Brows of Dreams - My pick of the best brow products
/Yesterday was apparently National Brow Day which means two things:
One: marketing companies will declare a national day for literally anything (a quick scroll of the National Day Calendar Website tells me that October has National Days for (ironically enough) both Temperance & Vodka; handbags; online banking and chocolate-covered pretzels to name a few. Madness.)
And two: Brows are BIG business.
I knew both these things already, of course. The range and choice of brow products has exploded in the last ten years as perfectly precise brows suddenly became the focus of every teenagers makeup look (we’ve got Kylie Jenner to thank for that). Thankfully the trend for heavily drawn (or crayoned as I tend to describe the style), solid-looking brows has moved on to a more natural one. Big, boyish, full and feathery - now everyone wants their faces framed by Cara-like brows. Which is great news for those blessed with a profusion of hair, untouched by tweezers; not so great for anyone who overplucked trying to look like a 90s Kate Moss.
Before we even begin to talk about makeup though, the first bit of advice I will give you is to go to the salon for a tint and a shape. Everybody can benefit from at least a little tidy up: whether you’re naturally full or sparce, light or dark you’ll be amazed at the difference a clean, fresh brow will make. Once you have that shape mapped out it becomes so much easier to see what makeup products you need to apply and where you need to apply it for the best and most natural effect.
I meet a lot of women in my work as a makeup artist and not knowing where to begin when making up their eyebrows is the one of the number one problems I hear from them. That along with a general sense of being overwhelmed by choice. The old cliché that they frame your face is absolutely true: when you get them right it really is one of the most transformative things you can do. So here is my rundown of the best products to help you achieve that perfectly groomed look, no matter what unloved state your brows are in!
Rachel, barns & Yard
Best For A Foolproof Fuller Brow Look
Anastasia Beverley Hills Brow Wiz - the easiest pencil to use if all you want is a little more soft definition and to fill the odd gap. Just hard enough to stop you applying too darkly, soft enough that you get some impact. It has a fine nib at one end and a spoolie at the other so you can keep brushing through to soften your work. Huge shade range from super light Blonde all the way through to Ebony. At a push, I can use shade Taupe on almost everybody. The perfect pencil basically.
Best For Building Up An Overplucked Brow
Huda Beauty Bomb Brows Pencil - this pencil has the tiniest, finest nib on the market (it’s retractable drawing pencil thin) which allows you to draw the most delicate of lines. So it is PERFECT for anyone who has a lot of missing hairs or really needs to rebuild their shape with makeup. By creating tiny hair like strokes on the skin you end up with a soft, very natural looking effect. Even if your brows end up as 50% pencil they will never look heavy with Huda.
Best For Longwear/Waterproof Brows
Anastasia Beverley Hills DipBrow Pomade & Brush - I use this on pretty much every brow type in bridal makeup. There’s no other product like it for longevity. It was the original ‘crayon brow’ culprit honestly as girls would apply it in a solid block of brow, but it actually is incredibly versatile. I use the ABH brush with it and take the smallest amount on the back of my hand, dipping both edges of the brush in the product and then almost wipe all of it back off on my hand so that it applies very lightly. Used in this way it can build a bare brow back up to fullness, fill gaps by recreating hairs, softly redraw the arch, gently extend the tail. It’s great for those who want a stronger brow look but once you get the hang of it it’s also great for more natural girls who really need their makeup to stay put.
Best For A Filling For A Feathery/Laminated Look Brow
Iconic London Triple Precision Brow Definer This works in a similar way to the Huda pencil by creating really fine hair strokes, but this time it’s in a pen format. So that gives you more depth and definition to really achieve that on trend brushed up brow look. Good range of colours and has a pencil on the other end for filling the brows more generally too.
Best Gel For Natural Hold
Nudestix Brow Set Gel XL Brushing through with a clear brow gel holds those hairs in place so you don’t have that windswept mad professor look by the end of the day. This is the brow gel I constantly keep in my bridal kit. I’ve tried them all. Some of them have great hold but leave the hair feeling a bit crispy, others flake, others don’t seem to have any holding benefit at all. The Nudestix is perfect - holds like nothing else, keeps the hairs looking like hair (more unusual than you might think - lots leave them looking oddly lacquered) and feeling soft. It has the most delicate tint to it that just adds the gentlest touch of extra definition.
Best For Full On Feathery
ABH Brow Freeze & NYX Brow Glue in Clear are for you if you love that laminated look. For the uninitiated: brow lamination is like a reverse perm for the brows. Perm solution is applied and the hairs are brushed into place so that they remain brushed up and feathery for about 6 weeks. When done well it leaves the brows looking fuller and more youthful and modern, but you will have seen some overdone startled caterpillars walking around too I’m sure. These products temporarily give you the same effect (not the caterpillar one hopefully). They are also great for keeping the most unruly of brows more naturally in place where more traditional gels have failed. These things HOLD hairs where you put em. It’s called glue for a reason girls!
Best For Fluffy Brows With Hold
Iconic London Liquid Brow Silk is my personal everyday brow hold product of choice. It has a bit more substance than a traditional gel so appears to slightly thicken the hairs while holding them. It’s a white coloured thin pomade texture that dries clear. I brush it backwards and down through my brows from tail to head and to coat the hairs before brushing them up into place to get a soft fluffy, feathered look that stays all day. This is a regular repurchase for me.
Best Tinted Brow Gel
Hourglass Arch Brow Volumising Fibre Gel. Tinted gels are great for a quick fix. If you’ve got no time to faff a quick brush through with this gives the impression of extra fullness (tiny fibres coat the hairs to make them appear thicker) and more definition as any lighter hairs are grabbed by the tint and made visible where they were otherwise not. If your brows are generally a pretty good shape this might be all you need everyday. There are loads on the market ( and honestly lots cheaper) but the Hourglass ones are just flawless.
In short I love an eyebrow! Without these products in my own makeup bag my own brows would be in a sorry state of sparse unevenness. Some can be a challenge to get right but when you do it can be face-changing. Perfecting a natural-looking, full and feathery brow is one of my favourite parts of makeup. I shared some of these in action on my bridal clients over on my Insta where I’m planning a series of brow videos. Grab yourself a magnifying mirror and get practising - it’s time to up your brow game!
