Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil (Review, Swatches + Shade Extension!)

Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil

I’m quite a fan of the micro pencil-style brow pencils that are out on the market, so it came as a bit of a shock to me when I realized that I hadn’t tried Benefit‘s version! Their Precisely, My Brow Pencil has been around for quite some time, and they’ve just recently (yesterday!) added a shade extension bringing their entire range of pencils up to 12 shades.

Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencils
Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencils

In terms of the actual product – Precisely, My Brow has the same dimensions as all the other micro tip eyebrow pencils out there, which is to say about the size of 7mm pencil nib. What’s different is that the Benefit packing is a lot more built up and I found it oddly fun to hold the Precisely, My Brow pencils. Weird thing to say, right? But there’s a weight to it that’s nice on the hand and both lids are fun (one has the pencil, the other end has the spoolie).

Shades 1 & 2 were pre-existing, shades 2.5 and grey are brand new!
Shades 1 & 2 were pre-existing, shades 2.5 and grey are brand new!

Benefit sent me these products, and were kind enough to send a variety of shades that would work for blondes. While shades 1 and 2 were part of the line up before, shades 2.5 and Grey are new to the range.

Benefit Precisely, My Brown Pencils swatched
Benefit Precisely, My Brown Pencils swatched

Upon swatching, I quickly realized that the Grey shade was not going to work for me. I had visions of a pale grey shade (similar to a dark taupe), but it’s more in line with an actual grey which will work out for people with hair that’s verging on black.

  • Shade 1: Cool light blonde
  • Shade 2: Warm golden blonde
  • Shade 2.5: Neutral blonde
  • Shade Grey: Cool grey

When I initially swatched the shades out I saw no discernible difference between shades 2 and 2.5. It was to the point where I had to reswatch them because I thought maybe I’d screwed up and swatched one of them twice. Turns out that while in a direct swatch they don’t look that different, on my brows they really do.

Benefit Precisely, My Brow in 1
Benefit Precisely, My Brow in 1

Shade 1 is a cool light blondeĀ  and is a good match for me in terms of it being quite similar to my actual hair colour. However, this is the kind of shade that I feel like goes on too lightly on my brows and doesn’t add enough dimension. And this is simply because I have very little brow hair and certainly no tail to my brow. If I had more brow hairs this would be the perfect shade for me, but as it stands I would have to use this with a deeper shade to add in some dimension.

Wearing Benefit, Precisely My Brow in 2
Wearing Benefit, Precisely My Brow in 2

Shade 2 is the warm golden blonde shade and when you see it in comparison to 2.5 (photo below) you can see that this definitely steers more warm than the more neutral 2.5. This shade is great at adding definition to my brows, but I do like something a little bit more neutral/cool in tone.

Wearing Benefit, Precisely My Brow in 2.5
Wearing Benefit, Precisely My Brow in 2.5

Which is where shade 2.5 comes in! 2.5 is the neutral blonde shade that’s just been added to the range and it’s a much better match for me than the other two shades. While I like the other colours and will definitely finish them all up, 2.5 is the “easier” colour to wear for me.

As for the Grey shade… it’s just simply too dark for me and I couldn’t bring myself to wear it because it’s just SO dark. If you’ve got blonde hair, I’d encourage you to skip the Grey shade and opt for whichever shade between 1 and 2.5 that would work best for you.

Final Thoughts

I’m happy to see the shade extension, because I can see how I would’ve not been quite as keen on shade 2 by itself. 2.5 is definitely what I prefer in an eyebrow pencil since it leans more neutral/cool than the other two with their more golden undertones.

In terms of application, I was massively impressed. I’ve mentioned before that the NYX Micro Brow is one of my favourite eyebrow pencils of life, but I have to point out that the NYX pencil is incredibly stiff and somewhat difficult to apply. Benefit‘s Precisely, My Brow applies like a dream. It’s not creamy, but it does glide on with an ease I wasn’t expecting out of a micro pencil. I also found the longevity to be excellent. I saw no difference in my brows by the end of a full work day and in fact they looked better than they normally do with my usual pencils.

The Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencils can be purchased on sephora.ca for $32 CAD or on sephora.com for $24 USD regularly… but they’re currently on sale for half off!

The product featured in this post was sent to me for consideration. Post contains affiliate links.

Swatch Sunday: ColourPop Just My Luck

ColourPop Just My Luck

People in the makeup community have been just dying for a straight up green palette… and ColourPop made sure they delivered!

ColourPop Just My Luck
ColourPop Just My Luck

The Just My Luck palette features 5 mattes and 4 shimmers and only retails for $12 USD. (How ColourPop keeps their prices so low… I’ll never know!)

ColourPop Just My Luck
ColourPop Just My Luck

Full video review with five looks coming soon, but for now please enjoy the swatches!

ColourPop Just My Luck Swatches

ColourPop - Chances Are...
ColourPop – Chances Are…
ColourPop - Kiss My Hass
ColourPop – Kiss My Hass
ColourPop - 50-50
ColourPop – 50-50
ColourPop - Big Banks
ColourPop – Big Banks
ColourPop - Mary Jane
ColourPop – Mary Jane
ColourPop - Olive U
ColourPop – Olive U
ColourPop - Act Natural
ColourPop – Act Natural
ColourPop - Mo Bamba
ColourPop – Mo Bamba
ColourPop - Charmed
ColourPop – Charmed

The ColourPop Just My Luck palette is available on colourpop.com for $12 USD.

Post contains affiliate links.

Skincare Saturday: Thayers Natural Remedies (Toners, Facial Spray & Body Bar)

Thayers Natural Remedies

When I announced that Thayers Natural Remedies products were now going to be widely available in Canada on my Instagram stories so many people lost their shoes (as Hailey would say!). I couldn’t believe the response – I had dozens of people reaching out to ask where specifically they would be available. While I knew Thayers was known for their witch hazel toners, I didn’t realize that they were THAT loved!

So Canadians… get ready to celebrate! Thayers Natural Remedies products are sold in the following retailers:

  • Loblaws
  • London Drugs
  • Rexall
  • Sobeys
  • Walmart
  • Whole Foods

They’re also available on well.ca if you’re more inclined to purchase online like I am.

Thayers Witch Hazel Toners
Thayers Witch Hazel Toners

The biggest thing that Thayers is known for are their witch hazel toners which come in a variety of different scents. These toners have aloe vera in the formula to help cleanse, soothe and revitalize the skin. I found that the toners didn’t tighten my skin and left it feeling supple. No issues applying my serum and moisturizer on top of it either!

Scent-wise, they’re pretty bang on. Almost disconcertingly so. I found the cucumber one slightly awkward to use because the smell is identical to real cucumbers and made me feel like I should be chowing down on a salad or something. For me, the lavender was a clear favourite. Although I hear they’ve got a lemon scented one that I definitely want to get my hands on at some point since citrus makes my heart sing!

Thayers Rose Petal Facial Mist and Body Bar
Thayers Rose Petal Facial Mist and Body Bar

Aside from the toners, I tried out their Rose Petal Facial Mist and Body Bar.

The facial mist seemed more like a “toner on the go” to me. It behaved and performed the same as the toner bottle, just in an easy to spray formula. The rosewater in the formula is full of natural oils and sugars that help restore dehydrated skin (always a plus!) and bring out a glowing complexion.

Funnily enough, while I liked all of the products I’ve featured in this post, the item that I really loved was the Body Bar. I’m not always a body wash kinda woman, and I found myself really just flat out happy to be using this bar of soap. The rose scent was subtle and not cloying like some rosewater products can be. I found the soap was soothing and surprisingly hydrating on my skin in the shower. I know bars of soap don’t really get people excited, but it really was the item that made me smile the most.

Giveaway!

Thayers has generally offered to giveaway one set of all of the products I featured in today’s post!

One lucky person will win:

  • Thayers Witch Hazel Toner in Lavender
  • Thayers Witch Hazel Toner in Rose Petal
  • Thayers Witch Hazel Toner in Cucumber
  • Thayers Witch Hazel Body Bar in Rose Petal
  • Thayers Witch Hazel Facial Mist in Rose Petal

Giveaway Rules

  • This giveaway is open to Canada & USA only. (If you are Canadian, I will need your phone number for delivery in addition to your address – please keep that in mind.)
  • This giveaway starts on March 30, 2019 and runs for two weeks.
  • One winner will receive the prize pack described above.
  • Please be aware that all entries will be double checked to ensure fairness.
  • Once the winner has been contacted, they will have 48 hours to provide me with their mailing address. If the winner fails to respond within that time frame, I will pick another winner. (And so on.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The products featured in this post were sent to me for consideration. Prize pack is being provided by the brand.