• brow gels

    Brow Pencils & Gels | My Hits & Misses

    Hi Everyone!

    Today, I’m sharing my favourite brow products!

    Check out my other Hits & Misses posts!

    MAKEUP || Primers | Foundations | Powders | Concealers | Mascara

    SKINCARE || Eye Creams

    BRANDS || Bobbi Brown | Burt’s Bees | L’OréalMaybelline | Nude by Nature | NYX | TULA | Volition Beauty

    Before you read this post, please remember that we all have difference preferences and skin types. These are MY hits, misses and likes. You might love something I don’t like or dislike something I love.


    My brow products of choice are pencils and gels. A few times I’ve used an matte shadow as eyebrow powder, but I prefer pencils. I’m not patient or skilled enough to use pomades.

    Two years ago, I wrote a similar post reviewing brow products I’ve tried (read my post). I’ve tried quite a few products since then and found some that I like more. 

    I’ve also written a few comparison posts (with swatches), check them out below:

    Lancôme Brow Shaping Powdery Pencil vs. Benefit Precisely, My Brow

    Dior Diorshow BoldBrow vs. Benefit 24 Hour Brow Setter Shaping & Setting Gel

    I don’t think they sell the Dior Diorshow BoldBrow anymore, they came out with a new product to replace it.

    HITS

    Colourpop Brow Boss Clear Gel – My friend recommended this clear gel and it’s my favourite clear gel that I’ve tried. It comes out of the tube white, but dries down clear. It leaves my brows feeling soft and not crunchy at all!

    Benefit Gimme Brow+ Volumizing Eyebrow Gel in 5 Deep – One of my favourite tinted brow gels.

    Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil Ultra Fine Shape & Define in 6 (read my review) – This has been one of my favourite brow pencils I’ve tried.

    NYX Micro Brow Pencil in Black – A great drugstore micro brow pencil. This is a fave of mine as well.

    LIKES

    Anastasia Clear Brow Gel – This brow gel does get a bit crunchy, but it keeps my brows in place. I just wish the wand wasn’t so huge. It’s like a mascara wand. I would prefer a thinner one.

    Lancôme Brow Shaping Powdery Pencil in Soft Black 09 (read my review) – I liked this brow pencil, but it felt like a waste to sharpen so much of it away. I prefer retractable pencils that you don’t have to sharpen. This pencil is nice for a natural look.

    Kevyn Aucoin The Precision Brow Pencil in Dark Brunette – I wanted to try a different brow pencil, so I grabbed this Kevyn Aucoin one. It’s the first product I’ve tried from the brand. The shade is a good match for me, but it wipes off more easily than other brow products. I wouldn’t repurchase it.

    NYX Fill & Fluff Pomade Pencil in Ash Brown – In my NYX Hits & Misses post, I put this in the HITS, but this is going into the LIKES section for this post. It’s a HIT for the products I’ve tried from NYX, but there’s other brow products I prefer. This is another pencil that I like from NYX. Although I prefer the Micro Brow pencil because it comes with a spoolie. This one comes with a little oval/paddle brush so you can diffuse what you drew on. You get a more filled in look with this pomade pencil.  

    Anastasiah Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel

    MISSES

    Benefit 24-HR Brow Setter Shaping & Setting Gel (read my review) – I don’t know if it was just the sample I got of this, but it was kind of tacky. When you pull the wandout, you would see a string of product from the wand to the tube. It kind of reminded me of clear lash glue in that way.

    Benefit ka-BROW! Cream-Gel Eyebrow Color in 5 Deep – I got a deluxe sample of this and it’s just too intense for me.

    Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil Easy Shape & Fill in 5 Deep – I prefer micro pencils so this was too thick for me. I prefer hair-like strokes instead of the filled in look.

    Burt’s Bees Natural Brow Pencil in 1610 Brunette* – This only comes in two shades and the darker shade is too light for me. It was too waxy for my liking.

    Maybelline Eye Studio Brow Precise Shaping Pencil in Deep Brown – This pencil was way too waxy for my liking and it never sharpened nicely.

    Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Brows Eyebrow Gel in Perfect Brown – I just wanted to try some Charlotte Tilbury products so I bought this during the sale. I love the size of the brush and the colour was nice. It’s a nice product, but I don’t think it’s anything special and it’s the most expensive gel I’ve tried.

    Brow Pencils

    Brow Gels

    ProductPrice in CADSizeCost per gram # of shades available
    Colourpop Brow Boss Clear Gel7 USD = 8.85 CAD3.10g2.2clear, 4 tinted
    Anastasia Strong Hold Clear Brow Gel29.507.85g3.8clear
    L’Oréal Brow Stylist Boost & Set Volumizing Brow Mascara13.493.2g4.24 tinted
    Benefit 24-HR Brow Setter Shaping & Setting Gel327g4.6clear
    Anastasia Clear Brow Gel (mini)122,5g4.8clear
    Benefit 24-HR Brow Setter Shaping & Setting Gel (value)516g8.53 tinted
    Benefit Gimme Brow+ Volumizing Eyebrow Gel (mini)193.5g5.4clear
    Benefit Gimme Brow+ Volumizing Eyebrow Gel323g10.710 tinted
    Benefit Gimme Brow+ Volumizing Eyebrow Gel (mini)181.5g12.710 tinted
    Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Brows Eyebrow Gel301.33g22.64 tinted
    charlotte tilbury legendary brows

    Brow Pencils/Pomade Gels

    ProductPrice in CADSizeCost per ounce# of shades available
    Benefit ka-BROW! Cream Gel Eyebrow Color320.1oz3208 shades
    Burt's Bees Brow Pencil13.990.04oz3492 shades
    Mini size Benefit ka-BROW! Cream Gel Eyebrow Color190.05oz3803 shades
    Maybelline Eye Studio Brow Precise Shaping Pencil10.990.02oz5504 shades on Maybelline,
    2 shades on Shoppers Drug Mart site
    NYX Fill & Fluff Pomade Pencil12.490.007oz17848 shades
    Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil Easy Shape & Fill320.01oz320012 shades
    Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil Easy Shape & Fill (mini)190.005oz38003 shades
    NYX Micro Brow Pencil12.490.003oz41638 shades
    Anastasia Brow Wiz280.003oz933310 shades
    Kevyn Aucoin The Precision Brow Pencil320.003oz106674 shades
    Lancôme Brow Shaping Powdery Pencil350.003oz116679 shades
    Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil Ultra Fine Shape & Define320.02oz1600012 shades
    Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil Ultra Fine Shape & Define (mini)190.001oz1900012 shades

    To Try

    I have the Anastasia Brow Wiz in my collection, but I haven’t tried it yet. I bought it earlier this year and wanted to finish my Kevyn Aucoin pencil first.

    • Dior Diorshow Brow Styler Ultra-Fine Precision Brow Pencil
    • Dior Diorshow Pump ‘N’ Brow
    • Fenty Beauty Brow MVP Ultra Fine Brow Pencil & Styler
    • Hourglass Arch Brow Micro Sculpting Pencil
    • Hourglass Arch Brow Shaping Gel
    • Milk KUSH Fiber Brow Gel
    • Nudestix Eyebrow Stylus Pencil & Gel

    What are your fave brow products?

    Love,

    Products marked with (*) were sent to me.

  • NYX Micro Brow Pencil vs. Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil

    Dupe It Out | NYX Micro Brow Pencil vs. Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil

    Hi Everyone!

    Last month, I received the Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil from Topbox Circle. I thought I would compare it to my fave, the NYX Micro Brow Pencil. Keep reading to find out which one I prefer!

    NYX Micro Brow Pencil in Black (brown-black)

    Available in 8 shades, twist-up & retractable pencil with a spoolie on the other end.

    Build full beautiful brows with our ultra-thin Micro Brow Pencil. So precise it coats even the finest hairs with color for a natural-looking finish.

    In the picture, I don’t have a cap on the spoolie, but it does come with a cap.

    Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil Ultra Fine Shape & Define in 6 (cool soft black)

    Available in 8 shades, twist-up & retractable pencil with a spoolie on the other end (mini doesn’t come with a spoolie).

    This ultra-fine eyebrow pencil draws incredibly natural-looking, hair-like strokes that last 12 budge-proof hours.* A few strokes of the rich yet blendable colour will transform brows from shapeless & undefined to filled & defined eyebrows.

    Top is the NYX Micro Brow Pencil (you can tell it’s slightly more brown).

    I have the darkest shade for both pencils and the NYX pencil looks darker and more brown while the Benefit pencil is more gray-black.

    For both pencils, they are available in 8 shades. No need for a sharpener, you twist it up and you can retract if you need to. They both come with spoolies on the other end (although the Benefit mini size doesn’t have a spoolie).

    WINNER: Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil

    It was a very close competition, but I have to give the win to Benefit. They are known for their brow products and they just came out with more shades for each of them!

    My brows are black (and my hair has grown out since I last dyed it), so when I use a brow product that has brown, it looks like I’ve obviously filled them in with a pencil. The Precisely, My Brow looks more gray and looks more natural on me. My brow pencils last a long time because I’m fairly low maintenance when it comes to brows. I only fill in the gaps and nowhere else and then I’ll go in with a brow gel to keep them in place. So, for me, I’m okay with spending a bit more on brow products because they last so long.

    If you don’t want to spend $30 on a brow product, then NYX is a great alternative, but I personally think the Benefit pencil works better for my brows because it’s not as harsh-looking. I think the NYX pencils cater more to blondes and brunettes whereas the Benefit ones just came out with more shades and they have the different undertones (warm, neutral and cool). I haven’t tried the Anastasia Brow Wiz, but I’m interested to see if it’s better than or performs the same as the Precisely, My Brow. Once I finish some of my current brow products, I will probably pick up a Brow Wiz pencil to compare (especially since it’s cheaper and you get a little more product).

    I have a new review up! I compared the Benefit Precisely, My Brow with the Lancôme Brow Shaping Powdery Pencil (click here)!

    What’s your fave brow product?

    Love,