Two Brow Laminators

and a surprise pea sprout.

[unpaid/sample/affiliate/ad] I have never taken much notice of my brows - they're neither sparse nor full, not dark and not pale - they're probably the least interesting brows anyone could have and they're hidden beneath my fringe so they very rarely get an outing anyway. But this week, two brow laminators have crossed my path so I've put both through their paces. If you don't understand the term, 'lamination', it's a procedure that makes brows look fuller and thicker - if you have it in-salon, it can last weeks, but if you opt for the off-the-shelf formulas like the one I have now, it's more of a daily task.

L'Oreal's version will last 24 hours (pointlessly, surely) and is a lightweight gel formula that gives your brows a combed and 'set' look. I can definitely feel that it's there and when I touch my brows, there's a slight crispiness to them but to the observer, they just look like well brushed brows.

e.l.f.'s version is a bit more heavy duty - I was slightly put off by the size of the comb and brush, neither of which are needed for what I now realise are poor strands. It looks more like a moustache comb than a brow comb, surely? While I can also feel it on my brow, it's softer than the L'Oreal version when I touch it although it looks more 'gluey' on the brush.

If I may give context to this terrible picture - I am post yoga, in need of a shower and certainly a hair wash, not to mention root touch ups etc, but also, humidity strikes again. Literally everything is working against me today - argh! But, the little pea shoot hair clip to keep my fringe away is from 2015 when there was a brief craze for them in China so I bought some. The New York Times even did a feature on them so at the time, I was in good company. Anyway, they still make me laugh today although I think I only have two or three left. So, on the left I have L'Oreal (£11.99 HERE) and on the right I have e.l.f. (£8 HERE). Both are giving me an extremely groomed and combed look to my brows and both stayed in place all day long. If you've got bushy brows or unwieldy brows with strays that curl or droop, you are better off with e.l.f. because it's the sturdier of the formulas, but if you've got fine hairs that just need to look well dressed, L'Oreal will suit you just fine.

While we're on the topic of brows, I bought this brow dye the other day and am umming and ahhing about whether I want to try it. It seems quite dark to me and yet, the next colour looked too light. In any case, I'm considering changing my hair and having some 'fashion grey' put in because I have to tidy up before summer completely disappears so maybe dark brown brows isn't the way to go. If I do it, it's a five/six week commitment!