Essence How To Make Brows Wow Box Doesn't Wow Us

I feel like I have to say this - I like the idea of the How to Make Brows Wow makeup box from budget brand Essence. The box is cute (those little paws framing the cover are adorbs.) It has a unique looking mirror on the lid - it's shaped like a speech bubble! - with (what should be) a handy pull-out instruction card behind it and the colour palette looks quite nice. 

Now. The applicator is Terrible with a capital T. The instructions are a nice little touch but they've obviously been written by someone who doesn't have the best grasp of English and nobody thought to proof-read. I didn't try the tweezer because I'm trying to grow my brows out so I can't really comment on it (but it looks a bit flimsy to me).

In the spirit of experimentation I followed the instructions as best I could. I had never used a sponge eyeshadow applicator to fill in my brows before but hey, it was there and that's what the styling card instructed. Luckily, there was a brush on the other end that I could use to apply the highlighter but it's the worst brush ever and the highlighter flaked everywhere. 

I applied the middle colour first and it didn't work out but I used the next one and it's actually a lovely shade although according to the blurb it's meant for 'beauties with black hair.'

I know it's probably more hassle for essence to bring out three different versions but I think it's a bit strange to feature shades aimed at different hair colours in the same box, especially when I think the shades can be mixed and matched! I would use the middle colour on the bottom of my brows (like Laura recommends, see her Mastering Brows tutorial here) and use the darker one over. 

The eyebrow powders are very soft but they're lovely and when applied with a proper instrument the highlighter is quite nice too. 

I would almost say this might be a good little box to a youngster as their My First Brow kit but I can't let teenagers go around with powder applied with a crappy applicator. I just can't. 

This kit will set you back €7.49. That's quite a lot for a not great brow kit. I'm guessing the money's in the packaging, which is admittedly very cute. I would much rather good quality tools though, than a nice box. All in all, it's almost a good product but the tools let it down. If you're happy to substitute with your own, this kit might be a runner for you.

Love all things makeup? See more in our designated section.

What do you use to style your brows? Do you like essence products and would you give this a go?