Review : The Project Vanity x Ellana Life-Proof Eyebrow Gel

Hello loves!

The phrase "Kilay is life" easily became popular to every beauty enthusiast in the country. Come to think of it, just a bit over a decade ago, I was only one of the few people in our college batch that wears makeup in class. But now, I see more young people who wear makeup even in school (I currently work in a university so I see students everyday). So I think it is safe to say that the beauty market grew exponentially and more and more Filipinos look for better quality products that fit their budget, which resulted to more beauty brands stepping up their game to meet these demands! It's such a good time to love beauty products!

In this light, two of my trusted local beauty brands did just that—they created a product that I'm sure many makeup enthusiast would absolutely love. I got so excited when I heard about this for the first time. It's a collaboration between Project Vanity and Ellana Mineral Cosmetics. If you love makeup and it just so happens that you also live under a rock and unaware what Project Vanity is, it's one of the leading blogs in the Philippines that writes about beauty. Ellana Mineral Cosmetics, on the other hand, is, hands down, my favorite mineral makeup brand since 2014. So as much as I just raved about these brands, I assure you that this review is not biased at all, but it did made me have very high expectations about this new product...

Introducing The Project Vanity x Ellana Life-Proof Eyebrow Gel.




I think that an eyebrow gel is an amazing addition to Ellana Mineral's makeup range. Like I said in the beginning of this post, we highly regard our brows as an important feature as it frames our entire face. A bad brow makeup can break your overall look no matter how good the rest of your makeup is.

Although their pressed eyeshadow pigments are good enough to shape one's brows, I still look for something more when it comes to my brow products and that is a stronger lasting power, more natural finish, as well as ease of use. And I think a brow gel can do that more.

And as someone who follows Project Vanity, I know that Liz and her team look for the best products out there and share it with their readers. If they'll collaborate with other brands (which they have before btw), the result is always great. What I like about the whole idea of PV collaborating with brands is that as someone who blogs and has a Facebook community where the readers can share their thoughts, the PV team can gather the sentiments and priorities of average Filipino makeup enthusiasts and put it in the items they create. I think this is one of the biggest reasons why I expect so much from this new product. And I think it already shows when you look at the price. I'm pretty sure that many Filipinos try to find the best affordable product with the best quality and for the price of PhP 499.00, I think it's very reasonable compared to many brow gels or pomades in the market.

It comes in three different shades—Light Brown, Red Brown, and Dark Brown. Each shade was carefully selected to suit many asian skin tone.

But before I proceed with my review, let's get to know the product more:

Info from the website:

If brows give you life, then this is the product that will fit the demands of your lifestyle. Project Vanity x Ellana Mineral Cosmetics give you a revolutionary brow product that promises lifeproof, last-all-day hold and pigmentation. 

Our Life-Proof Eyebrow:

Tames and shapes brow hairs; long-lasting hold.

Is lifeproof, sweatproof, and waterproof.

Infused with marula oil, which supports the health and growth of hair.

How to Use

Dip a soft, angled brow brush into the product.

Wipe off excess on the cap.

Apply in light, hair-like strokes to your brows, pushing down where hairs need extra grip/hold.

Blend pigment with a spoolie.

For the most “natural” effect use a dark color for the bottom and tail of brows, blended with a lighter shade for the beginning and top of one’s arch.

Ingredients

#allingredientslisted: Sclerocarya Birrea (Marula) Seed Oil, Euphorbia antisyphilitica (Candelilia) Wax, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacidadipate-2, Cyclopentasiloxane, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Propylene Carbonate, Sericite, Isododecane, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Polycaprylyisilsesquioxane, Silicone Dioxide, Silicone Dimethyl Silytate, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylexylglycerin May contain (+/-) Titanium Dioxide (Cl 77891), Red Iron Oxide (Cl 77491), Black Iron Oxide (Cl77499), Yellow Iron Oxide (Cl 77492)

Okay. So those claims sound impressive, but I think one of the things this product promises trumps everything for me and that is "LIFE-PROOF!" It's actually in the name of the product itself. It's a pretty bold claim to be honest and it made me so intrigued!

I don't think it's life-proof in a sense that it's permanent like tattoos. It's more like it can withstand someone's everyday struggles may it be running under the rain or traveling under the heat and pollution of Metro Manila (with an extremely oily skin like mine). And if this baby can do just that, then shut up and take my money right away!

The brow gel is housed in a clear acrylic container where you can see the shade of the product you're getting. It has a metallic pink cap that adds to the feminine but classy appeal. It's labeled with Project Vanity's logo and at the side it shows that it has a long shelf life of two years!

Since it's from Ellana Mineral Cosmetics, expect that it's cruelty-free which is awesome. As a pet owner, I try my best to support brands that are against animal testing. This is also paraben-free and fragrance-free and is enriched with Marula Oil that helps strengthen hair. 

Now for the shades,

The Light Brown is probably the most common shade I see when it comes to Asian makeup. I also think that it will be their bestseller.

The shade is a neutral brown and I think it's not really that light. It is lighter than their Dark Brown (so I guess it's just brown?), but it's dark enough to actually work with my dark brow hair. But with a good use of a spoolie, you can create light brown strokes and it will suit even those with blonde hair color.

Red Brown is like a brick red-brown color. 

I've observed that reddish hair color is pretty popular and worn by many lately and I think this will work with them.

Finally, the Dark Brown has a cool, dark taupe tint to it. It really suits thick, dark brow hair strands. It can even double as an eyeliner too!

I think this one perfectly pairs with my dark brow hair. Before, whenever I do my makeup, from afar my brow looks okay, but when I take closeup shots, my brows look weird. The usual dark brown shades I buy from Korean makeup brands were still pretty light next to my brow hair and it really turns me off whenever I see it (specially when I write my posts). I even tried using black brow pencils but they are just too dark that the finish just looks glaring for me. This Dark Brown shade is just the perfect shade for me and I usually pair it with Light Brown for a more natural finish.

So below are the swatches:

That's how it looks when I apply it. You gotta wait a few seconds to a minute for it to set.
The pigmentation is strong and you gotta make sure to blend for a more natural finish.

When I rub it lightly, you barely see any difference. It didn't smudge nor did it fade.

But if I rub it hard, there's minimal fading but still no smudge! Impressive, right?

Now to test it's lasting powers:

Here it is when rubbed while wet. No smudge, no fade, just awesome!

And finally, rubbed with oil (I used VCO here). NO DAMAGE AT ALL. 
Like, how? But, Wow!

So how do I remove it?

Makeup removers and light rubbing can do the trick. I have tried it with oil-based makeup removers and micellar water can also work.

Below is how it looks on my brows. I use Dark Brown here:

Bare brows
See my dark brow hair?

Dark Brown pairs well with my brow hair, specially the bottom part. Although recently I pair it with light brown and I put that at the top and the inner corner part and blend it well with a spoolie to achieve a more natural finish.

So to summarize my experience with it:

What I LIKE:
- LIFE-PROOF INDEEEEED!!! It's smudge-proof and waterproof
- Comes in three Asian-friendly shades
- Affordable at PhP 499.00
- Highly pigmented
- Can double as a gel eyeliner
- Packaging looks good and travel-friendly
- 2 years shelf life
- Love local! 
- Cruelty-free
- Fragrance-free, paraben-free

What I'm NEUTRAL about:
- It doesn't come with an angled brow brush so you'll have to buy one
- It's easy for me to use to be honest but I do know some people who prefer working with pencils because they really are easier to use

What I DON'T LIKE:
- Nothing so far

So when I heard about this product, I had high expectations and fortunately, it was met with flying colors! I am in-love and I actually recommended it to friends a couple of days of using it. I'm so happy that Project Vanity and Ellana made this collaboration and I sure hope they make more because this is just magic! I am in-love for sure and I really recommend this product if you're a fan of brow pomades. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

And that's my review of the The Project Vanity x Ellana Life-Proof Eyebrow Gel. Let me know if you've personally tried it and what you think about it!


Cheers,
DAWN

Disclaimer: The three eyebrow gels were sent to me for review, but everything written here are honest thoughts about my experience using the products. :)