Hi, friends! I have another beauty review for you today. I'm always looking for ways to up my brow game and get #browsonfleek, so when Maybelline came out with these Eyestudio Brow Drama Pomade Crayons, I was curious to see how they worked. I received these for free to test out, and after playing with them for the past few weeks, I think it's about time I talked about them!
About Maybelline
Maybelline was founded over 100 years ago in Chicago, IL. A guy named Tom Lyle Williams came along and founded it, naming it by combining his sister's name, Mabel, and Vaseline, into one term. His sister, Mabel, used to combine Vaseline with the ash and coal dust from a burnt cork and apply it to her lashes as a sort of DIY mascara. Crazy, right? And they're still revolutionizing our mascaras to this day!
To all future entrepreneurs: you should totally name your businesses after your sisters, just FYI.
To all future entrepreneurs: you should totally name your businesses after your sisters, just FYI.
About the Eyestudio Brow Drama Pomade Crayon
Maybelline advertises that you can "master the perfect brow in one easy sweep," which I think is a perfectly accurate description. These Brow Crayons are just what you would expect: a thicker version of a brow pencil that will allow you to fill in sparse areas and define your shape.
Ingredients
Isononyl Isononanoate, Polyethylene, Adipic Acid/Neopentyl Glycol Crosspolymer, Isopropyl Myristate, Carnauba Wax. May Contain: Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide, Mica
Price and Availability
Come in 4 shades: Blonde 250, Soft Brown 255, Deep Brown 260, and Auburn 265. The shades aren't written on the pencils themselves (just the packaging), so if you find a shade you like, remember what it's called. (I don't know what the numbers mean).
I was surprised at the attempt to pull red heads into the mix! Being that there's only four shades, there won't be something in there that will work for everyone, but it's a fair selection of shades, especially for the price.
.04oz - Amazon [$7.59], Drugstore.com [$7.99], Target [$8.99], Ulta [$9.99], Walgreens [$9.99]
I was surprised at the attempt to pull red heads into the mix! Being that there's only four shades, there won't be something in there that will work for everyone, but it's a fair selection of shades, especially for the price.
.04oz - Amazon [$7.59], Drugstore.com [$7.99], Target [$8.99], Ulta [$9.99], Walgreens [$9.99]
My Experience
The Packaging
These crayons are wide and chubby, making them easy to handle. They're a twist-up, so no pencil sharpener is required! However, this is probably the sharpest these crayons will ever be, which sucks if you want to be precise, like if you have thin brows or just need to fill in a tiny space.
The Stuff Inside
The texture of the product inside is creamier than I would have expected. It has a slight waxy quality from it, which makes sense with "Pomade" in the title, but still very smooth. You definitely need to be gentle with these. I know I've used extremely dry brow pencils, where you need to press pretty hard to get some pigmentation out of it (and then break the tip as a result), but that's not necessary with these! The lighter you can make your strokes the better.
These crayons do exactly what they're supposed to do: deposit color and sculpt your brows into place, Imagine if a giant crayon and the Anastasia Brow Primer (a wax pencil, read more about it in my Favorites) had a baby, and you get these. It does dry down, but if you're constantly rubbing your brows, it won't last as long. The wax helps the staying power, but it's not immovable.
These crayons do exactly what they're supposed to do: deposit color and sculpt your brows into place, Imagine if a giant crayon and the Anastasia Brow Primer (a wax pencil, read more about it in my Favorites) had a baby, and you get these. It does dry down, but if you're constantly rubbing your brows, it won't last as long. The wax helps the staying power, but it's not immovable.
Above you will see swatches of two of the shades: Blonde (left) and Deep Brown (right).
My Experience
Here's my brow story: I naturally have pretty full brows, though they take some taming to look neat. They're not perfect, since I do them myself, but I learn as I go.
BEFORE
A Before photo from farther away. Excuse how puffy my eyes are in this picture (I've been sick), but let's focus on the brows. I like to define my arch, and make the tail look nice and neat. I don't typically fill them in too much in the front so they don't look fake, but sometimes I'll touch them up a little bit. Nothing crazy. I'm a huge fan of the natural brow (both aesthetically and because it takes me less time in the morning).
AFTER
BEFORE
These are my eyebrows in their untouched glory. They could definitely use some work.
AFTER
Here's the first After photo! As I said, I'm not exactly a brow virtuoso. I just want them to look more defined and polished.
I feel like this color might be a little warm for me, but I've also learned to use a lighter hand, too. It's definitely an improvement from the Before! I enjoyed how easy it was just to draw on top of them.
I feel like this color might be a little warm for me, but I've also learned to use a lighter hand, too. It's definitely an improvement from the Before! I enjoyed how easy it was just to draw on top of them.
Here's a shot from further away. I didn't use one for the sake of this review, but I think this product would strongly benefit from a spoolie or blending brush. For my tastes, I made the front of my brows just a little too defined. Since this product is so creamy, a little blending goes a long way to achieving a softer look. Plus, since the tip is wider than your typical pencil, it might be harder to make natural, feathery strokes. If you really wanted to, you could also pick some of the product up on an angled brush and apply it that way, but the quick and easy "swipe and go" application is one of my favorite things about these little crayons.
As for staying power, the product does dry down over time, but it always remains just slightly smudge-able. If you're someone who rubs their eyes/eyebrows a lot, that's going to be a habit you'll want to break if you want to wear these. Otherwise, I don't think they'll last through the day. The swatches on my arm could be smudged away way too easily, but on my brows the crayon lasts surprisingly well. For extra staying power, you could always partner it with the Anastasia Brow Fix as mentioned above, or perhaps a clear brow gel (I like the ones from e.l.f. and Anastasia, personally).
As for staying power, the product does dry down over time, but it always remains just slightly smudge-able. If you're someone who rubs their eyes/eyebrows a lot, that's going to be a habit you'll want to break if you want to wear these. Otherwise, I don't think they'll last through the day. The swatches on my arm could be smudged away way too easily, but on my brows the crayon lasts surprisingly well. For extra staying power, you could always partner it with the Anastasia Brow Fix as mentioned above, or perhaps a clear brow gel (I like the ones from e.l.f. and Anastasia, personally).
The Verdict
Pros:
- Inexpensive
- Widely accessible
- Easy to use
- Quick application
Cons:
- Poor shade selection
- Wide tip might make precision tricky
- Staying power could be better
Overall, I like these little crayons. They're super easy to use, and make your brows look polished in a flash. I have a few gripes with them, but they're perfectly workable, and a great option for those who want to experiment with filling in their brows for the first time.
What do you use to do your brows?
Want to see more makeup reviews?
