In the world of makeup, the (old Hollywood inspired) using soap to achieve a brushed up natural brow trick is definitely nothing new. Although I have used regular soap the odd time in the past for more creative/ editorial looks, before the wave of all these new brow products that do it too became available…I’ve always been reluctant to use actual hand soap on faces, on myself but even more so on clients.
Cue West Barn Co and their now cult product Soap Brows*. Spoiler alert, you need it in your life and I’ll tell you for why. First, a quick bit about the brand ’cause I love an indie brand (or any brand) back story…
West Barn Co’s pro standard, eco conscious products are all cruelty free, vegan certified and handmade in the UK. Founded in Durham (city in north east England) in 2016 by mother daughter duo, Donna and Kim. After their original Soap Brows product pretty much broke the internet back in 2018, the duo took on their first member of staff…fast forward to now, they’re a team of 14 in a WBCo HQ and offer a carefully curated selection of brow and skin care products. Read more about WBCo here.
Why choose a spendier/ smaller product over regular soap?
WBCo’s Soap Brows starts at £12/ €14 for 25g of product, so considering you can get hold of a widely available standard bar of soap (125g ish) for a pound or two it does seem really spendy in comparison, but…
✖️ regular soap isn’t really designed to be left on your skin (especially the skin on your face) for an extended length of time, it can irritate, dry and absolutely does on me hence me not wanting to take the risk and use it on clients. Soap Brows doesn’t dry, irritate and it might be small, but you only need a small amount.
✖️ it can be really hard to find a good cruelty free/ vegan clear soap. You need a clear formula to prevent any residue on your brows/ skin. Soap Brows is cruelty free/ vegan, doesn’t leave any residue and it’s made from high quality skin kind ingredients.
✖️ it comes in a really cute little portable tin, all WBCo packaging is eco friendly and recyclable. Again you only need a really small amount and small as the tin is, it’s going to last ages. From a practical point of view, the Soap Brows is way more convenient/ portable for both kit and personal makeup bag and more sanitary which lets face it, is super important now more than ever. Air tight, easy to keep clean and not huge/ bulky in your makeup bag.
✖️ Bottom line…Soap Brows just works really well. That’s the main thing right?? It brushes brows up perfectly with minimal fuss and once you’ve got them where you want them, it keeps them in place all day. The formula works really well with your other brow products too. I regularly switch up between brow products (pencil/ pomade/ tinted gel etc) and nothing hasn’t worked with it basically.
You can activate your Soap Brows with any setting spray, but I like to use their Prep & Hydrate Facial Mist*. I’ve been using the watermelon one, obsessed (comes in coconut and peppermint too)…they’re handbag sized, smell incredible and they’re refreshing to use as a pick me up hydration spritz throughout the day too. Their bamboo spoolies are really handy (one came with the soap brow order and you can buy those separately in multipacks of 10 or 50 too) and sturdy/ easy to use but I was intrigued by and also picked up their new The Brow Brush which I’ve been really enjoying. You get your spoolie at one end and at the other it’s more of a smoothing brush. Really like that for giving my brows a final smooth in to place.
The West Barn Co Soap Brows is well worth picking up, yes it’s more expensive, but absolutely worth it in my opinion. I love how it makes my brows look. Makes a huge difference in terms of fullness and makes my other brow favourites work harder for me too which I’m all about. I’m really interested to try some of their other products now, the skin care looks amazing. You can get WBCo at BeautyBay* and also their website which I have to say…really positive shopping experience. Their ordering system/ customer service’s great, delivery time (even now with Covid 19 delays) fast and everything was packaged really well. I’ll definitely be ordering directly from their website again.
Let me know if you’d be interested in a Soap Brows how to/ tutorial or even an updated brow routine?
Also have you tried Soap Brows or anything similar? I can’t imagine not having a Soap Brows in my makeup bag now!
Lyd x
PLEASE NOTE:
Due to the current Covid 19 situation, exact dates are TBC however as of August 2020, I’m excited to be based back in Flintshire, North Wales. Currently taking 2020/2021 makeup bookings for North Wales/ Chester/ Cheshire/ Wirral area, UK.
As an experienced and in demand bridal makeup specialist I do get booked up well in advance so if you’re looking for makeup for your wedding day, please contact me asap to check availability/ secure your date (deposit required) to avoid any disappointment.
Also available for makeup for any occasion/ event, lessons and master class…find more information and a full list of services here.
Contact us for enquiries/ bookings and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.