Eye makeup nerds will love the new Kate Tokyo Eyebrow Pen and Gel Pencil
It was in the middle of summer the first time I visited Tokyo. I was expecting it to be cooler than Philippine summers but that was naive - I was sweating every drop of liquid I had in my body as early as 7am! I don't know how the Japanese keep their poise as they walk to and from the train stations, in corporate outfits none the less. It was then that I realized why Japanese makeup - particularly eye makeup - excels so well in staying water-resistant. Summers are brutal and anybody who dare to venture out need something that will not move with all the walking they have to do!
Anyway, Kate Tokyo (Kanebo's drugstore counterpart) released two new eye makeup products that I think you guys would be interested in. I've been using these for a couple of weeks now and as expected, they check out! Both stay on super well, barely budging, even when I sweat it out at the tennis court. Here's a rundown of each. ^_^
The Kate Lasting Eyebrow W (P840) is a dual-ended pen with a powdered sponge tip at the other end. It creates excellent hair-like strokes that look weirdly invisible at first, but looks so...sculpted once it dries. I observed that the actual liquid itself hardens and becomes somewhat raised from the surface of the skin. It's so strange, but effective! It looks like hair and makes the brows naturally thicker.
It's the powder that ties it all together though. It has a soft finish and further acts as a "thickener" of sorts for the liquid. This is some crazy sorcery, guys! It's definitely different from all the other pen-powder combos I've tried before. Staying power is amazing. In fact, it's the kind of product you have to apply right the first time as it won't lift anymore when it sets; it can't be rubbed or erased with just a cotton bud. You need makeup remover na!
There are a couple of caveats though. There is a learning curve to this. I actually almost swore it off the first time I used it because I didn't understand why it wasn't showing up. The product tends to pill on the skin and brush making for this odd patchy look, when it does show up. But the trick is, as I mentioned above, to get the strokes right the first time on a completely dry surface and try not to pass over the areas you've already covered. Cleaning the brush after every use also removes the excess dried up product. It dries fast, so you must work fast.
These brows are just, I love them. I'm using the shade BR-3 Natural Brown, which works perfectly for my reddish dark hair! I also used the Kate Tokyo Sharp Lock Gel Pencil in BR-1 here to line my lower and upper lids.
All in all, I love how the Kate Lasting Eyebrow W looks on my brows and how well it stays. It's so natural and soft, like my brows were just born that way, but if you've seen my bare brows in my videos you know they are nowhere near that full! This doesn't come off on me when I play tennis (short of rubbing of course) so that's a good thing.
I suppose the unavoidable question is: is this pen better than K-Palette? This has a more dimensional finish and it thickens brows much better than K-Palette. It also sticks better on oilier, sweatier skin. But K-Palette is easier and quicker to use. The Kate Lasting Eyebrow requires care and precision if you don't want patchy brows. Even I had to study it a few times to get it juuuuust right! But it works and it's good, if you can be patient.
The new Kate Tokyo Sharp Lock Gel Pencil (P720) is also pretty good. If you love the intensity, precision, and staying power of gel liners but hate the application process, this pencil simplifies it for you! It has this fine, narrow tip that makes drawing a straight pigmented line so easy. If you're familiar with MAC automatic brow pencils, this has a very similar tip! It allows for a huge amount of control.
I wouldn't say this gel pencil is waterproof, but it's water-resistant and non-smudgy enough that I can use it on my waterline without worrying. Of course, if you have oilier/sweatier lids than mine (I keep mine dry at all times), this might end up giving you smudgier results. I don't have problems though as the liner stays put without fading throughout the day. It barely smudges on me.
I have this pencil in BR-1 which is perfect for creating softer eyes compared to a black liner. ^_^ It also comes in black though, in case you prefer that. Just be careful about twisting out just what you need as you can't twist it back in.
And that is that. What do you think of these new eye releases from Kate Tokyo?
