Splurge vs Save: Which eyebrow peel-off tint is better, K-Palette or Maybelline?

In the era post-2000s bushy brow revival, there are #blessed girls... and then there’s me.

Ladies and gentlefolk, I will not mince words: my brows are a pair of jerks. While practice has allowed me to more-or-less perfect the rest of my makeup routine (even the dreaded winged liner causes me no anxiety), the very thought of having to shape my brows has me exhausted. Not only are they sparse to begin with - they’re also very uneven and ridiculously unruly. While getting K-pop bangs has helped my struggles some, I still spend a ridiculous amount of time and effort getting my eyebrows anywhere close to presentable. In fact, I was even tempted to spring for microblading, if only to cut down on my daily prep time. Unfortunately, my fear of needles trumped my need for better arches.

Frankie the Browless Wonder

With truly (semi) permanent brow options out of the question, I cast about for a long-wearing, less painful solution. That's when I discovered peel-off “tattoo” tints, the lazy girl’s answer to perfect kilay for days! Unlike the more common brow mascaras, peel-off tints stain both the brow and the skin underneath, leaving an imprint or “tattoo” that promise to last all the way up to a week.

Convinced, I cast about for locally-available recommendations. Most people pointed me in the direction of PV-approved K-Palette Lasting Eyebrow Tint (P895 at Beauty Bar). The Japanese brand is already a legend when it comes to its brow products, and based on Liz's trial, results can last up to five days. I'm happy enough to pay good money for something that can save me from daily brow-related stress but I needed to know: are there more affordable options? A contender presented itself in the form of the Maybelline Tattoo Brow Gel Tint (P599 at the beauty section), one of the newer offerings from the drugstore giant. As my first ever HG brow pencil was the Maybelline Crayon Brow, I just had to give this more budget-friendly option a go as well!

The Legend: K-Palette Lasting Eyebrow Tint

Up front, here’s what I didn’t like about K-Palette: I had to wait at least two hours for this stuff to “cure” on my brows. Most people, in fact, advise that you leave it on overnight but as I wanted to capture my foray into temporarily tattoo-ed brows, I stupidly decided to wait until I got to work to put the gel on. Welp, at least my officemates were entertained.

Another thing that I found difficult about K-Palette was how quickly it “set,” meaning any mistakes I made in painting my brows on were more or less there to stay. My previous foray into brow tints was a Solone Light Tattoo Brow Gel that I picked up in a Taiwanese convenience store; it was awfully gloppy but at least it came with a set of stencils. No such luck with K-Palette, meaning that beginners at brow-shaping might want to get brow stencils for better control of the application.

After two hours, though, the results looked well worth the wait: my brows were intensely pigmented, and even approximated the “straight brow” style I favored! The stain was also diffused enough to let my brow hairs shine through, adding to the overall natural look. I had to fill in the ends a bit with a pencil but touch-ups were minimal and, true to form, the tint lasted even through me scrubbing my face!

Rating:

• Longevity: 5/5

• Ease of Use: 3.5/5

• Visual Effect: 4/5

• Price: 4/5 (K-Palette is pricey, but you do get a lot of product at 8.5g)

The New Kid: Maybelline Tattoo Brow Gel Tint

As tattoo tints originated in East Asia, I was a bit skeptical of this Western brand being able to stand toe-to-toe with Japanese brow technology. Upon trying out the Tattoo Brow Gel Tint, however, I became a believer! While the formula is a bit goopier, Maybelline's was a bit easier to apply, with the thicker texture actually working to its advantage. It allowed me to “shave” off mistakes with my fingernails before it began to set and tint the area. Better still, I only had to leave this on for twenty minutes, meaning I could paint them on during my ride to work and arrive with my brows perfectly done.

The results were admittedly fainter than K-Palette’s intense stain but because I was able to apply it more precisely, the overall effect seemed a little more natural. Of course, waiting only twenty minutes meant I had to sacrifice some staying power - these brows faded a bit after washing my face, but they still were tinted enough for me to simply touch up with my brow pencil the next day, instead of starting from scratch!

Rating:

• Longevity: 4/5

• Ease of Use: 4/5

• Visual Effect: 4.5/5

• Price: 3.5/5 (Maybelline is cheaper, but you get less product at just 5ml)

My verdict? While I would still swear by K-Palette for its longevity and intense tint, I find myself reaching for the Maybelline tint more! It's easier to use, faster to apply, and still leaving a lovely though not as long-lasting and effect. Maybelline feels friendlier for beginners as well, without compromising on #kilaygoals.

If you're more advanced when it comes to eyebrow application and prefer to have your tint stay on for close to a week, go for the K-Palette!

Have you tried these brow tints? Which one do you prefer? And if you have other recos, send them my way by leaving a comment!