Review & Swatches: Scarlett & Crimson Eye Spy Eyebrow Kit

I was extremely keen to sample this product because I've been in a little bit of a predicament with my eyebrows lately. Last year I tried at various times to 'grow my eyebrows back' as I was a little bored of their shape and felt they would look better slightly thicker...it wasn't very successful and I grew frustrated with the patchy look, so after a few months, I plucked the small amount of regrowth out! Earlier this year I decided to give it another go. I suppose in fairness I've been plucking my eyebrows for 20 years now (and went through phases of getting extreme pleasure from plucking away-oddly, it's very therapeutic for me), so it's no wonder they aren't keen to grow back! I've also noticed over the past few years, I don't need to pluck them nearly as often as I used to. This time round, I definitely found more regrowth, but I've needed a little guidance shape-wise and thankfully this product helped that. You get to the stage that any hair growing back is sacred and you don't know if you'll 'need' it at some stage, so are terrified of plucking it out just in case you ruin the shape.
Scarlett & Crimson are a beauty brand featuring two (very cute) best friends created by beauty icons Ruby Hammer and Millie Kendal (yep 'Ruby & Millie') and the products are available in Superdrug. The Eye Spy kit (£7.95) comes packaged in a lovely keepsake tin (sadly mine arrived very bashed) and contains brow gel, clear mascara, brow stencils, eye pencil, tweezers and a mirror-absolutely everything you'll need for perfect brows!
So how did I get on? Well firstly you need to pick a stencil that best fits your natural brow shape. My eyebrows have always had a very high arch, regardless of how plucked/unplucked they are. You have the choice of slim, medium or high and I was a little worried that none of the guides would fit my very long, arched brows as the product feels like it's geared more towards teens. I was wrong, the 'high arch' was a very good fit. You hold the guide in place then use the pencil to draw inside the stencil, very simple.
Once you have your pencilled-on brows, you can then pluck anything outwith that pencil line. Again it's very easy and clear to see. You may notice the guide wasn't quite as long as my brows, however I would advise against playing around with the length. Had I plucked the centre or ends of my brows, I feel it would've completely changed the frame of my face and not for the better (you don't want to get that 'eyebrows too far apart' look), so I merely plucked away the rest and left the length as is. I was really, really happy with the shape I started to achieve.

Previously my eyebrows have kind of been a variation of the 'tadpole'...a thick ball with a long tail (I'm coming across as a complete chav now, but they aren't super thin or super ball like, but a thicker version of that). Anyway, it's the transition between the 'ball' and 'tail' I've been trying to fill in or grow back. With this stencil, it places the highest point of the arch much further along my brow and thins the end and is far more flattering. My only issue was I wasn't very keen on the tiny tweezers, although I am quite fussy with that. I didn't find them easy to use and just reverted back to using my own-no real issue if you already own your own.
I'm now having second thoughts on whether or not I actually suit thicker brows after seeing the pencilled version! I think it would just take some getting used to, but would hopefully look more natural.
You then wash off the pencil line, finish with the brow gel and can apply some clear mascara to your lashes.
Hopefully you can see the difference in shape, although I think it's easier for me to notice, given that I look at them every day! I still have a long way to go, to fill in the gaps, but hopefully with time I'll get there. I'll continue to use the stencil every so often, so I don't lose the new shape because I really love it. I feel much happier in the meantime as my brows feel groomed and I can visualise the shape I'm aiming for. All in all, this is a great little addition to your beauty kit and makes what some people would find a daunting task, actually a lot of fun.