NEW! Benefit's Must-Have Goof Proof Brow Pencil (Free With ELLE!)

If there's one thing I can never have too much of, it's brow products. (And Golden Retrievers, obviously). Although recently having my eyebrows tattooed has eased the stress of creating perfect brows from scratch every morning, I still use a plethora of products over the tattoo to keep them looking as good as possible. Once hidden underneath foundation, my brow shade goes a little to light for my liking, so I usually use a trusty brow pencil to just quickly bolden up the colour. Despite being a bit set in my ways when it comes to brow products (I have my favourites and very much stick to them), when I saw Elle magazine giving away a little Goof Proof brow pencil with a purchase of this month's magazine, I couldn't resist indulging in change.

Beauty enthusiasts among you might already have seen the total relaunch of Benefit's collection of brow products to transform the range into something very silver, shiny and even more fabulous than it already was. My first ever brow product was Benefit's Brow Zing; the powder palette being a much-cherished birthday present when I first lost my eyebrows to trichotillomania. In this way, Benefit were the brand who first introduced me into the world of brow products, and knowing that I could cover up my hair loss in this way totally changed my life. Since, I've found true love in the form of Soap & Glory's Archery brow pencil, falling for the perfect colour match, tinted end and softer formula. Sometimes, though, change can be a good thing...it was time to re-try one of Benefit's infamous brow products and shake my collection up a bit.

As well as a revamp of the old favourites, Benefit are also releasing 13 new brow products on the 24th June. Within this range is the Goof Proof brow pencil, which you can pick up for yourself free with Elle magazine this month (I think it's a mini version of the one that's launching, but it's actually not that 'mini' at all and such a great size for a freebie!). After using it a few times, I can confirm that it's is hot on Soap & Glory's tail for the number 1 brow spot! You'll notice that the nib of the pencil is angled slightly to aid application (the length of the flat surface is the width of the average brow whilst the precise edge on the top allows you to draw finer strokes to replicate hairs). It's an absolutely genius idea which actually translates in practice; this brow product truly makes drawing on your brows a doddle. The flat edge being a good fit for the average brow width is also fantastic for hair loss sufferers. We're so used to trying to create eyebrows from scratch, but this brow pencil can double up as a guide so you can roughly judge how thick your eyebrows are naturally supposed to be.

The pencil itself is soft enough so that a substantial amount of colour is deposited without feeling like you're scratching your skin, but hard enough to get that precision and replicate natural hairs. The texture reminds me of the Soap & Glory pencil that I love so dearly; I can barely notice a difference between the two! The shade (2) is a touch darker than I usually use, but still a really good match for my natural colouring (I think only shade 2, which I'm guessing is medium, is available with the magazines as far as I could see). The real thing will come with a little spoolie on the end for taming stray brow hairs (this freebie doesn't), but as someone who has no eyebrows, this element doesn't really bother me- it's the pencil I'm interested in! Another selling point of the Goof Proof brow pencil is that it is waterproof; we've all been there, avoiding the swimming pools in case our trichotillomania is revealed, so to have a resilient brow product that stays put is great news! Although this will be available for £18.50, the quality justifies the price. I often find that some Benefit products aren't worth the investment, but if you have hair loss like myself, this is genuinely a great one to try out. The packaging is regal, elegant and show-stopping, and the pencil inside is just as fabulous...this product is definitely going to be used a lot!