The Eyebrow Pencil You Need in Your Life

I have to be honest and admit that I never really cared much about brows. Only in the past few years I actually started to realise that they exist and maybe it was about time I did something about them. I have tried various products in the past, mostly pencils and powders, but nothing really stood out for me, and at the end I just went back to my usual self of not being bothered. That is, until I heard about Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz. It took me a while to bite the bullet and order one online in the Medium Brown shade, which is a perfect match for me. This little fellow ain't cheap, it costs around 19,10 - 23,90€, depending on where you buy it. It gets a big plus in my books as it is cruelty free and has no sulphates and parabens.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz 

Brow Wiz is a dual ended pencil, where on one end you have a spooley to brush out your brows and excess product, while on the other end you have a retractable tiny pencil to draw out your brows with. When I say tiny, I mean tiny, the kind that allows you to mimic brow hairs. This product will be your best friend if you have sparse or over plucked eyebrows. It also comes in a large array of shades, so you are bound to find a match for yourself. I am by no means an expert in filling in my brows but since I started using Brow Wiz I found myself showered with complements on my brows from both colleagues, relatives and friends. But what really gets to me is that it is so easy to use and it never looks too drawn on and it stays on all day. Literally - it does not budge!

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz Dual Ended with Retractable Pencil and Spooley

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Medium Brown 

You can get Anastasia Beverly Hills products at Kicks stores in Finland (in central Helsinki those can be found in Forum & Kamppi). However,their selection is very poor and they do not re-stock products frequently. The products that are available are sold at a much higher price point. 

Tip 1: I found the cheapest place for Anastasia Beverly Hills brow products to be Beauty Bay. They ship internationally and offer free shipping on orders over 15,00€ to Finland. Beauty Bay occasionally features various deals and discounts, so you can get 10% or 20% off their entire selection. I would advice to wait and save a few pennies. 

Tip 2: Do not underestimate the spooley that Brow Wiz comes with. It is the best spooley. It brushes out brow hairs so easily and gives them their natural shape. Do not throw away the pencil when you run out; save it and use it as an extra spooley. Something you can keep in your beauty desk or in your bag in case you need to touch up your brows. Also you can wash the spooley under hot water and all the gunk that has accumulated there comes off like it was nothing.

Overall, Brow Wiz is my gem and I can't imagine using any other brow product. 

Let me know if you have tried it or what is your favourite eyebrow product?

Cheers,
Muffy

Makeup Geek Eyeshadows - Worth the Hype?

I decided to dedicate this post to something that I have had in my collection for some time now, and it has become a staple in my everyday makeup routine. As the title may suggest, I am referring to Makeup Geek eyeshadows. I know that there's a lot of reviews out there as is, however, I would like to share my humble opinion and experience. Makeup Geek has appealed to me mainly due to its ethical values, but more on that further on. 

In a nutshell Makeup Geek is a US based company that was established by a beauty Youtuber, Marlena. Her products are talc free, paraben free, cruelty free and are made in USA. Some people, including myself, can be sensitive to talc and break out, therefore it is fantastic to know that there are products out there for us folks. But wait - there is more - they are also very affordable! Eyeshadows retail for $5,99 per pan. Since they do come in a pan format, you would need to have a palette or something along those lines on hand to store your eyeshadows. I have been using a large Z palette (they come in a variety of sizes) and you can get it directly from Makeup Geek website. Z palettes serve well for making your storage space more compact, although they are not the best for traveling.

L-R : White Lies, Baby Face, Bling, Peach Smoothie, Crème Brulee, Preppy, Chickadee,
 Glamorous, Grandstand, Cosmopolitan, Flame Thrower, Cocoa Bear, Pretentious, Homecoming,
 Barcelona Beach, Unexpected, Cupcake, Bitten, High Tea,  Moondust, Shimmermint, Rockstar

In my collection I have 22 Makeup Geek eyeshadows to choose from. Each pan contains 1,8g of product, while for instance MAC single pan eyeshadow contains only 1,5g of product. In terms of pan size Makeup Geek and MAC eyeshadows are identical. 

L-R: White Lies, Baby Face, Bling, Peach Smoothie, Crème Brulee, Preppy, Chickadee

L-R: Glamorous, Grandstand, Cosmopolitan, Flame Thrower, Cocoa Bear, Pretentious,
Homecoming

L-R: Barcelona Beach, Unexpected, Cupcake, Bitten, High Tea, Moondust, Shimmermint
Rockstar

Makeup Geek eyeshadows are highly pigmented, easy to blend and come in a variety of colours and finishes (e.g matte, shimmery, foiled). The only downside is that they are not readily available and you would need to purchase these babies online and have them shipped over to you. In my opinion, Makeup Geek offers quite reasonable shipping rates: I have paid between $6,00 - $12,00 depending on the amount I ordered. The shipping rate is usually determined by the weight of the package.

Tip : If you are placing an order from Finland (or another place outside the USA for that matter), on top of shipping costs you will be charged customs fees if the value of your order exceeds a certain amount. In Finland that amount is 22,00€, but please check your local country's regulations, as the threshold may vary from country to country. As such, I suggest you go with a few smaller orders instead of one big one.

I have not experienced any problems with ordering from Makeup Geek. They provide very good quality swatches online so you can see how different eyeshadows compare within the same colour family. It takes about two weeks for an order to arrive to Finland. Makeup Geek notifies you when you order has shipped and provides you with a tracking number. My products have always arrived and they were never damaged or different from what had been ordered.

If I were to recommend a "starters kit" it would depend on if you prefer warmer or cooler tones. If you are more of a warmer tone lover, your safest bet would be the shades below:

L-R: Peach Smoothie, Cème Brulee, Cocoa Bear,
Chickadee, Cosmopolitan

However, if you fancy more cooler tones, I would go with the following shadows:

L-R: Baby Face, Barcelona Beach, Unexpected,
Moondust, High Tea

Regardless of what colours you pick, the quality is consistent. I have not encountered a single dud. And as for the final verdict, hell YES, they are worth the hype!

Makeup Geek's Youtube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/user/MakeupGeekTV

Where else to buy Z pallets (worldwide shipping incl. Finland): 

http://www.beautybay.com/zpalette/ 

I hope you found this post useful. Let me know which of the colours are your favourite. If you want a more detailed review of each colour in my collection let me know and I shall conquer!

Cheers, 
Muffy 


Disclaimer: I was not sponsored by Makeup Geek. I purchased the reviewed products for my personal use.