056. Kosas Air Brow, On The Radar: Film
Sharing an in-depth look at the Kosas Air Brow products and films I’m looking forward to watching week by week.
Hi, I’m Maggie and welcome to Tender Forms Off-Camera: a weekly newsletter about slow beauty and slow living. Links in this newsletter may include affiliate links or discount referrals. If you enjoy and would like to support this newsletter, click the button below or shop through my links! No pressure but thank you if you do.
I am so thankful to my Sister-In-Law for getting me a Kosas gift card for my birthday! Immediately, I purchased the Kosas Air Brow in both the Tinted and Clear versions (plus something else that will be appearing in a newsletter soon). You’ll remember both items from my most recent podcast in Newsletter 051. In it, I was debating between the Black-Brown and Grey shades. Luckily, a friend of mine had already purchased them. After hearing her thoughts and taking the Kosas brow match quiz, I decided to buy the Black shade. Spoiler alert: I am so happy I did.
I don’t like to buy multiples of an item type, but I purchased both the Tinted and Clear versions because I wanted to review the difference and let you know whether you need both. First, let’s talk about the packaging.
You have undoubtedly seen these across social media. The general consensus seems to be: everyone loves it. The packaging is “cute,” “delightful,” “so cool.” And they are all of these things, though I can’t say it’s a style I’m drawn to. They both twist and click close, though one of them is a tad squeaky when doing so.
What I want to highlight is the brush shape. I haven’t tried many brow gels; in fact, I’ve only tried two: the Honest Beauty Mascara Primer (technically it’s for eyelashes, but I’ve used it for brows) and the Saie Brow Butter in Clear. Both the Tinted and Clear versions have the same brush head. Right off the bat, the shape of this brush is so peculiar! It’s a lean, pyramid shape. Like many others, the bristles extend outward from the center, but it creates three flat sides and comes inward, making a peak. This shape, to me, is revolutionary. It allows for such great application.
Kosas Air Brow - Tinted (Black, $22, 3.7g | .12floz)
I tried the Tinted one first because I was most excited about it. Here were my expectations going in:
Fills in brows in a natural way
Provides feathery brows
Sets and holds brow hairs
All my brow products in one
Guess what? It does all of these while conditioning and supporting brow growth. The brand describes it perfectly as a “moussey-gel.” Compared to the Saie Brow Butter, this one sets drier. I immediately preferred this one over Saie’s. It feels lightweight, holds but is somewhat flexible, so it deploys a softer finish and looks so natural. Of course, there is a learning curve.
Again, I want to thank my friend because hearing her experience helped me troubleshoot faster. I already knew going in that I can’t brush over it several times. If I do, it starts clumping and flaking. So I went in quickly on my first use but was so focused on working swiftly that I didn’t even have time to pay attention to how I was using the brush. Thus, I got a bit of flaking because I ended up using the flat side and depositing too much product. I also went in with a separate spoolie to brush through, and that caused additional flaking.
Here’s how I applied it moving forward with no flakes:
Backcomb outer third to deposit tint onto brow hairs without touching the skin underneath.
Then brush through, starting at the front of the brow, making sure the ends of the bristles are perpendicular to my face. This allows the brush to separate the lashes giving it a feathery look.
I brush upwards for the inner to middle parts of the brow. Then I angle the brush slightly downward for the outer third.
This application gives me such natural brows! I have (to me) enough hairs on the inner two-thirds of my brows, and this fills the outer third to match the rest. I prefer not to have super full brows. Though I have a ton of long, jet black hair, my brows themselves have always been lighter, so this looks and feels most natural to me. It takes a very light hand to achieve this, so it will take some conditioning on my part to get used to using this product and applying brows quickly.
I was pleasantly surprised by how well this held the shape of my brows throughout the day too! I don’t touch my face (aside from lips when I eat), and this keeps the hairs in place for a solid 8 hours.
I also want to briefly talk about shade matching. Upon close inspection in natural light, the Black tint is not pitch black. Instead, I’d describe it as a warm, deep charcoal. Again, gathering intel from my friend, it seems the Grey would be too light for my liking, and the Black-Brown a bit too warm for my cooler preference. I’m so glad I went with Black because it’s just cool-leaning with a whisper of warmth and the right depth of color. I also took the Brow Quiz on the website and was matched to the Black.
Kosas Air Brow - Clear ($22, 3.7g | .12floz)
The most significant difference between the Tinted and Clear versions is that the Clear gives you that laminated brow look. It also fluffs, sets, and is termed a “treatment gel” for supporting brow growth. While I was already surprised by the Tinted version, I have to say I’m even more surprised by the Clear version.
I can’t say I truly understand the difference between feathery and laminated brows, but all I know is that I love how this makes my brows look. If you have Asian brow hairs, then most likely, you’ll understand the difficulty of getting your stiff, long, but sparse brow hairs to stay in place. Up until now, there was no green beauty version that could achieve this. Somehow both Kosas Air Brows do it, with an ingredient list that puts my already sparse brows at ease.
Here’s how I do my brows with the Clear version:
Backcomb outer third to deposit product and lift slightly.
Brush upwards through inner to middle parts, making sure the ends of the bristles are perpendicular to my face.
Angle the brush slightly downward and work through the rest of the outer third.
Fill in the outer third by drawing hair-like strokes using my trusty MOB Beauty M41 Cake Liner on my trusty Evan Healy Duo Brow Brush.
The first day I did this, I kept catching my brows whenever I passed by a mirror. They just looked how I always wanted them to look! Of course, the real question was if the hold would last. I already had great results from the Tinted version. However, the Clear gives me much more defined, lengthened, and separated brows. It also feels weightless compared to the Tinted version. And to my delight, it lasts! After a long workday, my brows were as upright as they were at the start of the day.
Finally, I decided to try the two methods together. I needed to know if I really needed both products. So I did the strongest brow I’ve ever dared. I started with the Clear, filled with brow powder, then added another coat of the Tinted. *Yes, I know this isn’t quite the order the brand suggests (pencil, tinted, clear), but I didn’t want to, for lack of a better word, goop up my Clear version with the Tinted one.
At the end of the day, which one (or combo) you get depends on your preferred brow look. To me, I love the Clear version with my brow powder of choice. It still looks natural but lifts and defines my brow hairs. Plus, it’s more user-friendly because I’m already filling my brows with powder, and the Clear offers no mess or excess buildup.
Here’s how I look at it:
Tinted Air Brow: Best if you like a stronger brow and want a 2-in-1 (tint and hold)
Clear Air Brow (my personal favorite): Best if you already have full brows and just need hold and setting, want a laminated effect but weightless feel, or prefer using another brow product to tint and fill (powder, pencil)
Both: If you like the fullest, fluffiest of brows with extra hold and treatment, or prefer changing up your brow looks day to day
I love the price point ($22) and PAO of 6 months. The difference between 3 to 6 months is vast when it comes to brow products. I haven’t used this long enough to comment on whether it increases brow growth, but I will keep you posted! All in all, I am very impressed by this release and so happy with both (though when the repurchase time comes, it will be the Clear). That’s how much I love it; I’m already thinking about repurchasing!
Despite all the delayed production of last year, this year is already proving to be far more interesting in terms of releases. Here are the films I’ve been looking forward to the most as I count down the weeks.
Mainstream (May 7, VOD - Video On Demand)
Though this is already released, I’m waiting until it pops up on one of our many streaming service subscriptions. This is Gia Coppola’s sophomore film following ‘Palo Alto.’ (I happened to recently watch this for the first time and gave it ★★.) ‘Mainstream’ stars Andrew Garfield and Maya Hawke (daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman). The premise sounds pretty awesome, and it’s rated R. Keeping my expectations low as I’m sure it will be a guilty pleasure. But that leaves it room to impress.
Those Who Wish Me Dead (May 14, HBO Max / Theaters)
I’m writing this before its premiere, but by the time you’re reading, ‘Those Who Wish Me Dead’ has just premiered on HBO Max Friday night. Despite only knowing the early cryptic premise that went something like: “A woman shelters a kid as he’s chased by killers,” I am all in because I’m a huge Taylor Sheridan fan. You’ll recognize the writer turned director’s past works: ‘Sicario’ (writer), ‘Hell or High Water’ (writer), and ‘Wind River’ (writer/director). He returns as writer (though credits are shared with two others) and director. Not to mention the stellar cast has me hooked too: Angelina Jolie, Nicholas Hoult, Jon Bernthal, and that creepy dude from Game of Thrones, Aidan Gillen.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (June 4, HBO Max / Theaters)
I mean, I’ve been looking forward to this since 2016’s ‘The Conjuring 2’ (I can’t believe it’s been that long). I must say, it’s been nearly impossible to avert my eyes amidst all the places this trailer has been playing. I pray that YouTube won’t show me another spoiler thumbnail. Luckily, it’s just over three weeks out. (You won’t believe all my efforts in searching for the key art so as not to spoil anything. I almost didn’t include an image.)
The Green Knight (July 30, Theaters)
It’s been far too long a wait for this gem. It was slated to premiere last year, but we all know how that went. But now there’s finally a release date. ‘The Green Knight’ is David Lowery’s latest endeavor with his beloved A24 studio. As with his previous film, ‘A Ghost Story,’ he returns as writer, director, and editor. The cast includes seasoned and “lesser-known” but equally skilled actors: Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Sean Harris, and Barry Keoghan. I treated myself to the trailer this morning and can’t wait.
Thanks so much for reading! I’d love to know if you’ve tried the new Kosas brow products and what you’re looking forward to watching! You can always leave a comment (comment bubble icon) or reply directly to this email to chat one on one. If you know someone curious about Kosas Air Brow, I’d love for you to share this newsletter with them!
Next week will have my On The Radar: TV picks. As always, I hope you have a great start to your week. See you next Sunday!
I love how thorough and technical you always are with your reviews!!! You have sold me on Kosas Air Brow! The only brow product I have tried is Glossier Boy Brow, I really enjoyed the Black one but not so much their clear one! I haven't repurchased it again for many years though but now I have the Kosas one to look forward to. I was tempted to buy the tinted one based on my experience with the Glossier but my brows are quite unruly and thick already so maybe the clear one would be best (and I haven't threaded my brows in ages, so probably why I liked the tinted one before!). And Lamination look does not mean "shiny" like a hair gel does it?