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We Put the Maybelline New York Tattoo Studio Brow Pencil to the Test
March 24, 2021
If you’re like us, you have very strong feelings about your brows and how you style them. While some of us are all for filling them in with lots of pigment, others like to keep things light and natural. No matter how you like to do your brows, we know how hard it can be to find the brow product that’s just right for you. Recently, though, Maybelline New York dropped the Tattoo Studio 36HR Brow Pencil and the Makeup.com team put it to the test so that you don’t have to. Ahead, four editors with very different brow styles share their thoughts on the pencil and decide if it meets their high (brow) standards.
Sarah, Senior Editor
When it comes to brow products, I love the precision of a pencil and the blendability of a gel. This pencil gives me the best of both worlds. The formula is creamy, but because the pencil is able to be sharpened, I can create hair-like strokes and definition with ease. I’m also a big fan of the fluffy spoolie brush on the other end. I use it before and after I apply the pencil, and it helps me achieve the even, laminated-like finish I’m after. And because the pencil is so long-wearing, I sometimes keep the product on for two days at a time.
Alanna, Assistant Managing Editor
My brows are precious to me, which is why I’m very picky when it comes to the products I use to tame and frame ’em! That being said, I was thoroughly impressed with the Tattoo Studio 36HR Brow Pencil because it has just the right amount of pigment I want, plus a really excellent spoolie. To use it, I start by drawing the shape of my brows and then filling them in with the pencil. The formula is creamy and saturated but doesn’t appear too thick or cakey. Next, I brush out my brows with the spoolie to blend it all in, and my makeup instantly looks more symmetrical, put together and polished.
Genesis, Assistant Editor
I’ll be honest, I don’t have a brow routine. I was blessed (or cursed) with bushy eyebrows and have always felt that when I apply makeup on my already-thick brows, it makes them look too dark and abrasive. Still, my brows are nowhere near perfect, and I do have sparse areas, which is what made me try this brow pencil. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to use. The creamy formula effortlessly glides onto my brows, and it is very pigmented, so a little goes a long way. Despite its intense pigmentation, though, the formula is very forgiving, so it’s easy to blend out — especially with the help of the spoolie on the other end. In full transparency, I didn’t expect to love this pencil as much as I did, but I’m glad I discovered it because it’s great for getting filled-in and natural-looking brows.
Malaika, Audience Development Manager
I have a love/hate relationship with my brows — they’re full on one side and thin on the other, which makes it difficult to find a single product that can give me the bold, beautiful brows that I’m looking for. This pencil, though, may have just done it. I tried the color Black Brown, which matched my hair color perfectly. After using the pencil to outline my brows, I used short, light strokes to fill in the bushier side of my brows and longer strokes to fill in the ends of my brows that are more sparse. I absolutely loved the finished product! Plus, it stayed put. Sometimes my temples can get oily, causing brow products to rub off easily during the day, but this one didn’t budge. I’m so happy I found a product that matched my skin tone, lasted all day and gave me the bold, defined brows of my dreams. 10/10 would recommend!
Photos (from top): Alanna Martine Kilkeary, Sarah Ferguson, Genesis Rivas, Malaika Nicholas
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