I don’t know about you, but although my eyebrows have grown back significantly after being severely overplucked, they have never quite recovered. And so, like so many people around the work, I rely on the best brow gels and a bit of pencil to create the illusion of a much fluffier shape. So much so that this is Mastermind specialist subject territory for me.
In my opinion, gels are one of the best eyebrow products you can have in your beauty arsenal—and I know many make-up pros will agree with me. "Brow gels, whether clear or tinted, are great for adding depth, thickness and shape to the brows," says make-up artist Andrew Denton. "Gels can help a sparse, flat brow appear fuller by lifting and holding the hair in place from the root, much like hair gel or spray. fw, fox brow, fluffy brow... whatever your preference, gels are super useful for curating whichever look you're aiming for."
As for how they differ from other brow products? "Pomades tend to be slightly thicker in consistency and need a little more work in terms of application to achieve a natural look. Pencils are great for adding extra thickness to the brow as you can softly add more colour or draw individual hairs for a more structured look. Gels can be used to tint the skin beneath the brow hairs, however, creating individual hair strokes will be difficult."
Ahead are my picks of the very best brow gels money can buy, whether you prefer a little hold from a clear formula or a volumised brow lamination-style look.
My criteria for the best brow gels
While I personally like a brow gel to be pretty thickening, this isn't everybody's preference, so I took note of the overall effect of each gel as well as testing some clear options, too. In order to be included, the brow gel had to perform well based on the following criteria.
- How easy it is to apply
- Size of brush
- Number of shades and how easy it is to find a match—are they natural-looking? Is a clear option available?
- How well it stays in place
- Price
- Packaging
The best brow gels to shop now
1. e.l.f. Wow Brow Gel
A High Street Hero if ever there was one, Wow Brow is probably one of my most repurchased make-up products (along with Maybelline Sky High Mascara, if you're wondering). If I’d forgotten my make-up bag on a trip and had to do an emergency sweep of the nearest beauty shop, this would be one of the first things I’d grab. The shade range isn’t the most extensive one going, but the price tag is hard to beat, as with all e.l.f. buys.
2. Jones Road The Brow Gel
The best Jones Road products may only have landed in the UK a couple of years ago, but some of its products have fast become go-tos among make-up experts—including The Brow Gel. It holds well and has a great thickening effect; I use a little pencil to fill in sparser areas for a more defined shape, but I actually didn’t mind skipping it the first time I tried this. There’s also a great clear option available, ideal for those who want to set their brows without as much of a thickening effect.
3. Glossier Boy Brow
This teeny tiny tube arguably helped the “boy brow” trend’s popularity to skyrocket. The tiny little brush offers exellent precision and the bushy effect is real. Boy Brow also comes with a great shade range—in my experience they’re very realistic, plus they’ve expanded to include an auburn shade, which isn’t the case with every brow gel on the market.
4. Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Gel
The Dipbrow Pomade will forever be synonymous with the “Instagram brow” era, but the gel edition is an absolute winner for sparse brows. It’s thickening without having too thick or solid a finish and holds brilliantly. Anastasia Beverly Hills is a brand that does brows well—Denton is a fan of the brand's Tinted and Clear Brow Gels. "They add thickness to the hair while still maintaining a natural feel," he explains. "The hold is fantastic and they don't dry down to a crunchy, flaky mess after a few hours."
5. Kosas Air Brow Tinted Volumising Treatment Gel
Another recent newcomer to the UK is Kosas, and this great volumiser of a brow gel. You may find that you need to wipe a little excess off the wand, but I can only describe the results as transformational. Again, it’s another that you can use alone on sparse brows and still get very full-looking results—though the brand’s brow pencil also lives in my current everyday make-up bag for a two-pronged attack.
6. NYX Professional Makeup Thick It Stick It Brow Mascara
This is another High Street gem of a brand that I kind of live and die by, particularly for excellent brow products. Brow Glue is known for creating a temporary laminated look, but Thick It Stick It is a more recent addition to the NYX Professional Makeup line-up and is the one you want for adding more volume to your brow hairs. It can get a little clumpy after you’ve had it on the go for a while, but it’s often discounted to under a tenner.
7. Benefit Gimme Brow+ Gel
Arguably the OG of brow gels is Benefit’s Gimme Brow+, which had a bit of a zhush five years ago but is still just as well-loved. Few others can rival its excellent shade range and brow-grooming capabilities—and while I don’t think I’ve ever kept it on for quite as long as 24 hours, it is worthy of a place in any make-up bag for its reliable results. A true icon of the brow make-up world.
