give the ELF product the best grade, and it just so happens to be the best price of the three 🙂

Thank you so much for reading! Comment your favorite brow product below-I’m always looking for suggestions, especially for blonde hair! 🙂