Paese brow products: natural brow vs. Instabrow

You all know my dislike for the “I can see it’s fake from the airplane” Instagram brows a.k.a. Instabrows. But the other day, a girl in the local supermarket had brows like that and I couldn’t stop staring at her. Only later I realized why – because I rarely, if ever, see brows like that in real life. They are reserved for social media, to attract audience, to show off your make-up skills. They’re not really meant for everyday life.

Nevertheless, I decided that for the first time in my life, I’ll actually attempt to do a proper Instagram eyebrow and compare it to my regular eyebrow routine. You can decide which one you prefer – and naturally, let me know in the comments below.

The products I’m using to show you my brow routine and to attempt an Instabrow are all by Paese Cosmetics. I’ve grown to love most of the products they offer and I really appreciate the quality. The prices are mid-range, meaning that you won’t find products for a couple of Euro, but you also won’t be living on crumbs if you purchase a make-up item from them here and there. In Slovenia, we can buy their products online *here* or in a single store in BTC City.

Natural brows with Paese products

 

First, let’s look at my natural brow routine. There are two ways I go about this, depending on how much time I actually have in the morning. First option includes the Paese Brow Couture Gel (mine in the shade Brunette, 12€) and the Paese Brow Couture pencil (shade Brunette, 9,50€). After combing through my lashes with an eyebrow gel (currently, I’m using Pixi), I’ll use the Brow Couture Gel to add some color to my brows and then just fill in the blanks with the pencil. The Paese pencil is two-sided and comes with a spoolie at the other and meaning I can easily and quickly comb through the brows after I’m done. This is a really natural look and I like it a lot.

I already mentioned the Paese Brow Couture Pencil as my favorite eyebrow pencil of 2017. I think that the formula is beautiful – creamy enough so you don’t have to press too hard. At the same time, the pencil is not to soft so it won’t break with some more pressure and won’t leave chunks in your brows. I really appreciate the sleek look and the added spoolie brush which makes it a great 2-in-1 product. It’s available in three different shades.

The Paese Brow Couture Gel was a new product for me and the first few times, things didn’t go well. When you rotate the bottom,  the gel will leak out of the spoolie and can be applied to the brows. Be advised – don’t rotate more then once or twice as you only need one or two drops per each brow. I also suggest you start of where your brows are the thickest and then brush the product out toward the beginning and the tail. This is not a product for precision, but to add color. It comes in three different shades.

The second natural brow option combines the Paese Brow Couture Pomade (shade Brunette, 13€) and the already mentioned Paese Brow Couture pencil. I use a precise angled brow to carve out the bottom and upper border of the brow with the pomade and then fill the brow in with the pencil. In doing so, I’m always careful to use a light hand at the start of the brow and then gradually add more brow strokes toward the tail. This kind of brow is a bit more out there in terms of everyday wear.

The Paese Brow Couture Pomade comes in four different shades. The formula is interesting since it’s not very creamy, but more waxy. I prefer it this way, because I have more control over how much product I actually pick up. If you’re new to using a pomade on your brows, I definitely recommend applying some on the back on your hand first and picking it up with the brush as you go. This way, you’ll warm up the product and at the same time have more control over the application. Pomades are the trickiest to make look natural and there is some practice needed. In the Paese pomade, you’ll get 4,5g of product, meaning it will last you ages to get through it since it’s very pigmented and you only need the tiniest bit on a daily basis.

Now, for the Instabrow.

My attempt at an Instabrow with Paese brow products

Again, I went in with the eyebrow gel. After that, I used the same angled brush to carve out the brow with the Paese Brow Couture Pomade, but this time, I took the upper arch way over my natural brows. The tail is also quite thicker then something I’d normally go for. I filled the tail in with the pomade quite heavily, talking a lighter hand as I approached the beginning of the brow. At the very beginning, I added a couple of upward strokes with the pencil to mimic the natural sparse hair. I then took the Catrice HD Liquid Coverage Precision concealer and ran it all along the bottom and top border of the brow, blending in the concealer afterwards. This really gives the crisp cut look to the brow itself.

What do you think? Personally, I think that with my quite fair skin and blonde hair, it looks completely ridiculous and I cannot think of an occasion that would call for such a brow in real world. But hey – if it’s your cup of tea, you’ll very easily achieve that with the Paese products that I used today. I think that they definitely need an eyebrow gel / way stick to add to the collection and I’d also like to see some powder products as well. After that, as far as I’m concerned, my eyebrows are set for life with one brand only.

So which brow was your favorite – one, two, or the notorious Instabrow? Let me know in the comments below. Until next time, stay beautiful!

This post is also available in: Slovenščina