I finally had my brows threaded a few days ago and that means it's time to play with brow products! Working with brow products with tidy brows is just easier and more fun, you know? This time, I decided to bust out something I've always wanted to try: the NARS brow gel I got months ago.

NARS Piraeus Brow Gel is one of the four brow gels of NARS. Piraeus is a light medium brown, almost blonde-like. It isn't shimmery or glittery or coppery. Apparently Piraeus and Athens are similar at first sight, Piraeus being slightly darker than Athens. I got Piraeus because of the shade; I thought it was perfect for someone who has a pair full stark black brows.

The first thing that sets it apart from other brow gels is the spoolie. It's significantly bigger than most brow gels like the Benefit Gimme Brow, L'Oreal Brow Plumper, or Etude House Color My Brows. The NARS spoolie looks like your normal mascara brush! To be honest, the size of the spoolie makes this brow gel quite difficult to use because you don't get to work in small sections; with this, you cover a large area pronto. It was a bit of a challenge for me, a brow gel novice, so I can imagine the same for people who are beginners in makeup.

Because of the spoolie size, the brush picks up a rather generous amount of product, and let's be honest here, you don't really need a lot for your brows. Here's how much I need to scrape off before using it:

I mean, duuuuude, that's a lot of product! I also find that with Piraeus, less product is the way to go or else you'll just f- up your brows. This brow gel sets rather quickly and it clings to the hairs like crazy so once you applied too much of it and it dried and you decided to comb it....let's just say, WELCOME TO PATCHY AND CLUMPY CITY.

However, once you get the hang of it, it's a dream to work with. As I've mentioned earlier, it sets quickly, and once it sets, it's there for life. Kidding, kidding. It's there until you decided to remove it. I also tested if it was smudgeproof and waterproof: Piraeus passed with flying colors! Amaaazeballlls~

WARNING: PICTURES OF ME AHEAD

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For swatches. :P

Here are four headshots of meself. First one is bare brows, second is Piraeus only, third is brow powder only, and last photo is Piraeus on top of the brow powder. (Said brow powder is the lighter shade in The Body Shop 02 Brow Duo)

On its own, it's quite nice, isn't it? It tinted and darkened my brows and added volume aka made my brows slightly thicker. Thing is, it's also a bit uneven. There were bits of patches here and there, and these are quite noticeable in person. What I like about it, however, is that it still looks natural (-ish) and a bit roughed up.

Piraeus + brow powder = full on brows. I love having bold brows but I found the end result a bit too much. I guess this combination would work best with those with really sparse or thin brows as the combo will definitely give volume and thickness.

Overall, I think this is a lovely product to have. Yes, it takes work and getting used to but seeing the end result just makes everything worth it. I'll continue to use it so that I can get the hang of it. I like that it's super long wearing. Neither facial oil nor water can beat it which is nice. One issue though is that it feels quite heavy. Are brow gels like that? Or is it just this? Lemme know cause I really want to know.

Well, I guess it's safe to say that this just sparked my brow gel obsession. Any recommendations? As long as it isn't shimmery or coppery, I'm down with it! x