There can be only one.

I have been using MAKE UP FOREVER's Aqua Brow for several years now and heard that Anastasia Beverly Hills DIPBROW Pomade would be better for oily skin.  After taking a trip to Sephora to pick up a sample, I decided to let the two fight to the death.

I am Duncan MacLeod.

SWATCH

Here is the swatch of MAKE UP FOREVER Aqua Brow in Color 30 Dark Brown (left) beside Anastasia Bevery Hills DIPBROW Pomade in Chocolate (right).  DIPBROW Chocolate seems to be the closest shade to the Aqua Brow 30 Dark Brown (the Sephora associate and I swatched the DIPBROW pomades against the Aqua Brow 30 Dark Brown).

MAKE UP FOREVER Aqua Brow Shade 30 Dark Brown - Left  |  Anastasia Beverly Hills DIPBROW Pomade in Chocolate - Right

It's a little hard to tell in the picture but DIPBROW in Chocolate is a little warmer than Aqua Brow 30 Dark Brown which is more ashy.  The swatches are still very similar and barely noticeable if you switch between the two.

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

The two have different applications.  For MAKE UP FOREVER Aqua Brow, you simply extract a small dot of product onto your hand and dab the brow brush and apply.  Some claim that this is messier than DIPBROW but honestly it's not.  There is literally a dot of product on your hand that you can wash off.  No need to call the EPA for a mass clean up.

For Anastasia's DIPBROW you open the jar and dab your brow brush directly into the product.  This seems less sanitary to me than the tube packaging of Aqua Brow.

The consistency of Aqua Brow is more liquid than DIPBROW.  Both are easy to apply but I feel that DIPBROW adheres better (you can see in the swatch).  Sometimes when I apply Aqua Brow it seems to just not want to stick to my skin - and sometimes the brush will actually remove product than add more.  I'm not sure if it's the brush, because the same (clean) brush applies DIPBROW just fine.  Wiping the brow area with a towel to remove foundation helps, but for some that is not an option.

Another thing to note is if you live in a dry climate you may want to consider Aqua Brow over DIPBROW because the tube packaging of Aqua Brow will ensure the product doesn't dry out.  I have heard many times that DIPBROW will dry out within a few months.  Aqua Brow has lasted me a very long time - about a year of daily use.

THE SMUDGE TEST

I gently slide my finger perpendicular to the brow to see how smudge-proof it really is with oily skin.  "How hard did you press?"  Think sensually grazing a tomato.  I know we do what we can to not touch our face, but sometimes it happens and we need to see what that looks like.

THE HUG TEST

What the heck is that?  Well how else are you going to test that there brow filler, son?  Just imagine you finally got your hands on that new Jeffree Star Skin Frost highlighter palette.  Your girlfriend just texts you and as you reach for your phone, you knock that palette off the table.  Watch in slow motion as it bursts into a plume of fabulous chaos.  What do you do?  Cry, of course.  Cry to your significant other while you press your face into his or her manly bicep.  "How could this day get any worse?" you shriek.  Your eyebrows rub off on your SO's crisp white t-shirt.

So... the hug test is basically just that, oily skinned one.  Will your brows still be on your face after the above scenario?  Let's find out.
Note:  Simply press onto a white tee for ten seconds.  No rubbing and using reasonable pressure.  Since it's hard to measure pressure accurately for this, I replicated the same test several times throughout the week to ensure the results are comparable.  

RESULTS

I want to note that I did not use foundation, primer or a setting powder for these tests.  We all use different products and there are too many variables involved.  So I just applied on bare skin.  Setting powder or primer has not made a difference for me as far as lasting power anyway.  Now for the moment of truth...

I'm ready for my close up... Yikes!

So they perform pretty much the same.  At any rate, it's best to keep the product in your bag so that you can touch up after blotting.

WHAT I CHOSE

I am going to purchase the full size of Anastasia Beverly Hills DIPBROW Pomade in Chocolate.  I just find it easier and faster to apply because the pigment jumps onto my skin better than Aqua Brow.  I feel like I need to use more Aqua Brow to get the same look as DIPBROW.

In the end, they are still very good products and I believe it might be best to try both!

Garden of Wisdom Mandelic Acid 5% Serum (No Alcohol/No Seaweed)

I purchased a sample size of the Garden of Wisdom Mandelic Acid 5% Serum (No Alcohol/No Seaweed) in hopes to find a mild AHA (alphahydroxy acid - a chemical exfoliant) that wouldn't cause my skin to freak out.  My skin will not tolerate Glycolic Acid so I needed something more gentle.  This serum is advertised to reduce pore size, improve complexion, even out skin tone and help to lighten skin irregularities and hyperpigmentation.  Honestly, I could not wait to give it a try.

Garden of Wisdom Mandelic Acid 5% Serum has a PH of approximately 2.5

PH:  2.5 

INGREDIENTS 

Spring Water, Rooibos (red) Extract, Mandelic Acid, Lactic Acid, L-lysine, Sodium PCA, Panthenol B-5, Sodium Lactate, Hyaluronic Acid

Notable Ingredients:

• Rooibos (red) Extract - A powerful antioxidant with anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties.
• Mandelic Acid - A mild alphahydroxy acid (AHA) derived from the hydrolysis of an extract of bitter almonds and is said to have germicidal qualities.  It acts as an anti-inflammatory and pigmentation suppressant.  
• Lactic Acid - An alphahydroxy acid (AHA) derived from sugarcane or milk; used to gently exfoliate dead skin cells.
• Sodium PCA - Skin repairing agent.
• Hyaluronic Acid - A humectant and skin conditioner that it helps prevent skin dehydration.

Hnnggg, a limited ingredient product packed with goodies?  It's what my body craves.

Get on my face!

COSDNA Alerts:  

Ratings for potential Acne Triggers, Irritants and Safety Hazards.

• Lactic Acid - Rank 4 Index Safety
• Sodium Lactate - Rank 4 Index Safety

(According to COSDNA, the Safety Index is ranked from 1 - 9 with "the lower number means this ingredient is low hazard... Safety is a comprehensive index focus on safety on long term usage, according to harmful report from CIR, RTECS, FDA and other related information. The purpose of the index is more inclined to assess whether long-term injury of skin, cells or the human body.)

Scent:  

The scent is kind of like... that plastic smell when you put a laminating pouch through a laminator.  It doesn't bother me, it's just strange and it doesn't linger either.  But hey, there are no added fragrances.  Not everything smells like roses.

Texture:

Watery... like water.  Well that's the first ingredient isn't it?

Results:

As previously mentioned the product was advertised to reduce pore size, improve complexion, even out skin tone and help to lighten skin irregularities and hyperpigmentation.  I have to say that it did most of the things on that list.

I didn't notice a difference in the reduction of the size of my pores but I did notice that it definitely evened out my skin tone and hyperpigmentation.  I also noted that whenever I did get a pimple it would heal significantly faster with reduced PIH.  Before using it, I would run my fingers across my skin it would feel bumpy from the closed comedones under the skin.  Those have also been reduced after several weeks of use.  As I said I did not notice a difference in pore size but maybe because it is only at 5%.  There are higher percentages available through Garden of Wisdom.

Purchase Again?:

Yes I would definitely repurchase this item.  It was gentle enough to not cause any purging when I *slowly* introduced it into my routine, but it also got the job done.  Garden of Wisdom also offers other variations of this serum with up to 15% Mandelic Acid.  You can view their list of Mandelic Acid products here.

GRADE A-	A Ingredients	B+ Effectiveness	A Wearability	B- Packaging
Garden of Wisdom Mandelic Acid 5% Serum (No Alcohol/No Seaweed) essentially performs as advertised but did not reduce pore size.  The packaging is practical, but ordinary.