By no stretch of the imagination would I say that I have wild, thick brows. If anything, I would prefer my brows to be a bit thicker and more distinguished. However, it has become rather obvious to me that brows need not be thick for them to have a mind of their own. Because mine like to do their own thing (I brush them up, yet they insist on going down), I decided to buy something to help them behave. A couple of years ago, on a trip to a MAC cosmetics store, I decided to give their Brow Set a shot. Currently, this product runs for $13.50.
MAC's Brow Set comes in a tube similar to mascara. It is .28 oz. and has a twist off cap (again, like mascara), that contains the brush. An interesting aspect of the packaging is that the tube is actually clear plastic. The Brow Set comes in five colors:
- Sophisticated (a blonde/beige)
- Beguile (a pale brown with a gray undertone)
- Girl Boy (a pale brown like Beguile, but with a more red/pink undertone)
- Show-Off (a darker, combined version of Beguile and Girl Boy)
- Clear (yep, no color at all)
I decided to go with Clear. According to the MAC website, Brow Set:
Adds shine, style, grooming, overall wow! to the brows. A brush-on gel that grooms and slicks brows into shape without flaking or stiffening the brows.
I apply my Brow Set, after cleaning my face and applying my mineral foundation. The Brow Set is a rather thick gel, that goes on smoothly. I use the brush to brush and shape my brows while applying the gel. I do find that it can get a bit precarious sometimes with the amount, as I sometimes need to take my finger and wipe off some extra gel on my brow. In addition, the brush does pick up some powder and pigment from my foundation, which in turn colors the originally clear gel the same color as my powder. However, I really do not see any way around this. If I were to do the Brow Set before my foundation, I would think that applying the foundation near my brows would somehow undo the Brow Set. Plus, if I were to apply the foundation before my Brow Set was completely dry, I would most assuredly have unattractive specs of powder stuck in my brows. Lovely. Needless to say, I just accept that my Clear gel is no longer clear.
I find that the Brow Set dries within a a few minutes typically. I have never noticed any flaking. Also, even after the Brow Set dries, my brows feel natural. They are not as soft as they would be without anything on them, but there are not overly stiff. The Brow Set does keep my brows in their shaped position throughout an entire day (if I don't mess with them with my hands, of course). One application in the morning keeps them on the straight and narrow, so to speak. I am really quite happy with how this Brow Set performs. As I had mentioned earlier, my brows are not thick and bushy. Therefore, I cannot attest to how the Brow Set would perform on brows of that nature.
I want to go back to the packaging for a minute. I absolutely love that the tube is clear, and that I can see when I am getting low in my Brow Set. I have always hated how opaque mascara tubes keep me guessing regarding when I am going to have to go out and purchase more. The clear tube with the Brow Set takes the guess work away. I wish MAC and other manufacturer's would follow suit with mascara. It just so happens that I don't have to replace the Brow Set very often, as a tube lasts many, many months.
There is a smell to the Brow Set, a bit like rubbing alcohol. It doesn't bother me, because it is so faint when I am applying it, and the smell dissipates once the Brow Set gel dries. I can't seem to locate ingredient information, but I can say that MAC does not test on animals.
I am very pleased with the MAC Brow Set. It controls my brows, and one tube lasts a rather long time. I would highly recommend this product.
A brush-on gel that grooms and slicks brows into shape without flaking or stiffening them. Can be used on its own, or stroke over brow pencil for a ni...More at Nordstrom
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.