Benefit Gimme Brow and Essence Make Me Brow-Is It A Dupe?

Hey Everyone!

In a Birchbox months and months ago, I got a deluxe sample size of the Benefit Cosmetics Gimme Brow, and fell in love. Then a few months ago, I saw the Essence Make Me Brow at Target and snatched it up to compare. Keep in mind with my pictures that the Benefit is a deluxe sample size, not full size, and they have recently changed packaging. The Essence is full sized, though.

 Gimme Brow is described as a "Volumizing Fiber Gel" and Make Me Brow is described as an "Eyebrow Gel Mascara". However, the Essence packaging itself lists it as having fibers as well. The Benefit will cost you $24 for .1 oz and Essence will only set you back $2.99 for .13 oz. Gimme Brow comes in three shades (1 Light, 3 Medium, and 5 Deep), while Make Me Brow only has two colors (Blondy Brows and Browny Brows). Since I have the older Benefit version, I have the shade "Medium/Deep" which I think is closest to the new shade 5 Deep. I have the shade Browny Brows in Essence.

While the wands of each are similar, they're not exactly the same. The Essence version is the same width from the top to the bottom of the wand, and the Benefit one tapers to a smaller point at the top. While that doesn't seem like a big deal, it is huge when it comes to application.

Even though my Gimme Brow is a small size, I believe the applicator size is the same as the full size. Gimme Brow goes on a lot easier and cleaner with the tapered tip, while Make Me Brow is messier. These two colors look like they would be identical by looking at them, but the Essence one is darker. I can still make both of them work for me, though, since my natural brow hairs are pretty dark. If you read my brow tutorial post (here) that I did last year, you know I have sparse, patchy brows. While they have grown in a little more since then, they still need some help. These type of brow products have been a life saver on days when I have no time to do a full routine.

For these photos, the only makeup I have on is the Gimme Brow or Make Me Brow. I apologize for the fright. As you can see above, this is the Gimme Brow side. It does a great job of making my brow look fuller, and it fills in the baldish spot towards the tail extremely well. The tapered tip is amazing for getting right in the front of the brow and not making a mess.

This is the Make Me Brow side, and it doesn't quite look as nice. While it did make the existing hairs look fuller, it didn't do the best job of creating fullness where there were sparse areas. This one still looks a little patchy. The applicator of the Essence one makes a mess, even when you're careful. I didn't photograph it, but I had to go in with a cotton swab and clean up around the edges. Make Me Brow deposits a lot of product when you first lay the wand down, so I suggest you first apply to the thickest part of your brow, and not to the front. You'll need to get the excess off before you apply to any sparse areas. The formula of this one is a little thinner, so that contributes to the messiness of the application.

If you have naturally full brows, and are only looking for a tinted brow gel, or just a little bit of brow help, you could use the Essence one and be completely happy. If you have sparser brows, which need a lot of help, and you don't want to use any other brow product, then the Benefit one might be best for you. If you want to use a pencil/powder/or gel first and then just set your brows, the Essence one will be great. I don't experience any fading or flaking with either one. They both last the same amount of time on my brows. I really do enjoy both of these, but I don't think they are complete dupes. for a $21 difference, though, you can definitely make it work!

Have you tried either one of these? What did you think?

Thanks for stopping by!

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*All products mentioned were purchased by me and all opinions are my own.

August Favorites!

Hey, Everyone!

I'm a little late for my August favorites, but better late than never, right?! If you saw my Birthday Haul, you know I got quite a bit of new makeup right at the end of July. Well, some of that ended up in my favorites!

My favorite foundation (by far) was the Too Faced Born This Way foundation. I have it in "Sand" and "Light Beige" to match my tan, and my faded tan. I'm going to need to pick up "Nude" once we really get into Fall, though. I absolutely LOVE this foundation. Never before has a foundation made me want to throw out all of my others, and just buy different colors to match any occasion. This one does. It's supposed to make you look "born this way", and you can't detect it on your skin. It's a solid medium-slightly full coverage for me. I don't need a lot of heavy duty coverage, so this makes my skin look perfect.

For concealer, I'm including a repeat, the Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer, but this time in the shade "Light Neutral". If you want to see why I love this concealer so much, check out my May Favorites! 

My go-to bronzer this month was the Nars Tahiti Bronzing Powder in "Laguna". I have a deluxe sample size of "Laguna", and it's slightly darker and a touch cooler than this version. This one has a hint more warmth/orange to it. On hurried days, I used it to contour and bronze. There is a slight shimmer in this, but I can never detect it on my face.

The powder that I really enjoyed this month was the It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation Illumination in "Medium". I picked it up when I didn't have a powder to match my tan, and (for once) decided not to go with one that would give me a matte finish, I was really into a glowy look this summer, which is rare for me (even thought I have dry skin). Celebration Foundation Illumination gave a beautiful glow, no glitter on the face, and an extra bit of coverage. Keep in mind that this is a powder foundation, so I used it lightly over liquid just to set things. It could be used alone for full coverage.

My most loved blush this month was the It Cosmetics Ombre Blush in "Coral Flush". It's a matte blush, that you can really get four different colors out of. You can dip your brush in each individual color, or swirl all of the colors together. It is extremely pigmented, so fair gals beware when dipping into the brighter side!

I alternated two highlighters this month: "Audrey" by Gerard Cosmetics and "Opal" by Becca. They are both beautiful on the skin, and I used "Audrey" when I didn't want a "BAM! In your Face!" highlight, and used "Opal" when I did! "Opal" gives an almost wet look to the skin. I have it in a deluxe sample size from a Sephora promotion, but it shattered in transit, so I can't travel with it. I have "Moonstone" in a full size, but I think I need "Opal", too...

My definite most used eyeshadow palette this month was the Tarte "Tartelette" palette. I had to force myself to use other things some days. That's how much I love this. The formula is incredibly smooth and easy to blend. The colors are beautiful and extremely flattering. I used it on my younger sister when I did her trial wedding day makeup. She is the complete opposite of me (in complexion, eye color, and hair color) and it was still beautiful!

I didn't wear a ton of eyeliner this month, but when I did, I used the It Cosmetics No Tug Waterproof Gel Eyeliner in "Brown". It's a very dark brown, but not as intense as a black. This one also doesn't transfer onto my contacts like the black one does. It does a great job of defining the tightline and waterline!

For amazing lashes, I've sworn by the Stila "Lash Stunner" primer and Too Faced "Better Than Sex" mascara this month. I've used the Lash Stunner under a few other mascaras this month, and it made me love mascaras I didn't initially like. I've used (and loved) Better than Sex before, so this was already a win for me . Combine the two together? AMAZING.

A $2 eyebrow pencil may have changed my life this month. The Elf Instant Brow Lift is wonderful; especially for $2!! I have the colors "Neutral Brown" and "Taupe", and it seems to me that they run dark. I've been "outlining" my brows with the Neutral Brown and filling them in with Taupe. The point isn't so big that it's sloppy, but not so fine that it takes forever to fill them in.

For lips, my lipliner love this month was the Sephora Waterproof Retractable lip liner in "Mauve". This particular formulation is being reformulated at Sephora, so these have been discontinued. Hopefully, the new ones come out soon! It's a beautiful color and really does last all day! It also has a smooth, creamy formula. I can't imagine how they're going to improve it!

My lipstick love was Gerard Cosmetics "Vintage Rose". It's a perfect MLBB color, suitable for day or night. It can be used with a natural look or a smokey eye and look beautiful. It's a satin, but looks like a matte. I love it.

Lorac's Alter Ego Lipgloss in "Supermodel" was my gloss love this month. It's a peachy pink color that is beautiful by itself or over a lipstick or liner. I can detect a shimmer when I look at the color in the tube, but I don't see any glitter once I apply it to my lips. It just makes my lips look great!

Last, is the Mario Badescu "Facial Spray with Aloe, Herb, and Rosewater". This came in handy while we were in Atlanta! I've been using it any time my skin feels dry or as a cool down. It's a nice refresher mist, and smells like roses, which I love. This isn't a makeup setting spray, though. I use it before moisturizer or later in the day as a refresher.

Those were my favorites for the month! What did you love for the month of August? Comment below! Thanks for stopping by and reading!


*None of the links above are affiliates
*Some of the items mentioned above were previously sent to me as part of a prize package or from a customer service rep. All opinions are my own.

Brows: Yes, They are Important!

Hello, Everyone!

I never thought eyebrows would be as important as they are to me now. When I was in high school, I took Cosmetology for three out of the four years, and we were taught waxing. And in the early 2000's, thin brows were "in". I waxed and tweezed the top, bottom, and in between my brows constantly. I'm pretty sure I looked like I had two almost straight lines above my eyes. I cringe when I look at old pictures. After almost 10 years (I'm only 28, people!) of constant waxing and plucking, this is what my brows look like now:

 

I've been trying to grow them out for the past year or more, and this is as full as they get. Unfortunately, the top part of my brows are lighter than the rest, so they can look a little more sparse than they actually are. Which is why I hardly ever leave my house without my brows filled in. If you're a teenager and reading this: drop the tweezers and walk away. You'll thank me later. If you follow me on Instagram, you've already seen this collage, but I didn't go into details. For this post, I'm going to show you my every day, "natural" brow look, I sometimes just use pencil, and for the past two days, I've only used powder, but for this post, I used pencil, powder, and gel.   If I'm going out, or want a glam look, there are other products I'll use and it takes a little longer. But this post isn't for that.  :)

 

Like everyone else, I love the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz, but it's $21 for a pencil. Let's face it: we got through eyebrow pencils extremely fast. $21 every 5-6 weeks, is expensive. Then NYX came out with their Micro Brow Pencils, which are $9.99 at Ulta and come in seven different colors. NYX often goes on sale for buy one, get one half off or 40% off; plus you can use the Ulta coupon for $3.50 off $10, making these a GREAT value. I picked up Taupe and Ash Brown, but the Taupe is a little too light for me. I don't like my brows too dark, and the Ash Brown is perfect. I use the darker side of the Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Taupe, and the Anastasia #7 Duo Angle/Spooley Brush to apply it with. To top it all off is the Anastasia Clear Brow Gel. I'm still kicking myself for not picking up the tinted version last year during Ulta's 21 Days of Beauty Steals. I actually bought the powder, gel, and brush in this Bold Brow Kit from Ulta. On to the pictorial!

 

I always like to brush all of the brush hairs up before applying any product to them. This helps me to see the shape, as well as any hairs that may need to be trimmed or stray hairs that need to be plucked. The spoolie at the end of the NYX pencil isn't bad, but it's not nearly as good as the ABH one.

 

After brushing all of the hairs up, I always make my line under the brow to start my guideline. For this picture, I used my pencil to do this.

 

Next, I draw my guideline on top of my brow. I know that a lot of people advise against this, but keep in mind, I am basically reconstructing my brows, not just filling them in. Once again, step away from the tweezers. This step is done with my pencil, as well.

 

Last, I fill these babies in! Sometimes I will use my pencil to do this part, and add a little powder, or I'll just stick with the pencil. For the picture above, I used only the powder to fill them in. Using the powder covers a lot more area in a short amount of time, which is perfect on work mornings when I'm trying to get me, four kids, and a husband out the door before 7am!

 

I love great eyebrows. I went to the dentist this morning to get my teeth cleaned and the dental hygienist sat down and stopped mid-sentence to say "you're eyebrows are perfect". I just grinned and thanked her.

 

What is your eyebrow routine? Or are you one of the lucky ones with perfectly full brows? If you are, I'm very slightly jealous.  ;)

 

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*None of the links above are affiliate links

*All items were purchased by me and all opinions are my own.