Kanebo KATE Eyebrow Pencil Makes Brows Pretty Hard To Mess Up

Monday, May 11, 2015

One of the brands that I hauled a bit from was Kanebo KATE - perhaps most well known for their brow and eyeliner products. I think every female relative I visited in China within the 20s age range had a little KATE brow palette on the bathroom vanity. Since I normally use brow powder, I thought I'd switch it up for something a bit more different and grab a Kanebo KATE Eyebrow Pencil in BR-5, the coolest brown in the five available colors.

From what I gather, Kanebo KATE would be the equivalent of a drugstore brand in Japan (correct me if I'm wrong) or perhaps a smidgen more elevated, on par with Inglot or TheBalm. The packaging is a bit more utilitarian than your mid end or high end Japanese brands. For example, this Eyebrow Pencil comes as a retractable twist up pencil without a cap. Luckily it seems like the product drying out is not a concern.

Swatch of BR-5 on arm. The pigmentation looks weak and it looks scratchy. Truth be told, it was pretty awful on my arm - the product was stuff and it hurt when I tried to scribble hard enough for the color to show up. However, on the brow it is a really great product - waxy enough to stay put but just the right level of pigmentation to sketch natural looking brow hairs.

Naked eye brow.

Brows filled in with Kanebo KATE Eyebrow Pencil in BR-5. The color fills in areas where hair is more scarce and manages a decent taper at the end. This pencil is really easy to use when you're in a hurry - it's hard to over use because it doesn't lay down very much color with each swipe. The downfall is that with daily usage, I'd finish probably one pencil a month.

For comparison's sake, this is my brow using Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Duo Powder in Granite. Takes longer to apply than the KATE pencil, because I very easily run the risk of being Sharpie brow lady if I don't go very easy with this pigmented product. However, a single cake of brow powder has lasted me what- well over a year and a half with barely a dip in the pan - so it's a better value and easier to get a hold of.

If I ever come across these pencils again at a good rate, I'm definitely snatching more up. They're slim and travel really well, fitting easily into a on-the-go makeup bag.

You can find Kanebo KATE products on Amazon (beware horrible markup and shipping times), eBay and other ecommerce sites that sell Asian cosmetic brands. I paid about ¥59 or around $6.

Are you a fan of pencil or powder when it comes to brows? Or are you on a different team altogether - like MUFE Aqua Brow?

Product featured was purchased by me, for my own use. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.