Maychiri's Thoughts: July 2025

Ebelin Merry Christmas Make-Up-Eier Set Review

July 27, 2025

Unlike the previous makeup sponge that I reviewed today, this one is a set of three sponges! This is the Ebelin Merry Christmas Make-Up-Eier Set!

So, this was part of the Christmas 2022 line-up DM had. Among all the lovely products, they had the brilliant idea to make a makeup egg set that looks like reindeer! That’s... that’s fabulous! Genius, even! As soon as I saw it on the German DM webshop, I knew I wanted needed to have this set! So I waited patiently (but excitedly) for it to arrive to our DMs! Once it finally arrived I went to not one, but two DMs just to decide which of the two versions of this set I really wanted. I decided to go for the lighter brown reindeer because it looked so peaceful and happy. And then I packaged it with some other makeup sponges and left it until Christmas, when I would finally open it! Now that I have opened it and had enough time with it to form opinions, I shall give you said opinions! Let’s see what this set is really like!

Packaging: this sponge set has the cutest packaging, perfect for Christmas! The three sponges were packaged in a cardboard/plastic case that looked like a house with one side being transparent so that you can see the sponges inside. The pale green colour and the cute white pine trees print is a perfect match for the reindeer-shaped sponges. Oh yeah – the three sponges are arranged in a way that they look like a reindeer with baubles hanging off its antlers! Of course, it’s all an Illusion; the face, antlers, and decorations are all printed on the transparent plastic, it’s not like the sponges are coloured like a reindeer head. But it’s so adorable, isn’t it?? A content, calm reindeer ready for Christmas! Merry Christmas, indeed! Information about this set is in the back.

The sponges were secured inside the case extremely tightly – so much, in fact, that the large sponge ended up having deeply set creases all over it! The smaller sponges had some creases on the sides, but they aren’t as bad as what the large one has. While I guess it is good they don’t bounce around, perhaps this is way too tight. I mean, it definitely is because it damaged one of the sponges! All in all, a brilliant idea for a Christmas makeup sponge set – perfectly festive and creative, and above all, cute! I love it!

The three sponges are all made of exactly the same material. They are light brown. The two smaller sponges are tiny, much too tiny for most of the face, although it is a good size for the undereye or the sides of the nose. The bigger sponge is fairly average-sized as far as makeup eggs go. I think that this is a good size for a makeup egg; it is big enough to easily blend products on the forehead and the cheeks. The tips of the eggs are pointy enough for precise work, making it easy to fix smaller mistakes. There are no details on any of the sponges, they are just plain brown makeup eggs. The sponges are finely textured, making them smooth and soft on the skin.

But there is one problem: the large sponge was squished inside the cardboard packaging, which has left it with permanent creases. They don’t seem to affect its usage, like, it doesn’t make it blend any worse than other sponges I’d used, but I simply hate it. It’s damaged, and there was no avoiding it because it was just too tight inside the cardboard box. Such a shame!

It feels soft both when dry and when wet. It doesn’t feel very rubbery or synthetic, it’s naturally soft.

Unlike some other sponges I had used in the past, the larger one doesn’t really feel bouncy. It feels soft and smooth, and gentle on the skin, even if you are tapping harder with it. The smaller sponges are a tiny bit firmer, but they are still plenty soft. Just like the large sponge, the small ones are not bouncy, either. However, this soft, finely textured material does tend to absorb product. It doesn’t absorb a whole lot of it, but it is noticeable.

As with most sponges, these three are best used wet. That’s when they blend the best. When they are dry, they tend to blend relatively poorly, which isn’t something odd. These sponges don’t requite a whole lot of water to get them ready; they become huge after you submerge them in enough water, like 2 times their dry size. I honestly had no expectations in terms of how good they would blend; I just wanted them to be fairly good and that’s it. But they are so much more than just good! These sponges easily blend products, be it cream or liquid ones, without any streaking. Yup, even the large one doesn’t leave any streaks on the face, in spite of all the deep creases on it! The smaller sponges blend slightly less well, but they are still very good at blending, especially precise, spot blending.

They aren’t the very best sponges to blend with, as it can sometimes take some time for products to be perfectly blended out, but it is usually very easy. All three sponges can cause some very slight pilling sometimes, although I do reckon most of that is on the foundation itself. I love how easy to use these sponges are, even if the two small ones are almost too small even for my tiny hands. Almost always I am able to blend products out flawlessly, so that it looks completely natural and lived in on the skin. Just remember to keep the sponges moist; this shouldn’t be a huge problem as they stay wet for a long time. I love the finished result as it is always so natural, even though the coverage usually ends up being very sheer. I prefer more coverage but this definitely looks more natural and healthy.

The durability of these sponges is pretty good. I have been using them super often, washing them with antibacterial soap after every use, and they are still in remarkably good condition 2 months later. The smaller sponges will deteriorate sooner, simply due to being so small, but they, too, stay in good condition for a long time. There are some damaged areas, small nicks and stuff like that, but it is pretty minor, honestly. The bad thing is that the creases in the large sponge are still as deep as on the first day.

The sponges are pretty easy to wash. The small sponges are much easier to wash than the large one. The large sponge can take some time sometimes to wash properly; it can absorb products deeply, which means that you need to wash it thoroughly multiple times before it is clean. And even then, I am struggling to get it to be 100% clean. It stays very soft and squishy for a long time, so be careful how you handle it! I’d say that it’s only marginally more difficult to wash compared to most sponges. I don’t mind that it becomes this soft during a wash, it makes it easier to get to the deep set stains compared to those sponges that stay firm and bouncy. Oh and it will take a whole night for it to dry, although this is, more-or-less, not unusual. Naturally, the small sponges dry much quicker.

Overall, these sponges are actually pretty good! Not the best, but they are so much better than I ever thought they would be! I thought they would be mediocre, like, you know, just good enough to be passable. But they all blend fascinatingly well and are super soft and squishy like memory foam. I do like bounciness in makeup sponges, but there is something about this softness that is really pleasant and relaxing. It spreads pigment evenly and, even though it tanks the coverage, I still love how natural it all looks in the end. And they stay moist for quite some time, so you needn’t hurry with foundation and concealer. Just take your time – no stress. The small sponges are much too small to be used anywhere other than in the undereye area, or the cupids bow, or the sides of the nose. Forget about trying to blend out products on the cheeks or forehead with them! That is why there is a large sponge included! This makes the set a well-rounded one; need a sponge for general-purpose blending? Got one! Need small sponges for detail work? Got two! Perfect for anyone – especially for those who don’t yet have a large collection of makeup sponges and prefer them to foundation brushes. And it makes for a heck of a Christmas present – just look how perfect the packaging is already! I am so glad I managed to buy this set before it was sold out (and it sold out in a couple of days!). I honestly would recommend it, it is a very good set!

Rating: 8/10

Would buy again? NO (creasing + tiny sponges)

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Catrice

Catrice It Pieces Even Better Make-Up Sponge Review

July 27, 2025

Let’s check out one makeup sponge, this is the Catrice It Pieces Even Better Make-Up Sponge!

Let me be completely honest, the It Pieces Even Better LE was quite a bit of a disappointment. I previously ordered two brushes from this LE and they... weren’t good. To say it politely. So why, then, did I go and buy a makeup sponge from this LE, if it was such a disappointment to me? Well, because I was just too curious, and I found it at a marked down price. I was looking for stuff to wrap for Christmas and I found this sponge and, having already bought a couple other makeup sponges, I thought that this one would be a nice addition and round out the set nicely. I have no idea where DM found it, this LE was already ancient (by Essence/Catrice standards, at least) by December. But hey, I love to use makeup sponges and they, unlike brushes, have a short shelf life, so I am always looking for new ones. Is this one going to be bad like the rest of the LE or is it actually going to be good? Let’s see!

Packaging: the sponge came in a cardboard packaging. The packaging is light peach like the rest of the LE; it looks modern with the bold black text. One side of the packaging has an illustration of the sponge, while the other sides have information about this sponge. The sponge doesn’t have any protective bag or anything to keep it safe, it’s just put inside the cardboard box as is. This isn’t very hygienic tbh.

Firstly, the shape. This sponge is a classic pear-shaped makeup sponge that has one wide end and one pointed, precise end. It is narrower in the middle section which allows you to grip it tightly. This shape is generally good for applying products over a larger area, like, say, applying foundation across the entire face. But, since it also has one pointed end, it is also good for precise application, such as applying concealer under your eyes or blending out contouring. It’s average size for a makeup sponge when it’s dry, but it expands to a much larger size when it’s wet. The material is very stretchy, it absorbs a ton of water. As for the colour, it is peach-coloured, which is always a nice colour. And it helps conceal stains from liquid products, which will be a problem later on, you’ll see. So, pretty much, standard shape and size, and not at all an unusual colour.

This sponge is finely textured; the material feels slightly rubbery but very soft. I like this texture, it is just textured enough to have some grip but not too textured so that it feels rough.

I find it interesting how much this sponge stretches out when it’s wet, it’s literally more than double the original size! It’s more than large enough when you wet it, it’s the perfect size for my small face. Now, of course, you don’t want to use it completely wet, thankfully, it’s easy to squeeze the excess water out. Once it’s moist, it’s ready to use; some sponges can be used dry, but this one really doesn’t work well at all when it’s dry. It makes liquid products pill like crazy and it doesn’t blend at all when it’s dry. However, when it’s moist, it blends much better. But it’s like it needs a few uses before it blends the way it should because it blended really badly the first few times I used it. It legitimately made me annoyed; I was ready to give up on it after I saw how much my foundation pilled with this sponge.

And it’s not really the foundation’s fault, not completely, at least. I know that the NYX Can’t Stop Won’t Stop Foundation is a bit tricky to use, but it applies just fine with brushes. However, after maybe 5 uses the sponge softened up and it started to blend better and better each time. Now it blends very well, and doesn’t cause any pilling, even if the sponge isn’t properly moist. Of course, it can overblend if it is too wet or if you blend too much, but usually, it makes foundations and concealers look really nice. That said, it easily achieves a high coverage finish, and that really surprised me! Sponges usually have a slightly lower level of coverage compared to brushes, but not this one! I love this! I am always looking for high coverage to conceal all the acne and imperfections, although, if you are looking for a sheer finish, this sponge likely won’t be good for you. Of course, this all depends on how high coverage the product you are using is. I did also notice that my foundation and concealer often look very textured; I don’t mind this too much, but it is worth mentioning.

I like how soft this sponge feels while I’m using it. It feels soft but firm, and never hard. Well, never, as long as it is moist. It feels quite hard when it is dry. But when moist, it feels gentle and supple on my skin. This is great news for anyone with sensitive skin! It doesn’t feel very bouncy, though, which is a shame. It feels too loose, like it’s stretched too much (even though it obviously isn’t). Eh, I can live with it not being as bouncy as I’d like. It’s also pretty easy to use given its size and shape; it’s easy to blend out smaller parts with the precise tip or blend out larger parts with the rounder, larger end. I like to use the small tip to blend out concealer under my eyes and the larger end to blend out foundation and concealer all over my face.

Although, it is very flexible and stretchy, so the large end can also be used to blend out undereye products.

Well, this sponge actually lasts a very long time! I have already washed it at least a few dozen times by now, and it still retains its shape perfectly. It didn’t become loose or stretchy and the material still feels pretty much the same as when I first used the sponge. However, it is prone to getting tears; even when my nails aren’t very long, it still gets torn every time I press my nails into it. And I don’t mean literally sinking my nails into it, just holding the sponge with the tips of my fingers with my nails gently touching the sponge. It has numerous small tears in various places, which really isn’t good as these tears can be a breeding ground for bacteria.

Washing this sponge is a mess. I know that sponges are (typically) more difficult to wash compared to brushes, but at least they can be washed! This one somehow can never be fully clean again once it’s been used at least once. It’s relatively easy to wash in general, although it does absorb some shampoo/soap, so I need to keep rinsing it out again and again. But that’s actually not the issue here (I’m used to sponges being like that), the issue is that it is permanently discoloured from my foundation and concealer. When I wash it, clean water comes out, so it appears to be clean, but I still think there’s product residue inside it. And this is just not at all hygienic. No matter how much soap I add, it stays discoloured. But things like eyeliners or eyeshadow are easy to rinse out and remove the stain??

I don’t get it... I just hope it’s surface-level discolouration. Anyways, it’s not too hard to wash and get it ready for the next use, although it does take its sweet time to dry. And since it absorbs so much water, it takes some time to squeeze it all out.

All in all, honestly, it’s not really that great. This whole LE (It Pieces Even Better) has been... problematic, to say the least, and this sponge also has its fair share of problems. To start, it’s not very resistant to scratches, so if you have any sort of longer nails it will be full of cuts in no time. Although, it is fairly durable otherwise; I have washed it many times by now and it’s still in the same shape as when I first used it, not at all stretched out or anything. The sponge is fairly textured, but it’s a soft texture that still has a bit of grip. It is certainly soft enough for my sensitive skin. It feels very dense and hard when it’s dry, but it becomes soft and almost fluffy when wet. Now, I’ve had problems with how it blends out pigments. It’s tricky in this regard, requiring a very specific range of moistness, or it will either absorb too much pigment and leave a patchy finish or make the foundation/concealer pill a lot if it is too dry. This seems to have improved the more I used the sponge; it appears that it needs to be broken in before it would blend well. Because, now, it blends actually really well. I have no problems blending out liquid formulas without them pilling or being uneven, and this sponge can do that pretty fast now. However, it absorbs so much product, so there’s a lot of product waste. I love how easy it is to get a full coverage look with this sponge! Remember, sponges usually give a more sheer coverage finish compared to brushes, but this one allows me to conceal alllll the blemishes I have! And it’s pretty easy to use thanks to its pear shape, which allows it to be precise and blend out pigments on a larger area at the same time. But really, the only thing I hate is how much product it absorbs, because it can never be completely washed out. And this is frankly a hygiene concern, especially if you have reactive, acne-prone skin. So yeah, quality: mid. But actual results? Pretty good! Still, I won’t recommend it because it has too many issues.

Rating: 6/10

Would but again? Probably NO (even though I blindly bought another one before I even used the first one...)

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Catrice

Reviews From the Past - Part 66

July 27, 2025

Well, hello there!

This week we will be taking a trip to the past. Yes, the items I am going to review today were bought near Christmas - yes, one of them is a Christmas-themed product and it's July now. This is how things go sometimes, okay? Consider this a Christmas in July, if you will.

Also, don't mind the Bulbasaur PEZ dispenser - I am a huge Pokémon fan and when I saw these dispensers, I knew I had to buy all 4 eventually, starting with #0001 itself: Bulbasaur! Don't worry - I collected the remaining 3 since then (Charmander, Squirtle and that annoying rat, 025/Pikachu).

I also got myself a really pretty canvas tote for shopping, with a bullfinch on it! I vastly prefer to use canvas totes to plastic bags; they are more robust, comfier to hold and, of course, much, MUCH better for our poor planet that is suffocating in plastics. Plus - if it gets damaged, I can just patch it up!

But now, the two products for today; as you can see, both are makeup sponges. When these two were bought, I was still predominantly using foundation brushes, which has changed since then. Nowadays, I actually prefer sponges because they are most of the time simpler to use. But back then, I was still experimenting with sponges, trying to see if I could get good results with them. Ergo, these two sponges!

The entire It Pieces Even Better LE
Source: www.catrice.eu

The Catrice sponge was part of a limited edition called It Pieces Even Better, which was a tiny LE launched at the start of 2022. It contained just 4 products: two brushes, a makeup sponge and a face cleansing bar. I ended up getting everything bar the face cleansing bar in the end, and this sponge was the final piece that I wanted. Tbh, this LE wasn't good. The quality was really not 'it'. But I thought "might as well try out the sponge to see if it is just as bad as the brushes". Besides, it was 50% off! I have no idea from where DM got this sponge at the end of the year... must have been buried somewhere!

The two Christmas-themed makeup sponge sets
Source: www.dm.hr

The second item is this set of makeup sponges from Ebelin. A Christmas set! I saw this on the German DM webshop and I knew I needed to buy this as soon as it arrived here; it's so adorable! A cardboard box that makes the sponges look like a reindeer? How perfectly Christmassy! But there was also another variant, that makes the sponges look more like a fallow deer. I like the reindeer one more. The two smaller sponges are practically tiny, but you do also get one 'normal' sized sponge. This makes for a great Christmas gift - and it seems to return year after year to DM!

Here are the two reviews for today:

See you soon!

Maja

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Essence

Essence Polly Pocket Limited Edition Overview

July 26, 2025

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Brow Powder

Maybelline Express Brow Satin Duo [02 - Medium Brown] Review

July 20, 2025

Enough about brushes, let’s check out one briefly product now! This is the Maybelline Express Brow Satin Duo, in the shade 02/Medium Brown!

Ah, finally, I get to try this out! I’ve been waiting with bated breath! This was a hot-off-the-press new product when I first bought it, and I couldn’t resist buying it because it’s not just an eyebrow pencil. It’s not even an eyebrow powder – it's both! Yup! 2-in-1! And since I am a fan of both eyebrow pencils and eyebrow powders, this was made for me to try it out. I waited for BIPA to have 30% off makeup as part of their weekend promo and, after a lot of patient waiting, my patience was rewarded: I managed to get one of these odd and interesting new brow products into my hands! ‘Medium Brown’ seemed like a safe bet for my hair colour, not too dark nor too light. Having used a LOT of brow pencils and some brow powders, will Maybelline’s take on both impress me or leave me with a sour feeling in my mouth? Please, please, please let it be the former! But there is only one way to find out and I am itching to see it in action – so let’s go!

As is typical for Maybelline products, the pencil is sleek and modern-looking. It is black (like so many Maybelline products), with coloured caps on both ends that do a fine job of showing what the colour actually looks like. It’s not a perfect match though. I love the lavender text on the pencil; it stands out on the black background. Although, it clashes with the medium brown of this particular shade. Oh well.

However, the printing on this lavender text is not too high quality as it doesn’t take long for it to wipe off. By the time I reached the end of the pencil, it was already destroyed, making it unreadable. Good thing I took photos at the start ;) ! The two caps close in different ways; the pencil’s cap closes by just pulling it out (like a normal sharpie cap, for example), while the powder’s cap closes by screwing it on.

It’s a bit confusing sometimes; I have had times where I tried to open them the opposite way by accident because it’s easy to forget which side is the powder and which is the pencil.

Luckily, they made sure to make each side a different shape: the pencil has a flat-top cap, while the powder has a rounded cap. It doesn’t state anywhere which side is which, which would have helped a lot. Overall, I am happy with the build quality. It feels robust yet lightweight, and it seems to be built well. Both of the caps close very tightly, as well.

Ingredients: vitamin E and glycerine for nourishment in both the pencil and the powder, though at the very end of the lists. Hey – still better than nothing! Both sides have a very faint scent; the pencil smells a bit waxy and a tiny bit plasticy. The powder itself doesn’t have any scent to it but the sponge smells a bit weird. Like, it kind of stinks a little but sponges are known to have that kind of smell anyways. The expiration date is 24 months after opening; I assume this goes for both the pencil and the powder.

As you might have gathered by now, with this being a duo brow product, it has two applicators that are each quite different from one another.

Let’s start with the pencil side because that one is simpler to describe. This is pretty much the same mechanism most eyebrow pencils have; you rotate the base and the lead slowly comes out at the top. The retracting mechanism sometimes feels wobbly and not too secure, but I haven’t had the lead fall out during the testing period, so obviously, it is secure enough.

I do wish it was more robust, though. Idk, I always feel like the lead is going to fall out any minute. Another not-too-great thing is that the lead doesn’t really stay in the same position, it keeps going back into the base so you have to retract it again and again. This gets annoying fast. Anyways, enough about the mechanism – onto the lead itself! This is a teardrop-shaped lead, which... I never fully understood why this is superior to just “normal” shaped leads. If anything, this is actually LESS precise as the wide end prevents you from drawing fine lines?? I would absolutely prefer to have a typical lead shape, but this one isn’t that horrible; it is just a tad more finicky to use. You have to angle it precisely to draw a sharp tail, although the wide end does help with drawing a good inner corner of the brows. So, eh, could be worse, I guess.

The powder side has a pointed domed sponge as the applicator. Of course, it makes sense to use a sponge to apply the powder, and the pointy shape helps it be more precise. That said, since this side is supposed to be used to fill in brows instead of outlining them, precision is less important here.

The sponge is super soft; even when pressing down with it, it never feels hard or sharp or uncomfortable. However, what puzzles me is its mechanism: it has a pumping mechanism that does... something??? I am not entirely sure whether this pumps the powder into the sponge or what, but I instinctively pump it while I am applying the powder. Should I be doing this??? Actually, there seems to be a sponge loaded with powder inside the cap so perhaps the pumping is to saturate the main sponge with the pigment from the smaller one? This is all so confusing to me. The sponge is pretty good at its job; it is the formula of the powder that causes problems, and the sponge can only help so much. The sponge is surprisingly durable as well; from the start all the way to the end of the testing (which ended prematurely, you’ll see why soon), the sponge stayed in literally perfect condition. And it doesn’t feel wobbly. Seems like this half is the better built one.

Not the most beginner-friendly applicators, either one of these, I must say. But once you get the hang of using them, applying the brow product well becomes easier.

In order to describe the formula, it really ought to be broken down into the pencil and powder side individually.

So, the pencil, what kind of formula has it got? Quite a soft one, actually! Not greasy, just smooth and super soft. And so creamy! It practically melts into the skin while still applying an extremely sharp line. However, sometimes, it does feel a bit waxy, especially if you apply a thicker layer or more layers. It always applies evenly and richly because it is just so luxuriously soft and just wonderful to use. I love it! And it’s a very lightweight formula as well! It just feels comfy!

I feel like the pencil is almost the ideal amount of creamy while still having that bit of waxiness that helps it grip the skin and brow hairs.

The powder, on the other hand... well, it’s... powdery. Big surprise, I know. It is far, far more lightweight compared to the pencil, simply due to being so powdery. It is also more comfortable because I legit cannot feel it on my skin. However, it applies patchily and cannot be used to line the brows. I’ve used much better brow powders in the past. That’s not to say that this one is bad per se, I just vastly prefer the pencil side. But I do love how supple this powder is!

Well, this seems to set pretty quickly? I think? It can still be smudged hours later, but it feels like it has set after about a minute or two. This isn’t a pomade, so no point expecting it to be so set that it won’t budge; that said, it is set enough for my tastes. It stays locked in place the whole day, and brows don’t become unruly by the end of the day. That’s if you can even see brow hairs haha!

Oh man, this is so extremely pigmented – wooow! Especially the pencil side, that thing is pure pigment! Let’s focus on the powder first. The powder, at first, seems to be poorly pigmented, but pump it a few times and it will show that it actually means business – not nearly as much as the pencil, but still, it is pretty nicely pigmented. I always apply a couple of layers just to be sure because, remember, the colour of the powder is lighter than the pencil, so you need more layers to try and blend the two together.

The pigment is softly diffused on the powder side, which should help fill in the brows naturally. Again, I’ve used better brow powders in terms of pigmentation (hellooo Rev Pro!), but this is decent enough, especially when used in conjunction with the pencil, like it should be used. Now, the pencil side! Hoo boy! This side is so extremely pigmented that you really have to be careful how you use it because even the slightest touch will give you intense colour payoff, which, coupled with how nicely soft the formula is, means there is little room for error.

Thankfully, it can be removed easily so it’s as much of a big deal if you do mess it up. But damn! It’s so pigmented that even with just one layer it looks almost comically intense! Unlike with brow powders (including the one included here), which can be built up, with this pencil, it is either 0 or 100% intensity – no middle ground. You either have no brow product or so much that it is giving 2016 Instagram glam! And you know what? I actually love this! Yes, it may be trickier to use due to being so hella pigmented, but there is something so fierce about how intense it is!

And with how it frames my face once I am done. And I mean it is either 0 or a 100; not even a spoolie can comb through it and blend it out or soften it. Full beat – everytime! And I love it! Especially in the colder months... mmm, it is just so fricking awesome how pigmented my brows are with this on! Just, again, be very, very careful how you use it!

'Medium brown’ isn’t the worst description of this colour, but there is so much more to it. I would agree that it is medium brown, but it is a very intense, saturated, vibrant kind of medium brown. I prefer having more ashy colours because my hair isn’t vivid brown, but this colour is still a surprisingly great match! The colour itself is a warm-toned brown with a good amount of cooler tones mixed in so that isn’t, well, orange. It’s a wonderfully natural colour for anyone with medium brown to even slightly darker brown hair colour.

Although I do prefer cooler-toned browns for my brows, I actually really like this colour and how it looks on my pale skin. It would look more naturally if my brows weren’t so absurdly precisely lined and blocky, but ah well. You win some, you lose some. Still, a fantastic colour for any kind of medium-dark brown hair! I find that this colour matches my roots quite wonderfully, even though it is a bit too vivid and intense at times. So, if your hair is warmer-toned than mine, this pencil will be an even better match.

The shades available (there may or may not be one more that isn't pictured)
Source: www.maybelline.com

I am super happy with how it looks on me, though, don’t get me wrong; I just think that ‘Soft Brown’ might have been a bit better but alas, it wasn’t available at BIPA. Speaking of the shade range, it is decent. There seems to have been a revamp of the shade range at some point because I am seeing two distinct ones, one with 5 shades and another with 6. In either case, the colours range from blonde to extremely dark brown. Light blondes are not as well represented, and there’s nothing for ginger/auburn-haired folk. I do appreciate the inclusion of both cooler and warmer browns! So brunettes like me will have plenty of choice here!

Honestly, applying this brow... pencil? Powder? Both?? Whatever it is, it is not too hard to draw a good brow shape and fill it in. However, it is far from being the easiest. See, while the pencil is extremely precise and pigmented, and it sure applies evenly, there’s a weird discrepancy in colour between it and the powder. So you draw an outline with the pencil side and it looks super sharp and intense, and then when you go fill it in with the powder, it becomes hard to make both of them blend well together.

No matter how much I try, I can still see where I applied the powder at least a little bit. So that’s not ideal. Also, the pencil is so extremely pigmented that you really need to be careful how you line the brows as it is easy to make a mistake that will be hard to fix. The triangular shape of the pencil is the problem, really. I get the idea, that a triangle shape would make it easier to line the inner corner of the brows, but it isn’t precise enough to line the rest of the brows with that same amount of ease.

I have to be really careful how I line the tails if I want them to be sharp. Maybe my brows are too small for this product, maybe, but I feel like having a “normal” lead would make things easier. That said, it does glide magnificently easily across the brow hairs and skin, so there is no tugging or pulling, which does make it simpler to use. The powder side, though... now, that is, well, tricky. All throughout this testing period, I have still not figured out how you should use the powder exactly.

I don’t know whether you should swipe across the skin with it or tap with it, and whether you should pump the sponge or not. It’s all very confusing, so there is a possibility I have been doing it wrong this entire time and that’s why it isn’t blending properly. I hope this isn’t the case, though. They do say that step 2 is “fill with the sponge”, but HOW??? The sponge applicator feels really weird to use. It seems that it dispenses pigment by pumping it but it applies the pigment very messily.

The only way to make the sponge work is to use it with the pencil, as step 2. No way that you could use it all by itself. Idk, it’s just needlessly complicated tbh. And sometimes, it just smudges the super sharp lines that the pencil applied so well, so, like, it’s more harm than good. Though, when it does manage to apply the pigment properly, it looks really, really good! I would honestly still prefer to have either just the pencil (so that there is more of it!), or to have 2 pencils on each side with slightly different colours so that you can get that gradient down.

The powder sponge is not entirely beginner-friendly, though the pencil is easy enough to use.

This duo brow pencil/powder has a really nice texture; it is completely matte but it doesn’t look crusty or cakey. It looks soft matte, like velvet, which is awesome! This means that the brows are extremely sharply defined and also look powdery soft, not like they’ve been drawn on using a sharpie. The pencil side has a slightly more waxy texture, but it is still fully matte. The powder is completely powdery matte, which complements the waxy matte texture of the pencil perfectly. The overall texture is very pleasant to look at imo! I really like it!

How do I explain how it makes the brows look, hmm... well, sometimes, brows are comically sharply outlined and filled. It doesn’t really look fake or bad per se, but it is definitely an intense effect that takes some time to get used to if you are used to more natural-looking brows. Although the official pictures present it as looking soft and almost fluffy, this does not happen in practice. What actually happens is that the outline is much more intense than the filling, simply because the pencil is more pigmented than the powder. And don’t think that I just left them as-is; I brushed through them with a spoolie as I usually do, but they still look extremely intense.

I don’t even connect the ends on the inner corner but it still often ends up looking blocky, which isn’t the end of the world, but it isn’t that natural of a result. It is easy to get this result every time though, so at least you don’t end up with vastly different brows every time you use this pencil/powder. I am not sure I am the biggest fan of this effect, but I don’t exactly dislike it, either. There is a time and place for this kind of intense brow look; I have found it to be perfect for when I have a very dark and/or intense smokey eye look going on. It balances out the eye area very nicely, which might sound counter-intuitive when the effect is so intense and blocky, but it is what it is.

It is most definitely a slightly older, ‘dated’ kind of look, if that makes sense; like, this result takes me back to like 2016 Instagram brows, though far less extreme here. Every bit as polished, though! So yeah, sometimes way too intense and comically blunt and blocky, but it’s not that bad. I adore how sharp the brow outline is! Few pencils give me quite this level of sharpness. Even though I cannot see the individual hairs, which adds to this sometimes comical appearance. It looks like my brows have been AI smoothed out. But nope, that’s how they look IRL as well.

As for comfort? Oh, both sides of this pencil/powder duo are extremely comfortable to wear throughout the day! The powder is basically weightless, so, once you apply it, it is easy to forget it is even there. Let me tell you, I have had times when I accidentally wiped off a bit of the pigment because I couldn’t feel anything on my brows, haha! The pencil is a tiny bit heavier and waxier, but, it too, is practically invisible on the skin. It doesn’t feel like it is gluing the hairs together, which helps immensely with how comfortable it feels. I can sometimes feel a bit of that wax on the skin between the hairs, although, most times, I simply forget I am wearing any brow products until I see myself in the mirror. I am so glad that this is so comfortable! See, full glam doesn’t have to come at the price of comfort!

Longevity is pretty darn impressive, I gotta say! They do claim that it lasts all day, and it sure does! Well, as long as you don’t touch it often. I went to scratch an itch in my eyebrows and I smudged some of the powder off my skin. That’s... not too good. It should be able to resist this, no? That said, the powder is the less durable of the two; the pencil stays in pretty much the exact condition as at the start by the end of the day. Now, that is what I was expecting – and needing! However, as long as you don’t touch your brows, they will stay fierce even if you’ve been sweating a lot – no smudging or streaking at all! So feel free to go to the gym with this pencil on – just don’t wipe your brows with a towel afterwards or you will wipe it off. It is also fairly resistant to water as long as it’s not a shower.

Let me explain: getting caught in the rain won’t hurt the pencil or the powder but showering will likely wash it off at least partially. I hope that makes sense. It also doesn’t fade one bit during the day, with or without setting spray. There’s also no smudging or feathering, though the powder may become a bit patchy if you relied on it a bit too much to give you pigment. This is why I prefer to use the pencil as much as possible... which is a problem. Wait a little while longer, I’ll get to that – I promise! Again, the pencil is better than the powder... this is becoming a pattern. But I am pretty happy with how life-proof it is! I can just shape and fill my brows and forget about them until it’s time to remove my makeup, without worrying about whether they have smudged or faded or become streaky.

Even if it’s 35+ °C! Awesome! Just wish the powder stayed in better condition...

After a whole day of wearing this, you might want to remove it and, luckily, this is an easy task. Even just using micellar water does the trick, no excessive rubbing needed! However, just to make things easier, I would suggest using a specialised remover instead. That removes the pencil/powder in a couple of seconds and saves the brow hairs from falling out from rubbing. But, as I said, even just micellar water will remove it without causing much damage to the hairs.

I wanted to end on a high note but there is one huge problem here: the pencil is far too small for how much powder there is. See, what happens is that the pencil runs out much sooner than the powder – and I mean much sooner. Like, I think there was still half the powder left yet the pencil was reduced to a small unusable stub. I don’t get how Maybelline didn’t see this issue, because this leads to so much product waste with the powder. Is it to save costs so that they could manufacture this powder and the unique sponge and everything? Whatever the reason may be, this is a huge problem because it catches you off-guard. I was left scrambling, trying to somehow fill in my brows because, guess what? I tried to retract the lead but there wasn’t any pencil left!

I managed to somehow make my brows presentable, but it shouldn’t have come to this. Either use less powder or make the pencil lead longer. And it really sucks because the pencil is what’s best about this product... hrmph. Seriously, like wth? This would NEVER last a month if you used it everyday – and, remember, it has a much higher price point compared to, say, MUA or Essence or Catrice. So what’s the solution? Buy a new pencil every week? Not a good solution, eh? But at least it is great in quality, so I am still happy with it overall, though this pisses me off.

In conclusion, this is actually a pretty great eyebrow product ngl! A bit weird and kooky but really, really good! I love how it’s a duo brow product: you have the pencil on one side and the powder on the other so you can choose which of two – or both – to use. However, I must say that the pencil is vastly superior to the powder – that's not to say that the powder sucks, it’s just not as good as the pencil. It isn’t amazingly pigmented, it ends up looking way too smudgy way too easily and it is just a bit of a hassle to use. Frankly, I am still unsure how exactly I should use it – and I’ve used up the entire bloody product! Why I was able to use it up is another issue but I’ll come to that later. For now, just know that there is a discrepancy in the amount of product for the powder and the pencil. Put a pin in this. Anyways, the powder does a fabulous job of blending out the pencil and making it look... well... far less comically blunt. However, I still regularly notice that there are spots where you can see the lines between the pencil and the powder unblended together. And trust me, I tried to blend them together, but I couldn’t lose the awesome definition the pencil gave me. The formula of the powder is so nice and silky though! But it’s not quite as long-lasting as the pencil; also, it is very slightly lighter in colour which should make for a great gradient buuut... yeah, that’s not exactly what happens. I also don’t know how to feel about the weird domed sponge; the pointy tip is nice and allows you to be at least somewhat precise but... idk, I just feel meh about it. And that’s such a shame because this was what made this product special. The pencil, on the other hand? Oh this is one hella good pencil! Not without flaws – far from that – but it is much easier to use than the sponge and gives a better result in my opinion. No need to wreck your head trying to deduce whether you should pump the sponge or not, here, you just draw on the shape as you would with any other pencil. The trick is that the lead is teardrop-shaped, which, according to Maybelline at least, should give you more natural results. However, what I found was that the thick end of the lead makes it hard to draw very precise, sharp lines because it is simply too large and too round. After all, you need to be able to make hair-like thin strokes, and such a thick lead is simply unable to achieve that. But, with a bit of practice, you can make extremely mega defined brows from the inner corner to the very tip of the tail. The formula of the pencil is super smooth and just enough waxy so that it sticks to hairs and the skin without becoming a smudgy mess. But that waxiness comes at a cost: it’s really fricking hard – maybe even impossible? - to make your brows look natural. It’s because the pencil doesn’t blend very easily so it’s mostly “how you draw it, that’s how it’ll be”. I don’t usually mind this, but here... oh man, brows look hilariously sharp. Like comical! Not quite sharpie-level, but... man, it is getting close to that! Still, I am in LOVE with how defined my brows are! Yes! This is exactly what I am looking for in brow products, none of that “natural fluffy brows” nonsense; give me luxurious, full glam brows every day! Oh, and I’d be remiss not to mention just how awesome this colour is! It’s a warmer toned brown, but not enough that it looks super toasty. Instead, it is mostly neutral-toned, which makes it a great choice for brunettes with slightly mousey-toned hair like me. Not the perfect match for me, but close enough! And it lasts and lasts and lasts! It’s pretty much sweat-proof and mostly life-proof as well, unlike the powder. I just wish there wasn’t one glaring issue at hand here... this is where I mention how the amount of product for the pencil side is shamefully little. Because that’s truly what it is – shameful. Look, without any discounts, you are looking at ~10-ish eur for this product... so why does the powder outlast the pencil literally double the time? The pencil runs out SO QUICKLY, it is actually maddening. I was planning on making a swatch of the pencil alone and the powder alone but, the previous time I was doing my makeup, I went to do my brows and, well great, the lead was completely empty... just great. It catches you off guard so easily, especially because there is still plenty of powder to go around, so you might think: “oh, I’ve got enough pencil left”... when that is not at all the case. Ugh, I didn’t want to end on this kind of note, but this is a serious problem. I would highly advise you to try and find some decent discount for this product because there is simply not enough of it to warrant its full price. But on sale? *Chef’s kiss!* Like, this is objectively a great product, no doubt about that. If only there was a liiiitle bit more pencil, I’d be as happy as could be! But I cannot ignore this problem. What I can do, though, is give this product my recommendation – if you find it on a deep discount! It’s awesome! I’ve loved using it, despite all the trickiness with the powder and the lead being a weird shape. Just look at the brows in pictures here – that should be evidence enough that this is a great eyebrow product, small size notwithstanding! So yup, I am very happy I tried it out! I think I may even get a replacement one...

Rating: 7/10

Would buy again? YES

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