The day has come where I have decided to splurge on an eyebrow pencil! I have been in an eyebrow rut for sometime now- I have been trying to find the perfect brow products but I just never seemed to find anything that worked. My Essence Eyebrow Designer in Brown was a complete wrong colour match, and this the problem with every other drugstore brow pencil you can name- all the brown shades had a red undertone which looked odd with my hair. A stint with the MUA Brow Kit was also a wrong colour match, as much as I wanted to like the kit. After all this, I decided to look around for more higher end brands- Shiseido was an option but I found their pencils too soft, and Clarins had a great formula but didn't have a colour that worked for me. However when I heard about the Shu Uemura Hard Formula Eyebrow Pencil, I just couldn't resist and now it is in my hands!
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| Shu Uemura Hard Formula H9 Eyebrow Pencil in Stone Gray |
The Shu Uemura Eyebrow Pencil is unique- the first thing you notice is the strange tip! It is carved into the shape of a Japanese sword, and because of this shape, it makes it so easy and simple to use. The angle is perfect and follows the shape of the brows very well. The only qualm is that it is difficult to sharpen at home (especially because of its hard lead), but the great thing is you can take it into any Shu Uemura counter and they can sharpen it for you free of charge.
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| Shaped like a Japanese sword |
Even though going to a store to get the pencil sharpened may sound like a hassle, the Hard Formula H9 is what it is called- a hard formula. This makes it last so long and it doesn't wear down fast. I have read reviews where people have had their pencil sharpened every 2-3 months, and that is with using it everyday- so it definitely lasts. Just to add as well, this pencil has so much product, and the length of it is 17.5cm which is definitely longer than your regular brow pencils. Another advantage of a hard formula is that you will have a natural looking brow that isn't too dark looking. The special thing about the Shu Uemura Eyebrow Pencil is that it only releases the colour pigment when it interacts with the oils in the brow hairs, so trying to swatch it on bare skin proves to be difficult.
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| Multiple strokes of the pencil shows up very faint, the formula needs to react with the oils in the brow hairs to work |
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| Bare eyebrows |
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| Filled in with Shu Uemura Eyebrow Pencil |
The results are amazing! The Shu Uemura Eyebrow Pencil gives such a natural look and Stone Gray 05 is a perfect match for my dark asian hair. Many people find that Seal Brown 02 works for them, but seeing as I don't plan to dye my hair any time soon, I decided that going for the grey shade would suit me better. The brow pencil is smudgeproof and long-lasting unlike all other brow products I have used! I am so pleased with this purchase and even though the initial investment of $34 was a little high, I can see this pencil lasting for more than a year and being a great staple in my makeup collection and I have no need for any other brow product!
What brow products do you use? What do you think of the Shu Uemura Eyebrow Pencil?
Wow this is such an interesting product! The way it is carved is super weird but cool! Also that is so interesting that it only releases colour in contact with the hair. I'm currently using the Dolly wink brow powder which is pretty good. Though, I'd be interested in checking out pencils as they seem quicker and easier to use than a powder.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first saw the sword shaped tip it looked so weird! It makes it so easy to use though :) I really want to try Dolly Wink but it's hard to get a hold of :( I agree with you- pencils are much quicker and easier to use than a powder, although powders do give a very nice natural look!
Deletethe tip of the pencil definitely looks interesting! the formula of the pencil seems really unique, one of a kind - i think i'll need to invest in this one day. i've never owned an eyebrow pencil before, but this one seems really cool to use how the pencil only reacts well with your hair oils!
ReplyDeletethey look really natural on you :)
I really like how it reacts with the hair oils too, it's so unique! And thank you, I really like the natural look too :)
DeleteIt took me a while to find an eyebrow pencil I liked too because I prefer softer, lighter ones and I felt like all the ones I came across would produce a dark colour after only one light swipe ._. I eventually found one and I'm currently using one from Etude House.
ReplyDeleteThis one looks like it would be a great product though as it's from a really good brand, and it definitely looks natural! Free sharpens is a bonus too :p
I agree- softer brow products are better because it looks so much more natural! I hate brow pencils which swatch really dark, it looks so bad and fake! I haven't tried any of Etude House's products before but I've heard a lot about them. And yes, I love how I can get it sharpened at the counter :)
DeleteThis looks so nice, It's cool that it only works with the oil in the eyebrows. You could also sharpen it carefully with a Stanley knife, it would be frustrating having to go in to the shop just to have it sharpened.
ReplyDeleteOhhh! I thought the pencil tip was broken or anything! That is really cool to hear that it works well with the oil in the eyebrows!
ReplyDeleteThat's so cool! I feel like it looks very natural! I usually stay away from eyebrow pencils since they always make my eyebrows look so unnatural no matter how softly I apply it. I might go for this since I hate travelling with brow powders. :)
ReplyDeletePencils are so much easier to travel with! A lot of pencils I've tried have made my brows look so unnatural but this one is amazing :)
Deletegreat review, i was a little put off with the price initially too but its great to know that it lasts long.
ReplyDeletexoxo
Visa
http://1finedai.blogspot.com/
That's an interesting looking eyebrow pencil. I've been looking for something grey. I usually prefer powders because they make the brows, softer and natural. But this pencil looks like it does just that! Might go check it out in-stores.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review! :)
www.misschungx.blogspot.com
This eyeborow looks really natural.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for the review.
Wow looks so interesting, what an intriguing product! I loved my Bourjois eyebrow pencil but have recently started using the Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Brunette, mixing the two colours together which I absolutely love. Plus powder gives a more natural look than the pencil did.
ReplyDeleteThis brow pencil is quite interesting! I love the natural look of powder and this pencil is amazing at keeping the brows looking natural :)
DeleteLooks like a great! I love Shu Uemura products! Lately I've been mixing it up between a mac eyebrow pencil and essence brow powder. I'm still trying t find the perfect brow product though
ReplyDeleteI had a look at MAC brow pencils but none of the shades suited me which was a shame :(
DeleteLove that sword-detail, it's practical and intriguing! Haha. Shu Uemura is a brand I've wanted to try for a while, but never knew where to start. This seems like a good place to start, they give such a natural effect! Doesn't look drawn on at all!
ReplyDeletehttp://talisbury.blogspot.com/
I really love the natural effect it has too! :)
DeleteThis looks so great! Your brows look so natural and beautiful.
ReplyDeletefairestsfavorites.blogspot.com
I purchased this brow pencil recently and it's the only product that I have been using on my brows lately~~~
ReplyDeleteLiz
www.lizchewy.com
It looks great. I wish we had the brand over here too <3
ReplyDeletexx
I use the HD Brows palette but this looks brilliant!xx
ReplyDeleteThis is a lot of people's Holy Grail eyebrow pencil. It looks awesome! My brows are basically black so I struggle with finding brow products that aren't too red or warm x
ReplyDeleteI agree, finding brow products that don't have a warm undertone is so difficult! I'm so glad I've found something perfect for my black hair though :)
Delete$34 is a lot but seeing as Revlon has brow pencils for $25, paying $10 for something of much higher quality and that lasts longer (as well as being a perfect match) didn't seem too bad :) Haha oh no, it would be awful to have someone say that your eyebrows look like they've been drawn on with a crayon!
ReplyDeletethis looks really good! i was going to mention the weird tip and then you wrote how its meant to look like a sword. so cool, such a clever take on your basic pencil nib.x
ReplyDeleteWow, that sounds like an amazing brow pencil! The shape of the tip is so unique, I love it :) Very old school pencil-sharpening technique, haha! I will need to keep this product in mind if I ever want to buy an eyebrow pencil. I never fill in my brows though - I have used Rimmel's one (in brown black) and it's not too bad for a "drugstore" option. I don't find it has a lot of red in it, if anything, it's a tad too dark for me.
ReplyDeleteThe tip makes it so easy to use which I love, and it's amazing for filling in your brows naturally. I tried the Rimmel brow pencil but I found it had too much red undertone for me! From the plethora of brow pencils I have tried for my asian brows, this one seems to be the best!
Deletenice post Karen! I actually wasn't sure about why the Shu brow pencil was so good but now after reading this I can understand. Looks like there is a lot of product in that pencil. A lot of the eyebrow pencils I get don't have a lot of product and break down very easily. I think once my current one runs out I'll move on to this :)
ReplyDeleteThere is definitely a lot of product in the pencil which I love! It applies so naturally and lasts a long time- I've been using it everyday since I have gotten it and it's still going strong :)
Deleteinteresting! would you like to follow each other in gfc and bloglovin? let me know!
ReplyDeleteLooks great!!! I love that soft focus brow look it gives you. I need to buy this!
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing sounding product! I will have to check this out, I hate trying to find the perfect brow shade!
ReplyDeleteIt is the perfect and most natural shade for me which I love :)
DeleteThanks for your advice.
ReplyDeleteI will do that as your advice.