Anastasia Brow Powder and Highlighting Trio Brow Kit

Today's review is on a product I've actually been using for many months now, but completely forgot about since my main preoccupation is always with skincare. The Anastasia Brow Powder and Highlighting Trio kit has become one of the staples in my everyday makeup routine. It retails for $32, and you can purchase it at Sephora or Nordstrom. However, I would suggest you purchase yours from Sephora, since theirs comes exclusively with a mini clear brow mascara which is great for a makeup bag.

Everyone has one cosmetic product they cannot leave the house without applying, and for me, other than skincare, it would be eyebrow powder or pencil. I have very light, sparse eyebrows and I've been filling them in since high school. Before I knew anything about makeup, I used to get this brunette eyebrow mascara from Maybelline, but I'd over apply, and you could see the dried brow mascara on my skin rather just my eyebrow hair. A year or two later I turned to Wet 'n' Wild dark grey or brown eyebrow/eyeliner pencils, but since I still had (for the most part) unshaped, untweezed eyebrows, I still didn't look so great. Fast forward a couple years, and my new method was tapping leftover black cream eyeliner on my angled brush from lining my eyes on my eyebrows. This wasn't a good look for me either--my eyebrows didn't look natural or complement my hair color.

Enter Anastasia. The brand has been around for quite a few years but I always thought the brow kit was too expensive to purchase. None of the stencils really fit my eyebrow shape, and other than the powder and two-ended brush + spoolie, everything else in it could be easily obtained at a drugstore or for cheaper. I tried a couple samples of the brow powder and really liked it, but couldn't justify spending $75 on the kit or buying the few items I wanted separately.

But, when Anastasia launched this Brow Powder Trio early this year, I was willing to buy it because it seemed like a much more economical product. First, there were 3 brow shades in it instead of 2; second, it also contained 3 highlighting shades which could be used on the eyes, brow bone, cheeks, or anywhere else on the face; and third, everything was packaged in a nice little magnetic compact with a mirror on the inside cover--perfect if you're running late and want to apply your makeup on-the-go (the brow shades can double up as eyeshadow and the pink highlighter shade can be used as blush). Also, this product will definitely last me over a year or two, so I don't have to worry about constantly repurchasing (unlike brow mascaras and pencils, which have a short life expectancy).

The reason why I like Anastasia brow powder in general is because the colors are all perfect variations of ash. Thus, they do not clash with your skin tone or hair color and look great in all different sorts of lighting. However, I prefer this trio over the regular powder duo because it comes with an extra shade. Although I (currently) have black hair, I do use the blonde ash, the lightest shade on the left. For the most natural look, I apply all three shades. First, I start off with the blonde ash from the inner first halves of my brows to the middle (where the arch is). Then, I apply the middle grey/taupe ash halfway past where my brows begin to a little past the arch. Lastly, I apply the darkest brown ash shade from my arch to the ends of my brows. While I am applying these shades, I make sure to blend everything together with an angled brush and spoolie so the colors seamlessly darken, and I don't look like I have color blocked eyebrows or anything. I find this method to look the most natural and flattering on me, and it shows up very nicely in photos. The shades work for me because I have dark hair, but those with blonde or red hair might not have any use for this product--I'd suggest trying the Brow Powder Duos.

As for the highlighting shades, I don't use them frequently--and if I do, I prefer to use a finger to pat them into my skin for a more natural look. The shimmer particles are rather large, and they don't seem to take well to brushes.

Now, I do not know if the powders in this kit are pure minerals, but Anastasia claims that they do contain minerals and natural botanicals which are good for the skin and won't clog the pores. I haven't broken out from this product, but I haven't noticed any benefits from it either--since it's a makeup item, I wouldn't count on it improving your skin or hair.

While the Sephora Friends and Family sale is still going on, I highly recommend you pick up this item if you've been on the fence about it!