MUA Luxe Power Brow Sculpting Gel Review

I have been wanting to get my paws on these beauties for a short time, as my brows are pretty darned sparse. I always have to fill them in, from one end to the other, and this gel-cream formula seemed like a good idea. It's definitely a change from my normal pencil routine, for sure.

I bought them for £4 each at Superdrug, in the colours 'Mid Brown' and 'Dark Brown'. I tend to lean towards mid brown colours for my brows as my hair is dark brown BUT my eyebrow hairs are black. And because your brows (if you have brown hair of most shades) are supposed to be two shades lighter than your hair, mid Brown works best as it can be darkened up if necessary.

Each pot comes with its own brush, built into the lid. The brush can be made longer by clicking the opposite end of the brush back into the lid and voila! Longer brush handle!

Ta dah! Ahem! Sorry, I'll continue...

My mid brown pot looked wonderful when I got it home. My dark brown pot, however, looked like it had been overheated and had kind of melted all around the pot and some of the product was even on the inside of the lid.

To be honest, I'm not too bothered by all this. Just thought I'd share haha.

These are the two gels, swatches on my thumb. Top is 'Dark Brown', bottom is 'Mid Brown' These claim to be long lasting and smudge resistant and boy, are they; I rubbed both lines of colour really hard after they had set and the colour barely moved on my skin. I've washed my hands at least 7 times today, and I still have two faint brown lines on my thumb, 12hrs later. They will have to be removed with makeup remover very shortly!

Soooo this is my bare eye/skin/brow - I know, scary stuff! As you can see, my brows are thin - overplucked as a teenager, now the only thing I use tweezers for is to apply false eyelashes - and sparse, so of course they need to be filled in on a daily basis.

So here is the same eye with some basic makeup (age is upon me, my hooded eyes are getting worse!), and my brow filled in with both of the gels. I think I made them look sort of natural looking. I used Dark Brown on the tail end of the brow for definition, and Mid Brown on the rest of the brow to make the brow look fuller.
The gel is super pigmented and a little goes a long way. The brush that goes with it could do with being thinner, so the brush strokes wouldn't be so wide and heavy-handed-looking, but at £4 each I am not complaining.
As for longevity, I applied this gel on my brows around 12hrs ago, and they haven't melted, smudged or faded away. I wish I could say that about my foundation (Hi, super oily T-Zone!), but my brows look like they could go for hours longer without a problem.
Hugs x

Love and Beauty Don't Always Go Hand in Hand

If you have read my blogs or know me at all, you'll know that I love makeup. Love. I breathe-eat-sleep-dream makeup. I love how it makes me feel, I love to make my skin look more flawless, I love playing with eyeshadow colours, the whole shebang. BUT! This is not about me, this is about people's opinions on whether or not you like wearing it or like to see it on other people. 

Y'see, sometimes, people say things that I find upsetting. For example, not so long ago, a guy told me that he wished his new girlfriend would wear makeup like me because makeup made her "more attractive". I was thoroughly shocked, as I sat, trying not to let my mouth open in horror. Why couldn't he just love her the way she is, naturally? Why is he already on a quest to change her? Why did he think - just because I wear makeup every day - that I'd agree with him? I tried to (unsuccessfully) tell him tactfully that he shouldn't tell her that - ever - and he quickly changed the subject. But y'see, now I know how he thinks about his new girlfriend; he thinks she's not attractive enough. He's used to prettier models of women, I'm sure, but sometimes the right fit comes along, and you have to overlook your ideals, surely? 

My husband knew me well before my addiction to makeup began. He knows my bare face, spots, scars, freckles, fat and all. He loves me with and without makeup. Yes, I understand how lucky I am, I truly am blessed, but sometimes it makes me wonder why can't some people just accept who their partner is and stop trying to change them? 

I think that people that don't wear makeup look more naturally radiant and more alive. Their skin looks more real, their perfections and imperfections shine and I love that about bare faced women and men. 

But I also love makeup, I love the almost flawlessness of skin that has foundation and concealer and powder, the perfect arched brows, the sculpted cheeks and gorgeously long, mascara'd lashes. 

Here's the thing. I love people for who they are. I won't try to change someone, just because I'm not keen on their appearance. I wouldn't ever tell my husband to shave or wear different clothing. All I care about, whether you wear makeup or not, what clothes you wear or car you drive or where you live is that you are who you are (and of course that you're happy and healthy). And if you're my friend, I'll love you for being a friend to me. I accept that not everyone will see my point of view, and that is fine; I'm not going to try to change your mind if you think I'm wrong. 

Please, just remember that love - unlike beauty - is not skin deep and can last a lifetime. 

Top pic: me with a bare face (sorry that it's black and white, I couldn't find any other bare face selfies on my phone). 

Bottom pic: me with a face full of makeup.