YSL Couture Brow Wardrobe Review

My brows are an important part of my makeup and I feel they set the tone for my entire look. It's no secret that brows frame the face and that's why it is so important to keep them in good condition. Using the right brow products, tools and technique is a sure way of nailing the perfect brow look. YSL Beauty Couture Brow Collection consists of various brow products and I could not resist the opportunity to try them out for myself. I was kindly sent the following products to try: the Couture Brow Palette*, Couture Eye Marker*, Dessin Des Sourcils* and the Couture Brow Mascara*. You all know I am a big fan of YSL Baby Doll Mascara and it is one of the best mascaras I have ever tried. I am on my 3rd or 4th back up and I don't think I will be stopping any time soon. Based on my amazing experience with the YSL Baby Doll Mascara (review here), I had very high hopes for their Couture Brow products. I have used them for around two weeks now and I wanted to share my thoughts on them.



Overview of the YSL Couture Brow Wardrobe 
The word "couture" is a French word which basically means "made to measure (customised)". You probably would have heard this word used more in fashion than in beauty. However, there's no rule that says it can't be used in beauty, in fact many people are already creating "couture" or customised versions of their makeup be it by mixing foundation shades to get the perfect match or mixing brow products or even eyeshadows. I love the idea of being able to create customised makeup for myself  although I have to say I don't like mixing foundations (I just prefer to have the right shade). The concept of customising brow shades using different formulas was very interesting to me and I have enjoyed learning new ways of doing my brows.



Dessin Des Sourcil (Eyebrow Pencil)* //Link // £21
If there's one brow product that is always in my stash, it has to be a good eyebrow pencil. Before I ventured into trying other brow products, I used a brow pencil to outline and fill in my brows and it actually worked well for me. I still use a brow pencil to outline my brows (which are quite sparse and unruly) but I now use other products to fill and customise my brows. YSL describes the Dessin Des Sourcils as the ultimate eye makeup essential which is a deluxe dual ended precision pencil with a spoolie/brush. It is designed to help shape, shade and define the brows for a beautiful natural look. I love how beautiful this pencil looks and anything with hints of gold in the packaging always looks luxurious. I particularly love the spoolie end of this pencil as it firmly but gently grabs all my brow hairs and brushes them in the direction I want.



There are about 4 shades available and I was sent the shade 04 Cendre which is not a good match for my complexion. If you do have an Ash Grey/Brown brows, I think this will work well for your brows or complexion. I did try it for my brows but it did not show up on my complexion at all and looked a bit off. However, I could tell that the formula was an amazing one as it felt beautifully waxy and it did not drag across my brows at all. However, I use it to line my waterline for a subtle effect which works well for everyday wear. I find that the regular black eyeliner, especially during the day, looks a bit too intense so a brown or greyish brown eyeliner works beter if you are after a subtle look. Thankfully, it is ophthalmologically tested and suitable for sensitive eyes and/or contact lens wearers which is great because I am a contact lens wearer and also have sensitive eyes. I have read good reviews about using the Dessin Des Sourcils as a brow pencil to outline the brows so it's one I'd be looking to try at some point (in a darker shade though).






Couture Eye Marker* //Link //£22
The Couture Eye Marker part of the Couture collection although it is not a brow product. There is a Couture Brow Marker which sounds like a great product and I need to swatch it in a YSL counter soon. YSL describe the Couture Eye Marker as an easy-to-use Marker Pen (felt pen eyeliner) designed to create a bold look with a new edge of femininity. If you read my blog regularly or see me in real life, you'd know that I rarely ever do my makeup without eyeliner. It just won't look the same and my eyes look like it is missing something. I have always used felt tip liner pens especially the slim ones. However, I was excited to be trying a different chunky nib/tip for a more dramatic look. I did struggle a little in the first few days to get the hang of using the Couture Eye Marker because the nib was different but now, I feel like a pro. The good thing about the Couture Eye Marker is that the nib has a curved shape with different sides so you can still create both thin precise lines or chunky graphic ones. If you are a lover of the cat eye flick, you will adore this eyeliner because it is very precise. It is also long lasting and I think it is waterproof because it does not smudge all over my eyes even after a long humid dat. I did not know I'd be a fan of a different eyeliner nib but I am totally loving it.




Couture Brow (Brow Mascara)* //Link //£22
I have never really been a brow mascara girl because I just never found any one I liked and I thought they were a bit of an unnecessary step. I did try a couple of brow mascaras a few years ago and I never really enjoyed them so I did not bother trying to invest in a more expensive one. I just concluded they were not for me until the lovely YSL Couture Brow arrived. The first thing that caught my eye was the luxurious packaging. It just looks so gorgeous and it definitely atracted me to give it a try. According to YSL, the Couture Brow is designed to allow you fix, structure and intensify your brows. I read on the website that it is inspired by Lloyd Simmonds who is YSL 's International Creative Director of Makeup and I guess he is behind its development. Again, it is all about customising the brows so you can be as natural or as dramatic as you want with long lasting results.




There are two shades available-1 Brun Adore and 2-Blonde Couture and I chose the 1 Brun Adore which is a medium dark brown shade. I love that it has a long applicator with small bristles that fit well into my brows. It can be used alone if you fancy but I do prefer to use it to tame my brows after using the Couture Brow Palette. I use light strokes so I still maintain natural looking brows and it adds a slight hint of colour to them. The main reason why I love using it is because it keeps my brow hairs in place all day. They don't move around at all and they usually do if I use only brow powders or brow pencils. It is a light gel formula but it does not give you sticky or stiff brows and I think that's what sets this brow mascara apart from all the others I have previously tried. I can safely say that I have now been converted to a Brow Mascara fan and a massive thanks to YSL for this.





Couture Brow Palette* / Link //£35
The Couture Brow Palette has to be my favourite product from the entire collection. YSL Beauty describe it as an all-in-one kit which allows you create a couture custom brow and I absolutely agree. There's no way we are ignoring the lovely gold signature YSL packaging!! It's even more stunning in real life and an absolute joy to use. Inside the Couture Brow Palette you get the following products: a 3-Colour Brow Powder, a Mini angled brush and a Pair of tweezers complete with the YSL Beauty logo. There are two shades available-01 Light and 02 Medium/Dark and I opted for the 02 Medium Dark which is a perfect match for my brows. I have to commend YSL beauty for creating the amazing mini tools that came with this palette. Generally, I get rid of any mini tools that come with eyeshadow palettes or brow palettes because they are never good quality and this is based on my previous experiences.  However, I am so glad I did not get rid of these YSL ones and to be fair, I really wasn't going to because they looked so lush and well made. I was looking to save them for any short trips but I decided to give them a try and fell in love with them. The mini angled brush has stiff bristles which really helps with the application of the brow powders. I cannot believe how much I love this brush and I wish I could purchase a bigger size.






At first, I struggled with the size of the mini angled brow brush because my hands are used to bigger brushes. However, I got used to it withing a few days and that's all I now use with this palette. The application is superb and I have tried my other angled eyebrow brushes but they don't come close to the YSL one so it is a winner in my books. I have not yet tried the Tweezers but I am pretty sure they'd perform well based on my experience with the angled brush. The Couture Brow Palettee has three shades of brow powders which include a light brown, medium/dark brown and a very dark brown/black shade. I usually start off with the darkest shade for the middle part of my brow and fill it in until I get to the middle. Then I go in with the medium brown shade for the top of my brow. The trick to create a customised and natural looking brows is to vary the intensity or create a graduated colour. Generally, brows get darker as they move towards the tail if you want a natural and realistic brow look. I tend to ensure that the inner part of my brows are not too dark unless they end lookingquite unnatural and even borderline scary. I use the lighter brown shade as an all over eyeshadow colour for days when I want a nude shade for my lids and it works so well. I sometimes use the middle brow shade as a crease colour and believe me, it looks like I have made an effort with my eyeshadow when I really have not. The brow powders can also be mixed together to create a better matching shade for your brows.  The Couture Brow Palette is excellent for creating the custom brow look I love. I absolutely love this brow palette and I have gotten so much use form it in a short time. I can imagine it coming on a any short trips with me because it contains everything I would ever need to create the brow look I love.



Where to Buy
You can purchase the YSL Couture Brow products from the YSL website as well as other retailers who stock YSL. I know they tend to offer discounts when you sign up to their newsletters so it is worth signing up to and you can also get free samples with purchases. YSL is a luxury beauty brand so they also have a matching luxury price however they have great quality. 



Overall Thoughts
What can I say? I am so happy I got to try some products from the YSL Couture Brow Collection and I have discovered new ways to create natural looking brows. If you only wanted to purchase one product from the entire collection, I will definitely recommend the Couture Brow Palette. It is the most expensive but I feel it offers the most value and will last a pretty long time because the brow powders are well pigmented. Apart from that, it comes in such beautiful packaging, what's not to love? I hope you enjoyed this post and I will see you in my next one. Have you tried any products from the YSL Couture Brow Wardrobe?
*PR Samples + Affiliate links used, read my full disclaimer here.