Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics- Brow Artiste (Dark)

I've been doing some extensive testing of products by Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics and so far I'm very impressed, including with items I never thought I would like (mineral makeup has never been my friend). But today I'm reviewing their Brow Artiste set, which I bought several months ago, when the line first arrived at Henri Bendel.

Like any beauty-obsessed worth her powder, I own the necessary eyebrow tools, brushes and filling colors. Still, an edited pro-looking kit that is slim enough for travel and holds all the items one needs for a polished look is a very appealing concept. Brow Artiste includes a tweezer, a double ended brush (spoolie on one side and an angled brush on the other), setting wax and two powder colors. The kits come in four shades: Auburn, Blonde, Brunette, and Dark. Normally I would choose Brunette, but Youngblood's makeup artist used Dark when he gave me a makeover, so I decided to go with it.

The big advantage of having two powder colors in the palette is that you can mix and customize your filler to the exact shade you need and make adjustments as needed. The colors are excellent and very soft, so they melt and meld into the eyebrow's shape. The darkest of the two is a very dark taupe, which looks much more natural than any black, brown or gray. When I don't have the time to play and mix I can use it with a light hand and it still looks good.

Applying the wax requires a little practice. The first time I used the kit I overdid it with both wax and color, resulting in some mess and stains that require cleaning the whole thing and starting anew. But it's actually quite simple and once you comb the color evenly into the eyebrows with the spoolie and use just tiny dab of wax to set it in place you get the desired look.

The only issue with Brow Artiste kit is the tools. The tweezer feels flimsy in my hand. The metal bends too easily and the pinching head isn't as efficient as I'd like. It's painfully (pun intended) clear that this is not a Tweezerman. The angled brush head came off before I even took the pictures and required a drop of superglue to be put together again. Once I got it fixed everything was fine. I'm not too fond of teeny tiny brushes (I have relatively large hands), but the spoolie is great- thick yet soft.

Bottom Line: It would be a great set if Youngblood Cosmetics would upgrade the tools. In the meantime, I'm still packing a mini Tweezerman in my bag.

Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics Brow Artiste ($36.50) is available from Henri Bendel (in store only) and the company's website, ybskin.com.

All photos by me.