I finally have it!!

It's official: my brow powder, The Body Shop Brow & Liner Kit in 02, is in its last leg. It became pretty obvious to me just recently, when brow filling wasn't like it was before. I've had this brow kit for about 4/5 years now so I think it's time to put it to rest, especially now that I've found its next of kin aka its replacement.

I discovered the San San Eyebrow Powder Duo while I was looking around my local HBC shop. I think I was looking at their matte foundations when I came across this for the first time. I was pretty intrigued, even more so when I swatched both kits (the other kit's lighter), but since my Body Shop brow kit was still breathing (metaphorically, of course) that time, I didn't purchase it. The SA told me it gets sold out pretty fast so if I wanted it, I had to get it immediately. Idiot me ignored her warning. Well, I should've because I waited a pretty long time before I was able to purchase one for myself. -.-

San San Eyebrow Powder Duo comes in two kits: Light-Medium Brown and the one that I got, Chocolate-Dark Brown. I chose this palette over the lighter one because the shades in this one can cater to both light and dark haired people. I felt like the lighter duo was too light and can be constricting for universal use. This duo, however, can be used on anyone, regardless of hair color and tone.

As with the majority of San San products, this duo has Vitamins A, C, & E. There's not much info about this product online but the ingredients list is included at the bottom of the palette, as well as on the box it came in. Read through it if you want, check if there are any ingredients you're allergic in.

Packaging-wise, the powders are housed in a plastic container that snaps shut. The top part or the cap has a mirror-like foil-y effect in San San's signature blue color while the bottom part as well the inside are just in a white color. The brow kit has a mirror (hallelujah!) and an angled brush as well.

This kit has two colors: Chocolate, a medium milk chocolate shade, and Dark Brown, a deep brown with a hint of gray. I'd say these colors aren't too warm nor too cool although Chocolate can come off as warm at times. As for the feel, the powders feel a little hard. They aren't as soft or buttery as eyeshadows but they're not too hard that they're chalky. The formula, being a bit hard to the touch and all, is standard to most brow powders. Brow powders shouldn't be too soft or else it'll just load up your brush with a lot of product and you'll end up having a lot of pigment on your brows in one go. Brow powders are made that way so that you could build it up. As you can see, they're pretty potent despite their formula.

What I like about it, other than being buildable, is that they're pretty easy to blend. Since they're pigmented, I thought I'd have a hard time blending the lines I've created but I was wrong. The powders blended with ease, both with my brush and my spoolie, and I didn't need a makeup wipe to clean out the lines. But once it sets and you lightly smudge it, it leaves a 'stain' on the brows. It doesn't just go away. I've also tested it out one day, wore it for around 10 hours. And I'm glad to say that it stayed on. It wasn't as full and bold and that pigmented but I'd say it still made my brows look filled in and presentable. Staying powder is really good, hell, I even had a hard time scrubbing the swatches off my hand! :))

Here I'm wearing Chocolate. As you can see, it's quite a nice pair to my dark brow strands. I like wearing powders that are 1-2 shades lighter because it makes my brows look softer. I recommend this color for those who like to lighten up their already full brows. It can come off as a bit reddish so that's one thing to consider. I know there are people who aren't fans of reddish brow color so if you're one of them, you might want to use the other shade in the kit.

I thought I'd be partial to Chocolate but turns out, I somewhat like Dark Brown more! I don't know about you but I think this looks more natural with my brows. With Chocolate, you can tell right away that I filled them in but with Dark Brown, I feel like it just blends in. It doesn't make my brows too dark. This color is better at defining my brows, I think. Guess I'll be using this shade more! ;)

In my opinion, this kit will work on me pretty well. Upon using them, I realized that I can achieve a really good color gradient on my brows. I can use Dark Brown to fill the sparse areas then use Chocolate to lighten my whole brow or even just the front parts. They work well separately and I know they'll work as well when they're combined. Honestly, this is such a fantastic buy and I now know why these kits sell like pancakes. For just 150php, I'm amazed at its performance and pigmentation. Really can't recommend it enough.

PS. I just want to get it out there: I didn't use the brush included in this kit. It was very synthetic and hard and I can't be bothered with it, tbh. I used my new brow brush with this, in case you were wondering.

PPS. Wait, there's more! I'll just include a brief comparison of this kit to my Body Shop duo.

My San San kit's shades are darker than the Body Shop kit but they're definitely warmer compared to the cool tones of the latter. The Body Shop powders also fade faster than the San San powders. I guess it all boils down to personal preference. If you're looking for a brow kit that's pigmented and affordable, go for San San. If you prefer a lighter formula with cool toned shades and have some spare dough to spend, go for The Body Shop.