I’ve dyed my own brows for years and saved hundreds – thanks to this £8 product

Going for an in-salon beauty service can be the ultimate treat. Be it balayage for your hair or BIAB for the nails, I am the biggest advocate for self-care. However, when looking to save money, there are affordable at-home alternatives for certain services that genuinely live up to the pros. For me, that is the story of tinting my brows.

As a bleached blonde, I’ve always really enjoyed that blonde hair, dark brow contrast. For that reason, before 2020, brow tinting was a service I’d never skip out on. Like many of us, I never felt 'done' or fully put together until my brows were the right shade and shape.

However, when COVID-19 hit, many of us were forced to desperately turn to DIY solutions as beauty salons around the country closed. From root touch up powders for our hair to gel manicure lamps, we all invested big time in our at-home beauty routines – and I was certainly no exception. However, while I’ve now retired as a (totally unqualified) temporary hair colourist and stepped back from being my own nail tech, one thing that’s stuck is my at-home eyebrow shape routine.

The brow dye kit I've used for years

I first ordered the Eylure Dybrow Permanent Tint for Brows on a whim, desperate for my eyebrows to look as they usually did (and, truthfully, bored and experimenting with beauty as I love to do). The first time I used the kit, I couldn’t believe how effective it was. Left on for under 10 minutes, my eyebrows were not only darker, they looked far more defined and framed my face beautifully.

The best thing about incorporating this dye into my routine is the time it took off my everyday makeup routine. My brows were such a great shade that I only had to add a little shaping pomade to them to be ready for the day. Before, I’d need to fill areas in with one of the best eyebrow pencils or a tinted gel. Now, a clear product is just fine.

Another brilliant thing about Eylure’s dye kit is its price point. At £8 – and often available for less than £6 at Amazon – this is such a bargain, especially considering the results last up to six weeks. My first box of the stuff pretty much lasted the entire year, meaning that money goes even further, and I’ve tried other tints that cost more and this holds up in comparison. I now could never justify paying upwards of £30 for an in-salon treatment that takes fewer than 10 minutes to complete.

How to use Eylure Dybrow Tint

This kit is super easy to use, even for beginners. Of course, you should always start with a patch test before trying it for the first time – allow at least 48 hours to observe any potential reaction – and follow the enclosed instructions.

I always begin by applying a little Vaseline or equivalent to the skin around my brows as a barrier cream to protect it from staining, then get to mixing the product. The box comes with a tinted cream (the colour) and an activator, which need to be mixed together to form your solution. You then apply this mixture to your brows and leave it on for the correct amount of time – again, consult the instruction leaflet for the specifics here.

One top tip I have is that, in my opinion, investing in a couple of small doe-foot sponge wands to mix and apply the product is preferable to using the spoolie included.

All in all, this kit has quickly become my absolute favourite at-home beauty find – and I doubt I’ll ever go back to in-salon appointments.