From The Straits Times    |

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SPLURGE

MAYBELLINE FASHION BROW DUO EYEBROW PENCIL

$12.90, available from next month at selected personal care stores and supermarkets

Available in two shades – brown and grey – this product comes with a retractable pencil on one end for definition, as well as a powder packed conveniently into the cap on the other end for blending.

Review: This is perfect for those who prefer full-looking brows which resemble those of Korean stars, such as South Korean actress Song Hye Kyo.

After defining the brows with the pencil, fill in the empty spaces with the brow powder. However, as the sponge applicator picks up quite a bit of it.

The tapered sponge applicator makes the powder ideal as an eyeshadow or soft eyeliner too.

An application of the waxy pencil and brow powder lasted the entire day.

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BOURJOIS SOURCIL PRECISION EYEBROW PENCIL

$15.80, from selected personal care and department stores

A simple brow pencil with a cap which doubles as a brush to soften the strokes. Available in four shades.

Review: The pencil can come off a little too dark on the skin, but a few strokes with the brush on the cap fixed the issue. The waxy texture of the pencil ensures that the colour is long-lasting and holds the hairs in place.

SAVE

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ESSENCE KALINKA BEAUTY EYEBROW STYLER

$3.90, available at selected Watsons stores

This double-ended pencil is available in two shades – dark brown and light brown. It comes with a brow definer on one side and a fixing wax pencil on the other to keep hairs and colour in place.

Review: The pigment from the pencil is not too dark, making it ideal for natural-looking brows. The pencil glides on without pulling and the colour does not rub off easily.

One of the caps doubles as a handy brush for blending the colours to create a softer shape.

Coat hairs with the fixing pencil only after the brows are filled. Otherwise, you will not get any colour onto the skin.

The fixing pencil tends to make the hairs on the thinner areas of the brow stick onto the skin, causing the overall shape of the brows to look unnatural. So, use the waxy pencil only on the thicker inner brow or skip it altogether.

This article was first run in The Straits Times newspaper on August 22, 2014. For similar stories, go to sph.straitstimes.com/premium/singapore. You will not be able to access the Premium section of The Straits Times website unless you are already a subscriber.

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