Colourpop Precision brow pencil review

In this review we will be having a closer look at Colourpop’s Dope Taupe brow pencil. This is the first new brow pencil I have tried in months. I was first stuck on using up an Essence pencil that lasted ages and then one by Etude House which also lasted forever. So I happy to come to you and report that I have used up the Etude House pencil and have now tested out the Colourpop Precision Brow Pencil in Dope Taupe. Will this one last as long?

Review: Colourpop Precision Brow Pencil in Dope Taupe

Colourpop is known for its affordable products and I have heard many people rave about their brow pencils. So when I decided to do a full face of Colourpop, I knew I wanted to throw in some of their brow products to try. This brow pencil, which is a twist up style pencil, retails for $6. I got this as part of a larger order: as I always recommend you do if you live outside of the US and you wish to buy Colourpop. At the end of the day, waiting for a sale and buying a bit more makes it more worth it in the end than buying one single item from the California based brand. It’s time they set up shop in (continental) Europe.

What does this brow pencil have to offer?

Colourpop promises this formula to be waterproof (and therefore budgeproof) with extreme precision for clearly defined brows. I personally love a twist up brow pencil, with the Soap & Glory Archery Brow pencil being a longstanding favorite. So this format it right up my street. However, packaging wise I immediately have one gripe about this product. The twist up pencil is not retractable! Once twisted up, I can no longer twist this back down which is a bit of a shame. This means you will end up wasting product as there is always product sticking out at the end and you always run the risk of accidentally breaking off part of the pencil.

What is the shade like?

I remember some years ago, it was very difficult to find a brow product that had a cooler undertone. If you’re a blond like myself, many brow products look too warm and almost red or orange on you. It is certainly what I ended up not loving about my Etude House pencil that I used up last: it looked very red. Not so badly that it was noticeable but I could see it. Dope Taupe by Colourpop looked promising in terms of its undertone. The next shade down, which is actually marketed as being for blondes, looked too warm in many of the swatches I saw. So this is what I do often with brow products: I go one shade up. This is often too dark, but as with foundations often being too light for me in order to match my neck, with brows I find that the undertone is what matters most for a natural look. I would rather have a shade that is too dark that has the ashy undertone I am looking for, than have it be too warm toned and have it clash badly with my natural brow hair color. You can control (and therefore correct) depth, but undertone you cannot.

What does this pencil swatch like?

At first glance I really liked this pencil. It is not as hard as the Essence and Etude House pencils I last tried (which is why they took such a long time to use up), but it has a rather soft formula. However, where those were too hard, this is almost too soft. I only have to very lightly touch this to my brows to get the color payoff I need. And with a soft pencil comes longevitity: this is the kind of brow pencil that you go through in a matter of weeks. Also, because of its soft formula I feel I cannot be as precise as I’d like. Rather than giving me the opportunity to draw on hair like strokes, this makes my brows look quite blocky. So good for filling in, but not the best for a drawn on feathery look.

How does this brow product apply?

What I do really appreciate about this brow product is the shade. If I get the application just right like in these pictures, I feel it looks bang on with my natural hair color, the natural color of my brows and my lashes. It is a very natural shade that is neither too warm nor too cool toned. Application wise I find this one a bit of a faff. Since I cannot twist this up all the way or it won’t twist back, there is no way of telling how much product is still left or how much product you get to begin with with this one. So I cannot be sure how long this will last me for.

However, I have been using it for just over a week now and I think that with daily use this should be gone by the end of February/ early March. That’s purely judging it by the texture though: if this comes with more product than most brow pencils it might last longer, but I suspect this may be one of those MAC Fling moments, where you end up replacing it over and over and over again and you’d do well to always have 2 backups on hand so you can last a good while.

My final thoughts

For a drugstore eyebrow pencil, I think the Colourpop Precision Brow Pencil in Dope Taupe has quite a lot to offer. It has a great shade for my complexion and it is quite easy to use. I wish the packaging had a better design and that this wasn’t just a twist up but fully retractable as well. The soft texture means you will fly through this and for me that is where this product falls short. Because being in Europe means that this pencil doesn’t cost me $6 but more like $10 and guess what the price point is on my favorite that I can simply order from Boots? Yup that Soap & Glory one I just mentioned. Not to mention the fact that both Essence and Catrice do some decent brow products that for me are even cheaper to get.

Would I recommend the Colourpop Precision Brow Pencil in Dope Taupe?

I think if you are a US citizen and can get Colourpop quite easily, this is a steal of a brow product. However, if you live anywhere else the mark up after paying for shipping and handling fees is just not making it worth it in my book. Yes, this is a good brow pencil, but where I don’t like brow pencils that last me months on end, I am also not a huge fan of the ones I need to repurchase over and over again. I like something that is somewhere in the middle that lasts me 8 – 10 weeks before it is gone and I can move on to something else.

What drugstore brow product is your favorite?