beauty

"The $7.99 product that saved my hacked-off eyebrows."

Carla’s happy, because her brows have been resurrected. (Image: supplied)

Luxurious, thick and well-groomed brows are your one-way ticket to looking put-together and rich.

But guess what? You don’t actually have to be rich to pull off this look. While there is a plethora of pricey, high-end brow products out here, my secret is to use super-cheap brow products from Priceline. Yes, that’s right, the Savvy by DB Brow Palette and Clear Brow Gel have come to my rescue.

RELATED: Eyebrow extensions are here to rescue your poor, over-plucked brows.

Readers, I do not use the word “rescue” lightly. This was my situation: I went all Edward Scissorhands on my brows. A few months ago, I was frustrated by my brows, because the hairs just wouldn’t stay in place. So, I just cut them off with nail scissors.

This is just as crazy as it sounds. Truly, I should be in beauty editor jail. This is what it looked like. Bad idea, right?

When bad brows happen to good people. (Image: supplied)
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As my brows grew back, the situation looked worse. Some of the little hairs stuck out in spikes, and I also had bald patches here and there. It was a big, hot mess, and I knew I needed some seriously good beauty products to get me out of it.

While in Priceline, I was bamboozled by all of the new brow products. There are products which can basically turn your brows into mini Rapunzels by adding fibres to your existing brows, and there are also serums which can help you to grow brand new brows. The times we live in! (Post continues after gallery...)

 

As much as I love looking at beauty products, I knew I had to get out of Priceline, fast, as I was carrying my toddler and she was writhing around and in desperate need of a nap. The Savvy by DB stand was at the end of the aisle, so I grabbed the Brow Palette and Clear Brow Gel and headed for the counter. There was a sale on, so all up, I spent less than $10. Even when these products are not on sale, they only add up to $13.

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RELATED: Lena Dunham has found the solution for sparse eyebrows.

Little did I realise that impulse-buying those products was the beauty equivalent of walking into the love of your life on the busy streets of New York City and spilling coffee all over them and yourself and then falling madly in love, à la every single romantic comedy, ever.

And...it was love. The Savvy by DB Brow Palette ($7.99) and Clear Brow Gel ($4.99). (Image: supplied)

 

The Savvy by DB Brow Palette contains a brow powder and a defining wax. It comes in two colours: medium/dark (which I bought) and light/medium. What I love about the medium/dark palette is that the shades are not too deep. There’s nothing worse than a brow product which gives you severe, black, angry brows. I would describe the light/medium palette as caramel-coloured.

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The brow powder can be applied in a subtle tint, or built up for a more dramatic look. The wax works well to gently hold and set the brows. If you're feeling lazy (definitely my default mode), you can use the wax alone, as it also adds a nice tint to your brows. The kit is foolproof, as it comes with instructions, a mirror, tweezers and a tiny, angled brush.

RELATED: Look out, tweezers about: When plucking your eyebrows becomes obsessive. 

The Clear Brow Gel provides light to medium hold. Used together with the wax, my brows stay groomed, shaded and shaped all day, which is no easy feat. Most of my days are spent with my daughter touching my face, and I have this weird habit of playing with my eyebrows.

So, my eyebrows are returned to their former glory. No, actually: they look better than they ever have before. Pretty good for a bargain buy, don’t you think? I should definitely try the lucky-dip approach to beauty shopping again sometime.

Have you ever royally f-ed up your brows? Or have you ruined another part of your face? Help Carla GS to feel less alone, by putting a comment on it.