Brow lift with makeup; Benefit 24HR Brow Setter Gel review

brow lift with brow gel benefit brow setter

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I have found a gel that makes your brows so fluffy, it passes for a brow lift.

I love to treat my brows with a brow lamination, because the results last for weeks. However, if you want to achieve the look just with makeup, without hassling with soap or lash glue (we’ve all been there), Benefit Brow Setter Gel gets the job done.

The recipe for beautiful bushy brows is simple: just brush your brow hairs up with the gel and then fill them in.

Benefit 24Hr Brow Setter Gel review

Benefit 24hr Brow Setter Gel
– brow gel that actually tames the brow hairs up & locks them in place

Benefit’s 24HR Brow Setter brow gel is so good, it’s a bit baffling. It keeps the brow hairs in place, even when you want them to point straight up. The effect also lasts – my brows always look great the whole day. Basically what you get is a brow lift with makeup.

When my beauty therapist, the one who I go for the brow lift treatment, saw my brows done with the gel, I’m sure for a second she thought I had gotten a brow lift elsewhere. Excitedly I told her it’s just brow gel (“and doesn’t it look exactly like I’ve had a brow lift?”).

fluffy brows laminated look with makeup
Fluffy brows with makeup. Back when my hair was very ginger.. Why don’t hair colors last on my hair though?

The gel is clear and quite thick. It’s a bit glue-like, but more manageable. It doesn’t show up on the hairs or skin (like glue does in my experience),  other than giving them shine and texture. It enhances the brows, but that’s exactly what we want for fluffy and bushy brows.

This gel comes with a special brush that has different sides to it: there’s longer and shorter bristles, along with a flat surface on both sides. That flat surface is the key to making a brow lift effect.

benefit brow setter clear gel brush

How to fake a brow lift with the Benefit Brow Setter Gel:

I first brush the gel through my brows. And then, I press the flat surface on my brows and skin to set the brow hairs in place. And amazingly, they stay like that.

Note: obviously if you don’t want such dramatic effect, you don’t have to press the brush against your skin, you can just brush your hairs up or to the side. You still get a nice lift that looks more natural. For example Alice from the Notes by Alice blog used the gel in a more natural way on her review.

The gel dries quite quickly, but I think that’s a good thing, because I get my brows done very fast. I do my brows in sections, starting from the front of my brows. That way I don’t have to panic about the gel drying too soon.

benefit brow setter gel before after

Brow lift with makeup – Fluffy brows with gel & brow pencil

After the gel is dried, I fill in my brows with a thin brow pencil. Even though the gel dries to a bit of a cast, I can still apply my brow product on the brows. After I have my brow hairs pointing up, it’s easy to clean up that brow line and fill in any blanks. I also need less product, because my brow hairs are showing their full potential.

If you struggle with your brow shape and are not sure where the product should go, this brow tutorial might be helpful.

brow lift with makeup benefit brow setter gel

You can get Benefit’s gel in two sizes. At first I (accidentally) bought the mini size, but now I’ve already gotten the full sized version. I have a feeling I will be repurchasing this product multiple times.

 

If you’re looking for the best brow gel, that actually tames the brow hairs and lasts, and looks like a brow lift, this brow gel is it.

 

Shop the gel at Sephora:
*Benefit 24-HR Brow Setter Gel
*Benefit 24-HR Brow Setter Gel Mini

Thin brow pencils for filling in the brows:
*Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil Waterproof
*Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz Pencil

 

How long does it take for me to do my makeup?

makeup blog charlotta eve

“How long does it take for you to do your makeup?” is a question I somehow get asked all the time. I didn’t even realize how frequently I answer to this question, until Risto pointed it out to me and said that I should do a post about it.

Actually, now that I think of it, I’m quite bad at answering that question. And usually Risto is quicker, when he says “As long as it’s possible. She uses all the time she has (for doing her makeup).”

And he’s not wrong. That answer is quite accurate. I do use as much time as I have to doing my makeup. To sum it up, I would say that I spend 1-2 hours doing my makeup daily.

 

makeup beauty blog

My ideal makeup time: 1,5 hours 

I would say that I can do my makeup in an hour, but it’s not ideal. I feel like I need a bit more time and that’s why the ideal time for me is 1,5 hours. There’s room for error, for sipping my coffee between blending and playing with colors. In an hour I wouldn’t necessarily try difficult looks. I would stick to my go-to products and go-to looks. But 1,5 hours? I can focus.

If I have somewhere to be, I make sure I have that much time in the morning. Even though I wouldn’t use it all for makeup, I would use the most. So to be perfectly accurate, the average time on those days is possibly somewhere around 70 to 80 minutes. The makeup you see in these photos took me about 70 minutes. But it included a lip color change, since I didn’t like the fist color I chose. See? It’s also about trial and error.

Two hours might sound excessive, but that is when I truly shine. Two hours is when I can do a difficult full-face glam look without stress. Whenever there is a party or I’m not in a hurry, I really really enjoy sitting at my makeup table and taking the time to do my makeup. No rush! Whenever there is a special occasion or a party, I make sure I have at least two hours to do my makeup. Now here’s possibly why Risto says I like to spend “all the time I have”. He knows that for parties, I start getting ready at 1 or 2 pm, when the party starts at 6. Okay, and I guess he’s seen me sitting at my makeup table daily… for hours.

makeup blog charlotta eve

Here are all the products I used to do this makeup. I’m currently testing a new foundation from IsaDora. It’s very thin and super matte. I wanted to wear something blue and gold, so I reached for my The Power of Makeup -palette since it was perfect for this look. I love that blue turquoise color with gold.

Primer, foundation, mascara, eyeliner & lip gloss are gifted. Links are adlinks.

Products

Jane Iredale Smooth Affair primer
IsaDora Active all day wear make-up, Fair & Light
Catrice Liquid Camouflage Concealer, Porcelain
Maybelline Masterfix Baking Powder
Laura Mercier Transluscent Powder
Benefit Hoola Bronzer
KikoMilano Baked Blush, Gypsy Pink
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish, Soft & Gentle

mad4eyebrow Brow Filler, Blond
Holika Holika Wonder Drawing Skinny Eyebrow, 02
Urban Decay Primer Potion
NYX Glitter primer
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil, Milk
The Power of Makeup Palette (NikkiexTooFaced)
KICKS Graceful Length Mascara
Ardell Demi Wispies lashes
Pretty by Flormar Ultimate Dipliner, Black

TIGI luxe lipgloss, superstar

blue gold eye makeup

A two hour masterpiece

Whenever I’m doing a makeup tutorial, it also takes time. 1,5-2 hours. I need to be extra careful with my application and I need to take photos in between. Good photos, might I add. It’s a process! Which is why I’m happy you like those tutorials. There’s so much work that goes into them. Not to talk about what happens on the computer afterwards.

Now keep in mind, I love makeup. It’s like painting. It’s where I get to be creative and try new things. It’s where I get to look into the mirror, highlight those beautiful cheekbones and say to myself: you’re looking fine. It’s my place. I like to start my day from there. Get inspired.

Usually. Because another thing I want to note is that I don’t do my makeup every day. I would say there are anywhere between 2-4 days in a week when I don’t wear makeup at all. I work from home so if I don’t have anywhere to go, I might lack motivation to do my makeup. Which is also why I like to take my time when I do decide to wear makeup.

At this point I’m just defending myself, but I can do a half hour or one hour makeup looks on clients and have done lots of those. One hour is enough for an evening look or even for a wedding makeup. But somehow when it comes to my own face – well, I need my peace.

Last, but not least. I would like to learn to do quick makeup sessions. Like thirty minutes, maybe? But I’m one of those no-in-between girls. It’s either no makeup or full-glam. During summer I did do a bit of those quick makeup looks, but it’s a struggle, as weird as it sounds! I also like quick makeup looks and tips (I’ve lost all my credibility at this point…), so maybe I will start working on that. I’ll put a timer and do as much as I can in that time.

Now, I’m very much interested to hear your answers to this:

How long does it take for you to do your makeup?

(I honestly have no clue.)

makeup blog charlotta eve

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