The best products to enhance your brows
By Fatima Yazdi
March 23, 2021
Image Credit: Courtesy of Pesce Huang for Unsplash.com
When talking beauty, brows are arguably the most important aspect to your routine. They frame your entire face, so managing and maximizing your brow potential is key-- but where to start?
With hundreds of tips, tricks and products on the market, it can be difficult to find the product that works best for your brow shape, shade and overall necessities. So, we’ve narrowed down a list of our top five favorite products and tips to help your brow needs!
Best Eyebrow Pencil: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz
No one does brows better than Anastasia Beverly Hills. The Brow Wiz is one of the brand’s fan favorites, even reaching Glamour Magazine’s second best Anastasia Beverly Hills product. The ultra-slim, retractable pencil makes the product easy to use. The fine tip also allows you to create hair-like strokes and maintain an effortless look while still achieving definition. Additionally, the waxy product lets the application look clean and stay on all day.
Though there are many comparable drugstore dupes for this product, the Brow Wiz has two unique features that make the product totally worth it: an incomparable formula and a wide shade range that will match almost any brow color.
Best Eyebrow Pomade: Anastasia Beverly Hills DIPBROW™ Pomade
If you’re looking for the ultimate multifunctional, full-coverage brow product, the DIPBROW™ is for you. This product does it all-- it shades, defines, sets in place and primes for more products. DIPBROW™ is also waterproof, which makes this an ideal product for the summer time and water sports.
Due to how full coverage this product is, it can easily look harsh or unnatural if used with a heavy hand. But with some trial and error, you can figure out how much product you want to use on your brush to achieve your desired look.
DIPBROW™ can both be used alone or topped with a gel. The versatility of the product makes it easy to manipulate to achieve your brow goals.
“My brows, on typical days when I’m wearing a casual look, are typically just spoolied in and used with Anastasia Beverly Hills’ DIPBROW™ gel,” freshman Government and Politics International Relations major Kavya Desikan said. “It’s important with pigmented gels to start applying at the middle to end of the eyebrow on both brows, and then brush it in at the front. After that, I typically shape my brows and clean it up with a concealer.”
Best Clear Eyebrow Gels: Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel and Maybelline Great Lash Washable Mascara
Continuing the Anastasia Beverly Hills train, the Clear Brow Gel is another fan favorite that can be used with almost any product. This gel is like superglue for the brows-- it’ll keep them locked in all day. You’ll find that this product doesn’t make the brows crunchy or too uncomfortable, they simply hold the brow hairs in the desired shape that you left them in.
For easy application, wipe off some product on the edge of the tube and brush your brow hairs upwards. Too much product can make it difficult to set in place-- start small, and some if you need more.
If you’re looking for a more affordable option, the Maybelline Great Lash Clear Mascara is the way to go. This clear mascara, similar to the Anastasia one, is easy to apply and once dried, keeps the brows in place. Though the Anastasia gel does have a stronger hold, the Maybelline one still holds the brows and maintains a soft look once dried. Both of these products work best either on their own or topped onto a product such as a pencil or powder.
If you have naturally thick, voluminous brows, both of these gels are a great option to manage them. Even on a no-makeup day, a bit of clear brow gel can go a long way for your look.
“Gels with fiber aren’t super important,” Desikan said. “I typically am looking for lasting power and ability to keep my brow hairs in place. This typically means a waxier gel or pencil. I also have thicker brows so I don’t look for pencils with a super fine tip, instead, I look for a triangular shape.”
Best Brow Tips: Plucking, shaving and nourishing!
Although selecting specific brow products is essential for the look you’re going for, the base to any great brow is how you maintain them on your own.
Depending on your brow needs, you may choose different methods of maintenance such as waxing, threading or tweezing. If you’re new to the brow world, tweezing is a great place to begin. Start slow, with plucking only the stray hairs. Once you grow more comfortable, you can start to shape with tweezers. Brow stencils are also a great aid if you haven’t figured out what your ideal shape is, or if you’re just looking to change up your look.
University of Maryland students have different ways of maintaining their brows during the pandemic, where salons are less accessible and not as safe as before.
“I try to get my eyebrows waxed when I can to keep the shape, but in-between grooming, I’ll use an eyebrow shaver and trim with scissors and a spoolie,” freshman Journalism and Government and Politics major Lydia Hurley said. “I like to use the Maybelline Great Lash Clear Mascara to keep my eyebrows in place, or I’ll use the NYX Micro Brow Pencil in ‘brunette’.”
With hundreds of tips, tricks and products on the market, it can be difficult to find the product that works best for your brow shape, shade and overall necessities. So, we’ve narrowed down a list of our top five favorite products and tips to help your brow needs!
Best Eyebrow Pencil: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz
No one does brows better than Anastasia Beverly Hills. The Brow Wiz is one of the brand’s fan favorites, even reaching Glamour Magazine’s second best Anastasia Beverly Hills product. The ultra-slim, retractable pencil makes the product easy to use. The fine tip also allows you to create hair-like strokes and maintain an effortless look while still achieving definition. Additionally, the waxy product lets the application look clean and stay on all day.
Though there are many comparable drugstore dupes for this product, the Brow Wiz has two unique features that make the product totally worth it: an incomparable formula and a wide shade range that will match almost any brow color.
Best Eyebrow Pomade: Anastasia Beverly Hills DIPBROW™ Pomade
If you’re looking for the ultimate multifunctional, full-coverage brow product, the DIPBROW™ is for you. This product does it all-- it shades, defines, sets in place and primes for more products. DIPBROW™ is also waterproof, which makes this an ideal product for the summer time and water sports.
Due to how full coverage this product is, it can easily look harsh or unnatural if used with a heavy hand. But with some trial and error, you can figure out how much product you want to use on your brush to achieve your desired look.
DIPBROW™ can both be used alone or topped with a gel. The versatility of the product makes it easy to manipulate to achieve your brow goals.
“My brows, on typical days when I’m wearing a casual look, are typically just spoolied in and used with Anastasia Beverly Hills’ DIPBROW™ gel,” freshman Government and Politics International Relations major Kavya Desikan said. “It’s important with pigmented gels to start applying at the middle to end of the eyebrow on both brows, and then brush it in at the front. After that, I typically shape my brows and clean it up with a concealer.”
Best Clear Eyebrow Gels: Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel and Maybelline Great Lash Washable Mascara
Continuing the Anastasia Beverly Hills train, the Clear Brow Gel is another fan favorite that can be used with almost any product. This gel is like superglue for the brows-- it’ll keep them locked in all day. You’ll find that this product doesn’t make the brows crunchy or too uncomfortable, they simply hold the brow hairs in the desired shape that you left them in.
For easy application, wipe off some product on the edge of the tube and brush your brow hairs upwards. Too much product can make it difficult to set in place-- start small, and some if you need more.
If you’re looking for a more affordable option, the Maybelline Great Lash Clear Mascara is the way to go. This clear mascara, similar to the Anastasia one, is easy to apply and once dried, keeps the brows in place. Though the Anastasia gel does have a stronger hold, the Maybelline one still holds the brows and maintains a soft look once dried. Both of these products work best either on their own or topped onto a product such as a pencil or powder.
If you have naturally thick, voluminous brows, both of these gels are a great option to manage them. Even on a no-makeup day, a bit of clear brow gel can go a long way for your look.
“Gels with fiber aren’t super important,” Desikan said. “I typically am looking for lasting power and ability to keep my brow hairs in place. This typically means a waxier gel or pencil. I also have thicker brows so I don’t look for pencils with a super fine tip, instead, I look for a triangular shape.”
Best Brow Tips: Plucking, shaving and nourishing!
Although selecting specific brow products is essential for the look you’re going for, the base to any great brow is how you maintain them on your own.
Depending on your brow needs, you may choose different methods of maintenance such as waxing, threading or tweezing. If you’re new to the brow world, tweezing is a great place to begin. Start slow, with plucking only the stray hairs. Once you grow more comfortable, you can start to shape with tweezers. Brow stencils are also a great aid if you haven’t figured out what your ideal shape is, or if you’re just looking to change up your look.
University of Maryland students have different ways of maintaining their brows during the pandemic, where salons are less accessible and not as safe as before.
“I try to get my eyebrows waxed when I can to keep the shape, but in-between grooming, I’ll use an eyebrow shaver and trim with scissors and a spoolie,” freshman Journalism and Government and Politics major Lydia Hurley said. “I like to use the Maybelline Great Lash Clear Mascara to keep my eyebrows in place, or I’ll use the NYX Micro Brow Pencil in ‘brunette’.”