I have been testing Anastasia’s Dip Brow ($18.00) and Make Up For Ever’s Aqua Brow ($22.00) for a few weeks now. After the first week and a half, I couldn’t decide which product I liked best. They are both pomade sort of products, although I think the Make Up For Ever Aqua Brow is more liquid-like (turns out it’s a gel). I should start off by saying I have very sparse brows and had been using brow pencils for a long time. I’m not sure if my opinion would be different if I had more brows to start with…
I started off testing each product day after day, then I set them both on my counter where I apply my makeup to see which one I reached for the most. It turns out, I reach for the Make Up For Ever Aqua Brow the most.
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| Anastasia Dipbrow in Chocolate |
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| Anastasia Dipbrow in Chocolate |
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| Anastasia Dipbrow in Chocolate |
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| Make Up For Ever Aqua Brow in Dark Brown (30) |
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| Make Up For Ever Aqua Brow in Dark Brown (30) |
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| Make Up For Ever Aqua Brow in Dark Brown (30) |
Both products, I bought from Sephora at different times. I asked one of the attendants the difference between the two products and she thought the Dipbrow would be my best bet because “you can work with it more.” At the time, I didn’t really know what she meant by that but as I tested the Dipbrow I found that you can really manipulate it before it sets. I bought the Dipbrow in the color Chocolate, which I think was a mistake. I think it’s not dark enough and it’s probably the only reason I reach for the Aqua Brow more than the Dipbrow. I tested the Dipbrow in Chocolate and the Dark Brown in the store and the attendant suggested I get the Dipbrow in Chocolate. Well, I should have remembered that nobody is right all the time. And I can’t be bothered to return it.
A week later I went back to Sephora because I had a feeling that the Aqua Brow would perform better. Why? Because it’s Make Up For Ever, that’s why… but being totally unbiased, I purchased the Aqua Brow in Dark Brown (30) and it is, in fact, the right color for me. I was in love with the Dipbrow’s performance the week I was using it, and I couldn’t help but notice that the color was off after using the Aqua Brow. At times, it looked very natural and other times, it looked a bit pasty. The Aqua Brow always looks natural to me.
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| Anastasia Dipbrow in Chocolate |
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| Make Up For Ever Aqua Brow in Dark Brown |
For both products, a little bit goes a long way; and I mean a loooooong way. For the Dipbrow, you barely need to touch the product in the pot to get enough for one brow. For the Aqua Brow, you literally need a pin sized amount to complete one brow. I use a brow brush to apply both products. The Aqua Brow dries down a lot faster than the Dipbrow, so if you’re finicky about the shape of your brows, your best bet would probably be the Dipbrow. I happen to be using the same shape for my brows for some time, and I just all around prefer the consistency of the Aqua Brow.
Let’s talk about packaging. Both products are pleasing to the eye. The Dipbrow pomade comes in a pot, which I like, The only thing is, I am afraid of it drying out. I’m careful to keep the lid on it tightly. The Aqua Brow comes in a squeezy tube… which I HATE! I am wasting product every time I use it. I even tried squeezing the product directly on the brush and it just doesn’t work out well. I squeeze a little bit on my hand and always end up wiping half of it off. Perhaps I need to get one of those sample jars from Sephora and squeeze it in there every time.
Both of the products are waterproof, but neither are oil proof! I am easily able to remove them from my oily skin at the end of the day with just a dry cotton square. With that said, they are both still on my face at the end of the day, but with my oily skin, if I happen to touch my face, they aren’t so smudgeproof and will smear. That particular feature might work out better for someone with less oily skin.
In a nutshell:
Dipbrow:
- I like it but would love it more in a darker color
- Best for beginners, takes longer to dry down so you can work with it more
- A teeny bit goes a long way
- I can’t see how anyone would run out of this for years
- Waterproof
Aqua Brow:
- More natural looking (in my opinion)
- I prefer the texture and consistency to the Dipbrow
- Not very user friendly for beginners because it dries down fast
- Packaging encourages wasting product
- You only need a very miniscule amount
- Waterproof
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