KATE Designing Eyebrow 3D: All Shades, How to Use & Refills

KATE Designing Eyebrow 3D (ケイト デザイニングアイブロウ3D) is a three-colour brow powder palette from the Japanese makeup brand KATE, made for soft, gradient brows and a natural nose shadow. In Japan it costs ¥1,210 for 2.2 g, comes with a dual-ended brush and, according to KATE, works for brows, nose shadow, eyeshadow and the puffy area under the lower lashes (aegyo-sal). This guide covers every current shade, how to use it, how it compares with the Fit, Dual Color and Dual Contour Color versions, refills and the full ingredient list, based on KATE’s official pages.

What you’ll learn in this article:

• What KATE Designing Eyebrow 3D is and what comes in the palette
• All 7 current shades, which to choose between EX-4 and EX-5, and which older shades are discontinued
• How to use it for brows and nose shadow, step by step, as KATE describes
• How it compares with the Fit, Dual Color and Dual Contour Color versions
• Refills, cases and brushes, the full ingredient list and how to get it from Japan

What Is KATE Designing Eyebrow 3D?

KATE Designing Eyebrow 3D is a pressed brow powder with three shades, dark, medium and light, that you mix to draw gradient brows and to shade the sides of your nose. KATE says the fine powder shapes shadows for a natural three-dimensional look, combines a soft gradient with resistance to smudging, and has an airy matte texture that blends into the skin. There are no dividers between the colours, so you can mix them to adjust the shade. KATE says its eyebrow series has been No.1 in Japan’s eyebrow market by sales for 19 years in a row (Intage SRI+, cumulative sales value, April 2006 to March 2025).

Japanese name	ケイト デザイニングアイブロウ3D
Price in Japan	¥1,210 (2.2 g) on Kao’s official online shop
Shades in Japan	7: 5 regular and 2 limited editions (as of October 2026)
Colours per palette	3 (dark, medium and light), including a nose-shadow colour
Brush	Dual-ended: a firm, angled brow brush and a round, fluffy nose-shadow brush
Finish	Airy matte
Uses (KATE’s words)	Brows, nose shadow, eyeshadow and the puffy area under the lower lashes
Made in	Japan

From KATE’s official Japanese site and Kao’s official online shop, My Kao Mall (as of October 2026).

KATE’s developers say the angled brush has short, firm bristles so it is less likely to wobble or draw too thick a line, even for first-time users, while the round brush has slightly longer bristles sized to fit between the brow head and the nose. They also recommend using the powder with a brow pencil for a more polished brow, though it works on its own.

KATE Designing Eyebrow 3D Shades

KATE Designing Eyebrow 3D comes in 7 shades in Japan, 2 of them limited (as of October 2026): EX-4 Light Brown, EX-5 Brown, EX-7 Olive Gray, EX-13 Greige Brown and EX-14 Mild Brown, plus the limited EX-15 Milky Beige and EX-16 Milky Pink released in July 2026. KATE describes the two limited shades as beige colours with a grey nuance for added shading.

From KATE’s official Japanese site and Kao’s official online shop (as of October 2026). English names are KATE Malaysia’s official names; names marked * are our transliterations of the Japanese names. 系 means “-ish” or “type”, so ライトブラウン系 is “a light brown type” of colour. KATE notes that, because of how it’s made, the colours can mix near their borders without affecting quality, and that repeated small knocks can loosen or crack the powder.

Kao’s official online shop marks the older palettes EX-6 (red brown), EX-8 (brown pink), EX-10 (orange brown), EX-11 (pink apricot) and EX-12 (beige brown) as discontinued. EX-10 and EX-11 are still listed as refills, EX-9 (purple brown) was a limited-edition palette that is still listed as a refill, and the EX-6 and EX-8 numbers now appear in the web-exclusive Dual Color and Dual Contour Color versions.

EX-4 vs EX-5

Choose EX-4 for light hair and EX-5 for dark hair: KATE’s Malaysia site describes EX-4 Light Brown as “for yellowish and light brown hair” and “a versatile and natural light brown”, and EX-5 Brown as “for dark brown to black hair” and “a brown shade that is subtly sharp”. It describes EX-7 Olive Gray as “for ash brown to black hair”. EX-4 and EX-5 are also the two shades offered across most of the range, including the Fit, Dual Color and Dual Contour Color versions and the refills. Colours can look different on screen, as KATE notes, so compare the swatches before you order.

How to Use KATE Designing Eyebrow 3D

To use KATE Designing Eyebrow 3D, blur a mix of two colours over the whole brow, draw the arch to the tail with the darkest colour, then shade the side of the nose with the third colour. The colours are labelled a, b and c in KATE’s instructions.

1. Load the brush lightly. Pick up some powder with the brow brush and adjust the amount on the back of your hand so you don’t draw too dark.
2. Fill the whole brow. Mix a and b to the shade you like and blur it over the whole brow. Keep the brow head light and apply slightly more colour from the middle towards the tail to create a gradient.
3. Define the tail. Draw a thin line with a from the arch to the tail.
4. Add nose shadow. Pick up c with the nose-shadow brush and blend it softly from under the brow head down the side of the nose.

KATE also lists the palette as an eyeshadow and for shading the puffy area under the lower lashes; for more eyeshadow ideas, see our CANMAKE eyeshadow guide, and for dedicated nose and face contour, our CANMAKE contour guide. To clean the brush, KATE says to swish it gently in lukewarm water with a little diluted neutral detergent, rinse it well, blot it with a tissue, reshape it and let it dry in the shade.

Designing Eyebrow 3D vs Fit, Dual Color and Dual Contour Color

Besides the regular palette, KATE sells three web-exclusive versions in Japan: Fit for stronger colour, Dual Color with added flush colours, and Dual Contour Color with a matte shade and highlight.

From KATE’s official Japanese site and Kao’s official online shop (as of October 2026).

Fit (フィット) is KATE’s “strong colour” version, with a close-fitting powder and a larger brow brush. KATE recommends it if your brows are sparse overall, thin at the tail, or you want to fill areas with no hair.

Dual Color (デュアルカラー) pairs the brown shades with a flush colour: EX-4 light brown with carrot orange, EX-5 brown with lilac purple and EX-6 red brown with strawberry red. KATE says you apply the flush colour first and layer the brown over it, and that it also works as an eyeshadow and nose shadow. KATE describes it as a re-release of colours first sold in May 2023, and Kao’s official shop marks some Dual Color shades as discontinued, so check availability before ordering.

Dual Contour Color (デュアルコントゥアカラー) adds a low-saturation matte grey shade and a matte highlight for the eyes and nose: EX-4 light brown with warm contour, EX-5 brown with cool contour and EX-8 brown pink with a translucent contour.

Refills, Cases and Brushes

KATE Designing Eyebrow 3D has refills: 8 regular refills (EX-4, EX-5, EX-7, EX-9, EX-10, EX-11, EX-13 and EX-14) at ¥880 for 2.2 g, and 2 glitter refills at ¥880 for 2.1 g. In Japan they are sold in some stores and online, and the case and refill are sold separately. Refills of EX-10 and EX-11 are still listed even though their full palettes are discontinued, and EX-9 was a limited-edition palette.

• Glitter refills (グリッター): GL-1 brown glitter and GL-2 pink glitter, with fine pearl, glitter and a matte nose-shadow colour. KATE says they also work for eyeshadow and under the lower lashes.
• Cases: the Designing Eyebrow 3D case (with a mirror, holds 2 brushes) and the multi case (with a mirror, holds 3 refills of your choice and 2 brushes).
• Brushes: Brush I (¥220) with a nose-shadow brush and a flat brush for the brow tail, and Brush II with a spoolie and a wide flat brush for sharp shapes.

From KATE’s official Japanese site and Kao’s official online shop (as of October 2026).

KATE Designing Eyebrow 3D Ingredients

KATE Designing Eyebrow 3D is a talc-based pressed powder with silicones, emollients, iron oxide pigments and paraben preservatives. EX-4 lists 15 ingredients: powders such as talc, mica and kaolin, silicones and emollients, parabens as preservatives, and iron oxides and ultramarines for colour. The formula differs by shade: EX-5 adds titanium dioxide and lauroyl lysine, EX-13 and EX-14 add squalane, and the limited EX-15 and EX-16 list no talc, using mica and synthetic fluorphlogopite as the powders, and add tocopherol. Every current shade lists methylparaben and ethylparaben.

Full ingredient list of EX-4 from Kao’s official online shop (as of October 2026), in the order listed; roles are general cosmetic functions. Blue: key ingredient / Yellow: ingredient some people avoid. Check the list for your shade, as it varies.

Where to Buy KATE Designing Eyebrow 3D

KATE Designing Eyebrow 3D is a Japanese product, and kachicollect is the simplest way to get it from Japan. Our catalog has no proxy fees, and duties are shown in your total before you pay, so nothing extra is charged on delivery. Orders ship worldwide with tracking and usually arrive in about 7 to 14 days.

If the shade or version you want isn’t in our catalog, search Japanese stores or marketplaces for its Japanese name, for example ケイト デザイニングアイブロウ3D EX-5, ケイト デザイニングアイブロウ3D フィット or ケイト デザイニングアイブロウ3D レフィル EX-4. Paste the product URL into kachishop to get an instant quote with duties included and no request fee. This works for web-exclusive versions, limited shades and refills too, as long as they are listed.

On marketplaces such as eBay, check the shade number and the version, as the regular palette, Fit, Dual Color, Dual Contour Color and refills share the same EX numbers. Proxy services that buy from Japanese stores on your behalf are another option, but the service fee they advertise is only the starting point, and various other charges are added on top by the time you check out. kachicollect’s purchase request does the same job with no proxy or request fees, and duties are shown before checkout.

Discover more from the brand in our KATE Tokyo guide.

FAQ

Should I choose EX-4 or EX-5?

KATE’s Malaysia site recommends EX-4 Light Brown for yellowish and light brown hair and EX-5 Brown for dark brown to black hair. See EX-4 vs EX-5 above for details.

Can I use KATE Designing Eyebrow 3D as eyeshadow?

Yes. KATE lists four uses for the palette: brows, nose shadow, eyeshadow and the puffy area under the lower lashes.

Is KATE Designing Eyebrow 3D good for beginners?

KATE’s developers say they designed the angled brush with short, firm bristles so it is less likely to wobble or draw too thick, and that they especially want first-time users to try it. KATE’s official steps are simple: fill the whole brow, darken the tail, then add nose shadow.

Is KATE Designing Eyebrow 3D waterproof, and how long does it last?

KATE doesn’t call it waterproof or give a number of hours; it says the powder combines a soft gradient with resistance to smudging. KATE also says tinting your brows with its brow mascara, 3D Eyebrow Color Z, makes drawn brows harder to remove.

Which shade suits black hair?

KATE’s Malaysia site recommends EX-5 Brown for dark brown to black hair and EX-7 Olive Gray for ash brown to black hair. If your brows don’t match your hair colour, KATE also suggests tinting them with its brow mascara, 3D Eyebrow Color Z.

Can I buy KATE Designing Eyebrow 3D refills?

Yes. There are 8 regular refills and 2 glitter refills at ¥880 each in Japan, sold in some stores and online, with separate cases and brushes.

Is KATE Designing Eyebrow 3D talc-free?

Most shades aren’t: EX-4, EX-5, EX-7, EX-13 and EX-14 list talc first. The limited EX-15 and EX-16 don’t list talc.

Does KATE Designing Eyebrow 3D contain parabens?

Yes. Every current shade lists methylparaben and ethylparaben as preservatives.

Can I use KATE Designing Eyebrow 3D as nose contour?

Yes. Nose shadow is one of its official uses: KATE says to blend colour c softly with the nose-shadow brush from under the brow head down the side of the nose.

Conclusion: Is KATE Designing Eyebrow 3D Right for You?

KATE Designing Eyebrow 3D is a simple way to get soft, gradient brows and a natural nose shadow from one small palette: three mixable colours, a dual-ended brush and 7 shades in Japan, with refills for most of them. Choose Fit if your brows are sparse, and Dual Color or Dual Contour Color if you also want flush or contour shades. For more Japanese brow options, see our CANMAKE eyebrow guide, and for KATE’s best-known lipstick, our KATE Lip Monster guide. For all of KATE’s brow pencils and its brow mascara, see our KATE eyebrow guide.

Buying from kachicollect gets you KATE shipped directly from Japan, with no proxy fees and duties shown before you pay. If the shade you want isn’t in our catalog, paste its product URL from any Japanese store or marketplace for an instant quote with no request fee.