Project Pan 12: Anna Sui Eyebrow Color Compact in Ash Brown

~ stashy

I’m playing catch-up this week with my Project Pan updates since I was delinquent while on vacation! I’ll do 2 products this week and 2 next week to get caught up with the rest of the PP12 crew! If you don’t remember what Project Pan is, here’s a refresher (I’ve nearly forgotten, myself! 😉 ) My first Project Pan item showcased was the Sephora Colorful Jumbo Liner 12 Hr Wear in 07 Brown.
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Today, I’m reviewing Anna Sui Eyebrow Color Compact in 03 Ash Brown:
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Like all Anna Sui products, the packaging is absolutely adorable! But how’s the product inside?

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When I first bought this, I thought it was a limited edition item. I bought it around the time when Anna Sui had a Minnie Mouse collection which featured a couple of eye shadow palettes in the same bow design:

Source. I have this set
Source. I actually have this set which sits unused (purposely) because how can anyone use that Minnie Mouse lipstick?!

I thought this eyebrow palette was part of that collection, but this is actually a permanent item and retails for C$28 for 3g of product. Besides the distinctive packaging, the eyebrow palette features some unusual colour options.  There’s a large section that is simply a dark brown shade, but there are small strips of what appears to be green and yellow brow powder:
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So odd, right? But really, the colours don’t appear as strong green or yellow on the skin – the purpose the green shade serves to tone down any red or orange hue from the brown.  I’m sure I’m not alone in this, but I’ve had difficulty in the past with brown eyebrow products that are too orange (my hair is a dark brown). Here’s how the powders apply onto the skin:
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I’ve added the Shu Uemura brow:sword in Acorn (which was one of my Project Focus products) for comparison.
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The Acorn shade is currently a better match for me since my hair is lighter from the summer, but the ashy brown of the Anna Sui will be great for the winter months. Interestingly, when I was wiping off the swatches with micellar water, the Anna Sui brow powders were more difficult to remove.

Why didn’t Anna Sui just combine the 3 shades to make a less ashy brown colour then?  I thought about that too, but having the colours separated allows for placements of the colours so the brows don’t look flat and drawn on.  How I use the compact is as follows: I use the brown to shape the eyebrows starting at the tail.  Then I fill in the center of the eyebrow and add the green shade in the center to soften the brown colour. I use the yellow as kind of a highlight on the top center of the eyebrows to add dimension.
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Once it’s blended with a spoolie, the effect looks natural, I promise!

The powders are lower pigmented, and dryer textured, which makes application to the brows really easy (nothing worse than a super pigmented brow product to yield an insta-Groucho Marx brow).  There’s also no wax or gel in the palette – I’ve not had issues with the powder adhering to my skin or lasting all day. I have been testing with using a face primer on my brows as discussed by Ingrid – I do find it helps but the key is not to apply too much primer or else the powder clings too much and looks patchy.
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The packaging is not only charming, but well made and includes a good size mirror and a dual ended applicator with an angled side, and a blunt smudger brush side.  I still prefer my Annabelle brow brush and the Anna Sui spoolie to use with this palette.

There are 3 colours options available in this product which caters a limited range of hair colours:
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But, keep in mind that this is a Japanese brand so there isn’t a great variety when it comes to hair colour.

The biggest drawback for me with this product is that it takes time to apply. When I’m rushed in the mornings, the last thing I want to do is bother with 3 different powder colours. But the result does look nice. As I’ve been using this compact daily for Project Pan, I’m getting increasingly proficient with it.
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This product, like most of Anna Sui’s line, is made in Japan.  In Canada, Anna Sui is available at select Shoppers Drug Mart Beauty Boutiques, and online at Well.ca (thanks fivezero!) and Beauty Bay.

Pros:
• Great packaging
• Natural colour
• Long lasting
• Able to create variety of brow shading

Cons:
• Not as precise compared to pencil
• Requires more effort
• Limited colour range

Stash worthiness: 7/10

So while I do like this product and will continue to use it, it’s not likely I’ll repurchase (or even use it up entirely, for that matter). I do prefer the ease of a brow pencil these days.

I’m not sure if it’s a weighing error initially or I really used up so much of the brow product, but this product has gone down significantly since the last weigh-in:
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Here’s where I stand with the other Project Pan items:
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Not much change since I only managed to take 4 of the 12 with me while I was on vacation.  I have, however, had to re-sharpen the Sephora Jumbo pencil again, already! 😉

Please check out my Project Pan Pals for their updates:
♦ Ingrid of Curly.Spring.Blossom
♦ Jodi of A Brash Attitude
♦ Chanelle of Chanelle Hayleyyy

What’s your favourite brow product at the moment?

42 thoughts on “Project Pan 12: Anna Sui Eyebrow Color Compact in Ash Brown”

  2. I always have a hard time with brow powders – in the end I use a charcoal grey. Anything brownish just looks weird on me.

    Anna Sui is at Well.ca these days, too! The lippies are on sale this week.

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    1. When I first started out filling my brows, the brown shades I got were all SO orange looking (but I didn’t really know any better). Nowadays, with so much focus on brows, I can imagine there are colours and formulas to suit everyone! Ooh thanks for the info about AS being on Well.ca, I shall edit my post!

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  5. Hey, you’re getting pretty significant use (weight-wise) out of some of these products…hooray! I’m interested in seeing the final weigh-in of all of the items. It’s like watching an episode of the Biggest Loser or whatever that show is, LOL.
    The packaging of this brow powder is adorable. This looks like it would be a good colour fit…you’re right, most browns are too orange for most Asians…an ashy brown like this one works better. My brows are legit black so I need a charcoal shade…every time I get my makeup done, they always fill it in with a warm brown :/
    That Minnie Mouse lipstick is WAY too cute to use. So basically you should just leave that lipstick sitting pretty like that for all eternity, lol.

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    1. Yes, it’s the Biggest Loser for makeup! LOL. I thought about that too for the final weigh-in. 😆
      Ugh, I hate it when MUAs don’t understand Asian needs. Who will do your makeup for your wedding?
      Yes, that Minnie Mouse lipstick has been stored in its original box this whole time. I only took it out to photograph that once!

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        1. I’m glad you found an Asian MUA! That makes a big different IMO. What kinds of makeup (brand, specific items) did she use on you? All MAC… or other stuff?
          Nope, I have no plans to ever use that Minnie Mouse lipstick! I don’t really wear red lippies anyway. And I can’t imagine smooshing her ears! o_O

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          1. When I did my trial (it was so long ago!), I forgot to ask her to write down a list of the items she used on my face…I might ask her to do that during the actual day, hahaha. I know for sure she used UD Naked 1 and 2 on my eyes, and a Bite Beauty lipstick…a lot of the other products looked like they were Asian brands, or she had decanted them into her own little jars and whatnot, so I couldn’t tell what they were.
            Aww, her poor ears! They’re too cute to be smooshed!

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    1. The packaging is a big selling feature of Anna Sui products!
      Do you need to fill in your brows at all or are they naturally full? (I have really sparse brows so I have to fill them in daily)

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  9. Aww! The Minnie Mouse lipstick is so adorable! 🎀
    At first when I saw this AS brow powders I was very sceptical (green and yellow) but the more I think about it, it’s kind of clever. # 2 would be perfect for me.

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        1. No I didn’t buy it! I missed out on it. By the time I clicked on that link, it was dead (and the error in price fixed probably). I don’t know how you come across all these great deals / errors!!!

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          1. I saw a girl on instagram showing the glitch !😜
            I got two palettes : one with 6 matte transition/crease shades and the other one with 6 of their new metallic finish colors!
            The quality of Buxom’s shadows are remarkable to say the least!💓
            Sorry you couldn’t get one😢

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  10. You’re right, the packaging of this is adorable! I totally understand why you can’t bring yourself to use the Minnie Mouse lipstick either! Out of curiosity, what shade is it? You’re making great progress with your other products 🙂

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  12. Looks like an interesting product, but when I saw the green I was like huh!?😦 I’m scare of using powder products for my eyebrows, because when I started using make up, I had a powder brow kit from Clinique, every time I used it, I ended up with clown eyebrows😭, maybe I’ll give a second opportunity to this kind of makeup. And the package looks pretty. I want it. 😋

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    1. Yes, it was really scary when I first saw it. I was first drawn to the packaging of course… but then the SA tried it on my brows and it looked really natural. I was sold! Too bad you had a poor experience with the Clinique brow kit – I think with brow powders, the less pigmented the better. I’ve had some that are REALLY intense (Illamasqua) and I’ve had a steep learning curve. If you get a chance to test out before you commit, that would be best!

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