I've made it my personal mission to find a product that tames, defines and holds my brows in place and this one ticks every single box

An update on a cult product

katie wearing the anastasia brow freeze gel
(Image credit: Katie Thomas)

Here's what you need to know about my brows: they're flat and lifeless, but to their credit, they have a decent shape. Here's what you need to know about how I tend to my brows: I do very little. I have such a low pain threshold that I haven't ever had them threaded and I wouldn't dream of waxing them. I will however take a good pair of tweezers to my monobrow every so often. This is why I rely heavily on the best brow products to do the work for me. My preferred piece of kit? A brilliant brow gel. I have found some decent ones over the years, but there is one that I will take with me into the afterlife: the Anastasia Beverley Hills Brow Freeze Gel.

You know it's going to be a good product because Anastasia Beverly Hills is the brand to go to for brows. It is to eyebrows what Diptyque is to luxury candles.

I would just like to kick this off by saying that it is very important that you understand that it is the latest Brow Freeze Gel launch that I am referring to and not the original Brow Freeze formula.

Whilst this is an icon, and loved by so many, I've never got on with it. The sticky gel used to get everywhere, the pot would get dirty and I hated that my spoolie would become sodden with the product. Basically, cleaning it became a massive faff.

This is why I was incredibly excited to try out the new gel in a tube that launched earlier this year.

It caused quite the splash on TikTok and I completely understand why. Gone was the messy play and in its place an easy-to-use comb applicator with long bristles on one side and short on the other.

My eyebrow icons are, and always will be, the Olsen twins. (Not sure what their brows look like? I urge you to have a quick Google - are they not the most perfect eyebrows you ever did see?) Whilst I have come to terms with the fact that I may never look quite like Mary-Kate and Ashley, the ABH Brow Freeze Gel gets me that little bit closer. I use the longer bristles to comb my hairs up to give them shape, then I use the shorter ones to define and tame. The final piece of the puzzle is using the flat side of the applicator to flatten the brushed-up hairs to mimic the brow lamination look.

The formula is clear so can be used alone or after I've filled my brows in with a light brown eyebrow pencil, so it depends on which look I'm trying to achieve. I like wearing it alone during the day but paired with another product in the evening for more definition. It's not sticky, dries almost instantly and doesn't leave the hairs feeling crunchy.

The beauty of it is that it lasts all day. Inevitably, things like putting a jumper on too roughly can dislodge the hairs slightly, but I've found that a quick brush up with a clean spoolie puts them back where you want them.

The full-sized tube costs £24, which I appreciate is perhaps more than some people are willing to spend on a brow gel, but the brand does offer a smaller travel-sized option that comes in at £13. This might be a good choice if you want to try before investing. I have a good feeling though that once you try it out, you too will become as loyal as I have.

Shop Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze collection

Katie Thomas

Katie Thomas is the Senior Beauty Editor at Marie Claire UK. With over 10 years of experience on women's luxury lifestyle titles, she covers everything from the best beauty looks from the red carpet and stand out trends from the catwalk, to colonic irrigation and to the best mascaras on the market. She started her career on fashion desks across the industry - from The Telegraph to Brides - but found her calling in the Tatler beauty department. From there she moved to Instyle, before joining the Marie Claire digital team in 2018. She’s made it her own personal mission to find the best concealer in the world to cover her tenacious dark circles. She’s obsessed with skincare that makes her skin bouncy and glowy, low-maintenance hair that doesn’t require brushing and a cracking good manicure. Oh and she wears more jewellery than the Queen.