Liz has been curious about Anastasia Beverly Hills products since last summer, when we saw Anastasia at a Nordstrom Trend Event in San Francisco.  As you may already know, Anastasia Soare is a brow expert.  She’s known in the beauty world for her brown powders, especially her duo’s, which give a very natural and pretty look.

Liz typically uses a light brown eyeshadow or bronzer powder to fill in brows.  When we were offered the chance to try out an Anastasia products in person, Cafe Makeup jumped at the chance.  We were sent the Anastasia Beauty Express For Brows and Eyes in Blonde, which sells for $39.50 at Sephora and Nordstrom.  This set is also available in a Brunette version.  Click to enlarge:

This set has several components, for an all-in-one approach to eyes and brows.  The lid has a list of directions, so if you aren’t sure how to use the product, there is a built-in guide (click to enlarge):

The diagram shows you how to place the stencil in orientation to the rest of your features to get the most flattering look.  The set comes with five stencils in different shapes, to ensure fool-proof shaping.  Liz used Slim High Arch that nearly matched her natural brow shape:

In addition, this travel-friendly kit comes with:

– Brow wax

– Two (2) light brow powders that can be mixed to match your coloring

– Two (2) neutral eyeshadows

– A stiff, angled eyeshadow brush

Overall, Liz found that the kit worked quite well.  Although the stencil took a little bit of patience to maneuver at first, she was very pleased with her initial effort.  In the picture, below, Liz used Les Noirs Guerlain palette (reviewed here) (rather than the included eyeshadows).  She found that the wax and brow powders of Anastasia Blonde were perfect for her fair coloring.  Here is the result of her very first try:

 

I think that the stencils are a really good idea for those who are new to brow products, or just want to get a second opinion on what’s going on up there.  It does make application foolproof-you just fill in the lines.  I’d probably use them to double-check my shape after tweezing and special occasions, but I’m not sure that I’d have the patience for them every single morning.  Liz liked the overall effect when she used them.

We both liked the brow colors very much–really, if you haven’t looked at Anastasia Eyeshadow Duo’s ($22), you really should.  There are six separate duo’s, bringing the total number of colors to twelve–including one duo designed for redheads.  They give a very believable look, and are excellent quality.

Liz found that the Anastasia Brow Express was very convenient for use in her personal stash.  The brush is short (to fit into the palette), but the brush head is good quality and highly usable.  She’s played with it more since this first try and still likes the results.  The size is small, packable and has just about everything she needs.  She recommends the product.

This product was sent to Cafe Makeup without charge for consideration and review.

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