“The brow area is especially important because brows are the highest point of the face that shield the eyes,” says celebrity brow artist René de la Garza (Think about it: Makeup artists recommend tapping a highlighter on the brow bone, as that’s where the sun would naturally hit). “Excessive amounts of sun exposure can make brow hairs dry and brittle,” and that crispiness can lead to sparser patches over time, altering your brow shape. Not to mention, they can fade in color—as someone with naturally light brows, I can attest they all but disappear in the summer, which is why I up my brow tinting schedule during the summer months.
We love a good brow serum around here, but we understand you might not have the bandwidth to add yet another step to your skin care routine. Sure, people swear by them for their ability to foster fuller, thicker brows, but if you’re not actively trying to encourage hair growth? You might just skip ’em.
There are a few beauty trends that I believe firmly define 2023. They include the cowboy copper hair color, “clean girl” makeup, and laminated eyebrows. And when I say “laminated eyebrows,” I mean it in the intense, brushed-up, and not-a-single-hair-out-of-place way.
As is inevitable with all trends, the fully laminated look might be on its way out, but that doesn’t mean people are giving up brow lamination altogether. Instead, they’re using it in a less obvious way. Let me introduce you to “baby brow” lamination—the 2024 way to create polished, yet more natural-looking brows. “Baby brow lamination is just like your regular brow lamination process, but it only treats the first inch or inch-and-a-half at the start of the brow,” says Autumn Estelle, Benefit’s U.S. national brow and beauty authority. “The rest of the brow is left untreated, creating a baby lamination effect (hence the name!). It’s trending because it makes styling your brows easier and offers a much more natural, fluffy look compared to a full brow lamination.”
As a beauty editor who’s constantly brushing up her brows but also appreciates a natural look, this trend was like music to my ears. So, I decided to try it out for myself. Keep scrolling to see my before-and-after pictures and learn how to get the look for yourself!
For context, this is what my brows look like when I haven’t touched them. I’m not wearing any makeup, and they’re not tinted or laminated. I took this picture about 30 minutes after I woke up, so this is as real as it gets.
Unfortunately, it’s not easy to find professional brow lamination services in my hometown, so I decided to try an at-home kit—the Brow Code Lustre Lamination Kit ($80) to be specific. I’d seen these kinds of lamination kits all over the internet (and especially on Amazon); this is just the first one that I had access to. I appreciated that it had everything I’d need to complete the process, including a lamination comb, a perming solution, and a fixing lotion. I followed the instructions, and I was done in about 15 minutes. Editor’s Note: I honestly recommend seeing a professional over DIYing it, but at the very least, I recommend following the instructions. The effects of brow lamination last for weeks, so you want to be sure you’re happy with the result and you’re using the kit safely. Luckily, this one comes with detailed instructions that are easy to follow. All it took was three steps: priming solution, fixing lotion, and a nourishing aftercare product.
This is what my brows looked like immediately after I finished the lamination process. As you can see, I only laminated the first half of my brow. I tried to only laminate the first third, but it was the first time I’d ever tried an at-home lamination kit, and I fumbled a bit by getting the perming solution too far into my brow. Oh, well, now I know to use less of it next time. I liked how my brows looked brushed-up and shapely without looking too over the top. Leaving the tail of each brow untreated toned down the results, and I loved it. This is definitely a trend I can get behind in 2024.
After a few hours, my brows looked even subtler because the lamination sheen wore off and the brow hairs looked like they were settling in place—especially the hairs at the front of my brows that tend to be stubborn and unshapely. “Baby brow lamination can work on any brow, thick or thin, especially if you’re looking to add some extra fluff to the start of the brow,” Estelle says. “Also, if your brow hairs are curly or unruly in a specific area, then a baby brow lamination can help tame those hairs as well.” Estelle says baby brow lamination should last anywhere between six and eight weeks and aftercare is incredibly important. “Like the hairs on your head, once your brows have been chemically treated, it’s important to keep them hydrated to encourage optimum health,” she says. “I always recommend incorporating a nourishing brow oil into your nightly routine post-lamination.”
This is the brow oil she recommends incorporating into your nightly routine post-lamination.
“You’ll also want to use a brow gel (clear or tinted) to help easily set and style your brow hairs each day,” she says. This is her favorite one.
This brow pencil creates super-fine, hair-like strokes.
If you want a laminated look without the, well, lamination, this strong-hold gel is your ticket.
I love that this growth-boosting serum can be used on lashes and brows.
This pencil has a slanted edge that easily fills sparse spots.
This tinted gel makes my brows look full and fluffy.
These are the best tweezers.
I love magnified lighted mirrors when I’m tweezing my brows. They help me catch hairs I would have otherwise missed.
First, let’s go over the process of regular brow lamination. Think of this treatment as a chemical relaxer or perm for your brows: “[It’s] a brow styling technique that involves the process of the use of a perming and fixing solution to chemically straighten out the brow hairs and achieve a perfectly-set shape with a gel like finish,” says celebrity brow stylist Melanie Marris, founder of Brow Code.
Once the hairs are more malleable, the artist can move them to cover gaps or scars, fluff them out to make them wider, or, in my case, brush them to add volume and lift. Essentially, it’s like using an extra-strength brow gel that doesn’t go away with a face wash.
However, just like when one gets a perm or relaxer, that chemical process can take a toll on your strands over time—the brow hairs are especially vulnerable to brittleness and breakage, given that they are typically much finer and more sensitive.
Enter, “baby” lamination, a process that only treats the first inch or so at the start of the brow. “The area which normally grows in an upward direction is laminated, and the rest of the brow is left natural,” Marris explains. “This lamination method results in a subtle, more understated effect for everyday wear, while still achieving a clean, polished appearance.” And because you only treat a portion of the brow, the process doesn’t impair as many precious hairs.
She compares the treatment to babylights, which entails super-soft, tiny, and finely woven-in highlights for a very natural hair color. It refers to the width of the highlight, similar to how baby lamination refers to the placement of the perming solution.
That being said, you could generally think of “baby” lamination as any softer, step down procedure. For example, celebrity brow artist Kristie Streicher,founder of KS&CO, offers a “brow lifting” service that involves a gentle keratin solution to relax the hairs and lift them upward (essentially, a lamination). When I received the treatment, however, she took note of my thin, sensitive arches and decided to leave on the solution for only a fraction of the allotted time, so as to not cause breakage. I consider this a “baby” lamination as well, since it involves tweaking the process with brow health in mind.
I still reaped the benefits of a regular brow “lift” or lamination—the treatment just better fit my own, sensitive hairs. And let me tell you: My brows have never looked fuller.
While regular lamination has been popular for ages, “We’re finding there is currently a huge trend in baby lamination at the moment,” Marris adds, perhaps as folks prefer flexible, softer brow looks as opposed to flattened, straight arches. The baby lamination gives you a bit more freedom with your brows and keeps them healthy—which, in turn, makes them appear even fluffier.
Step 1: Measure from the outside of your nose straight up to figure out where your brow should begin. “This creates a slimming effect on the bridge of your nose,” says Reid.
Step 2: “Next, find where your brow is naturally at its highest by following a diagonal line from the outside of your nose across the middle of your eye,” says Reid. This is where your arch should be. If you’re having trouble finding your arch, celebrity brow expert Kelley Baker says that as a general rule, your arch should start at the outer part of your eye’s iris.
Step 3: According to Reid, you can find the end of your brow by tracing from the outside of your nose to the outside corner of your eye.
Step 4: Mark each of these spots, and then sketch a few lines to connect each of them on the top and bottom of the brow. “Hairs that fall outside those lines are the ones you should remove when tweezing and the ones that are inside the lines should stay,” says Reid.
As a beauty editor, my makeup kit is filled to the brim with brow products of all sizes, shapes, and formulas. There’s a time and place for each of them, but if I’m being honest, I have a favorite, and that’s brow gel. It’s the one brow product I use almost every single day and often without any other pencils and pomades to go with it. There’s simply nothing else that can define, volumize, and shape my arches in a single swipe.
As I’ve gotten older and taken a more natural approach to my daily makeup look, I’ve come to love brow gel even more. After all, full and fluffy brows are the key to looking polished—whether I’m wearing only concealer and lip balm that day or a full face of makeup. Because of this, I have over 15 brow gels lying around (yes, I counted), and I’ve tested way more than that. I’m guessing over 75. I feel somewhat qualified to share the best ones based on my own experience, word-of-mouth recommendations from other beauty editors, and internet reviews. Keep scrolling to see them all!
The Kosas formula features similar players to the original defining pencil: soft waxes to help the pigment hold its shape and key hydration, like castor oil and panthenol, for an easy glide.
The biggest difference between the two products lies in the shape of the pencil. The original Brow Pop pencil has a triangle tip with a thicker side to fill in sparse brows and a thinner point for shape and definition; whereas Brow Pop Nano features an ultra-precise 1-mm pencil to create the tiniest wispy details. (In case you need a visual, it’s as tiny as the post of an earring—adorable, no?)
And, yes, Brow Pop Nano truly does work for every brow, especially if you’re gunning for a feathery-and-fluffy natural look. “The tiny tip mimics ultrafine hairs and details like a dream, allowing you to create realistic depth and dimension and fill in even the littlest sparse patches with complete control,” Kosas founder Sheena Zadeh-Daly tells mindbodygreen.
That tiny tip also keeps you from over-filling or lining with a too-thick pencil, which can make the brows look chunky and drawn-on, she says. It almost has a microshading effect, which relies on small dots to fill in the brows and add depth, much like using powder to create fullness.
For someone with thick, dense brows already, “Brow Pop Nano is the perfect tool to fix any tiny details or sparse areas, rounding out the front of the brow with hairlike strokes or evening out the tail of each,” Zadeh-Daly adds. The 1-mm tip is perfect for anywhere you need to add soft detail and dimension.
Suffice it to say, our entire beauty team fell in love. We use the tool a bit differently, you’ll see, but I’d say we all achieved our various brow goals.
So when it came time to try the product, I opened the tube and was surprised that it felt a little bit thicker than the Brow Glue, and the formula was stickier than my normal gel. After a few swipes, I got the hang of it with shaping and grooming my brows, but it did take a moment since I wasn’t used to the thick consistency. And let me tell you—a little bit of product goes a long way. I overdid it a tad on the first try and got really intense brows, so I had to redo it. After my testing, I read one review that suggested using a light hand, and I wholeheartedly agree with that and wish I had seen that advice sooner! But after I got the application just right, my brows did look more defined, and the hairs were exactly where I wanted them to be. I could also tell that the sticky consistency was just proof of its staying power because this stuff could hold my brows in place.
Since I’m normally very low-maintenance with my makeup (aka the no-makeup makeup look), I think I’ll keep this one in my rotation, but I don’t think I’ll be using it every day. It gives you very dramatic brows easily, which is great for nights out or times when I really want to turn up my makeup a notch, but for my everyday look, I just might stick to the Brow Glue or my normal gel. I love that the formula was totally buildable, though, and that my brows really did appear thicker. So if you want a very eye-catching look, then this would be your product.
If I had endless amounts of money, I would invest in plenty of beauty treatments. One of those treatments would undoubtedly be regular brow laminations. I love how brow laminations look, but they typically run upwards of $120.
The thing about brow laminations is that they’re not exactly something you can DIY. “Brow lamination is a chemical treatment procedure that softens the hair follicles to remove any natural texture in the brow hair and makes the brow hairs lie very flat,” celebrity eyebrow specialist JoeyHealy says. “It’s a two-step process, the first being a solution that breaks down the hair bond, and the second is a neutralizing agent to keep them flat and in their desired shape. The goal is to create a controlled, pin-straight brow.”
Brow laminations give you eyebrows that look perfectly done with no effort. I’ve never been able to fake the look of a brow lamination before (I’m a brow gel girl through and through), but I also never found a gel strong or pliable enough to make my brows look pin-straight and stay that way.
Recently, however, a product trend has made it easier than ever to fake the look of a brow lamination at home. Brow lamination gels are made with treatment in mind and without harsh chemicals. Brands like Milk Makeup, Grande Cosmetics, Benefit, and more have recently released their versions of brow lamination gels, and they couldn’t be easier to use. I’ve even ditched my tinted gels in favor of these lamination-mimicking options. Keep reading for some of the best brow gels on the market for a lamination-like effect that costs a fraction of the price.
In the realm of celebrity beauty, I’m always intrigued by what stars put (or don’t put) on their brows. Having good brows is practically a requirement for being famous. While celebrities have access to the highest-caliber experts to pluck, thread, and microblade their brows, the products they use to enhance them are also of the utmost importance.
The latest brow products sweeping Hollywood? Ilia’s new launches. Despite only just launching, the In Full Micro-Tip Brow Pencil and In Frame Brow Gel are already making waves. Before their official launches, they were even used on Emily Blunt, Miranda Kerr, Diane Von Furstenberg, and Talita Von Fürstenberg at the Met Gala.
In true Ilia fashion, these brow products help you get the vibe of your brows. The In Full Micro-Brow Pencil has a microtip to help you create the most realistic-looking hair-like strokes. It comes in six shades and glides on easily but doesn’t smudge, so you get the best of both worlds. The In Frame Brow Gel is a flake-free formula that conditions brows while it adds flexible hold. There’s no doubt that these brow products will keep gaining momentum.
I’m not shy about my aversion to brow pencils. I can acknowledge their ability to create tiny, hairlike wisps in precise areas—perfect if you have noticeable gaps like me. However, most pencils contain waxes (candelilla, carnauba, etc.) that help the pigment adhere to the brows and hold shape, which means they can also grip the fine hairs with each stroke.
My brows are super fine, sensitive, and—I’ll be honest—just plain wimpy, so it’s easy for those waxes to grab onto the hairs and tug against the follicle. No matter how gently I wield the pencil, I always wind up with an irritated and red brow area.
Like we said before, there were three things we looked for to find the best eyebrow brushes—durability, design, and customer reviews. Let’s talk about durability first. If you’re anything like us, you use your brow brush daily, and you put it through a lot as it’s tumbled around in your makeup bag. Ideally, our brow brushes wouldn’t shed or split or break in any way.
Then, there’s the overall design. Does the brow brush have a fine-tipped and maneuverable head that makes precise application of powders and pomades simple? Is it dual-ended so it has a brush and a spoolie on one tool? Trust us, these are important factors to consider.
Finally, there are customer reviews. In our opinion, there’s no better way to tell whether a product is actually legit than by consulting real-life customers. So, that’s what we did via internet reviews. Factoring all of these things together, we came up with a solid list of—what we think—are the best eyebrow brushes.
Not too long ago, there was a time when your brows needed to be filled in, perfectly arched, and blocky to prove you were up to date on the latest eyebrow trends. Bold brows were everywhere, with multi-step brow routines inspiring a boom in the creation of brow pomades, gels, pencils, and powders.
However, in recent years, makeup trends have evolved toward a more natural-looking approach. Eyebrow trends have followed suit, with fluffy, brushed-up (verging on unruly) brows dominating both the catwalks and our Instagram feeds. “I’ve definitely been using less in my brows, and I know my clients have too,” says makeup artist and brow specialist Lucy Hart. “Brows are definitely a lot softer compared to previous years, and I think for 2023, fluffy, natural brows are here to stay.”
If you’re super cautious and follow all of the tips above, your chances of making a huge mistake are low—but never none. If you’ve overplucked, trimmed to short, or botched the shape entirely, start by putting the tools down.
If you have access to an eyebrow expert, book an appointment ASAP. These brow rehab jobs can be difficult to master at home, but experts may have a way to mask the mishap.
Don’t want to take that route? You can also call upon patience and makeup skills. Simply fill in the brows daily and use a brow growth serum to help accelerate the growth process.
In one 2016 study, a small number of men received a daily four-minute scalp massage. At the conclusion of the study, the investigators found an increase in hair thickness3. A more recent 2019 study found that of the 300 or so participants who followed a specific massage regimen, nearly 70% reported improved hair thickness at the end4.
Knowing this, why not give your brows a good massage? If you can, commit to a daily massage habit for your brows to see the best results. Use a gentle face oil or carrier oil (like jojoba, grapeseed, or squalane, for example) and massage the brows using your fingertips—you can even do this during the double-cleansing step of your evening skin care routine if applicable.
Just make sure to be super gentle; you don’t want to pluck out any precious hairs.
That’s why users report shaving, waxing, or plucking off the tail of their brows and filling it in straighter with a pencil, but brow expert Joey Healy recommends testing out the trend using makeup first.
“You can use concealer to conceal the end of the brow, and then draw on a straighter brow with a pencil just to see what the look is like,” he says. This will help you visualize how straight brows will actually appear on your unique face shape.
If you just want to make your current brows look more lifted, there’s a hack for that too: “Try to use a highlighter, like the Joey Healy High Rise Brow Concealer, under the brow arch, because that will make the brow tail look higher, help you with the straight look, and could give you some lift without removing hair,” Healy says.
All in all, don’t rush into brow trends, including this seemingly harmless trick. If you do, you’ll run the risk of permanently damaging your natural brow shape and may have a harder time growing back the hair you’ve lost.
For the side sleepers out there, this may be bad news. “Sleeping on one side is actually pretty detrimental because the friction is breaking down the muscle, making the face slack a bit faster on one side,” Healy explains.
What’s more, sleeping on one side actually affects the rate at which your brow hairs shed. “The increase in friction can cause the brow hairs to shed faster, especially in the tail of the brow,” Healy explains. In turn, this can cause thinning of the brow and an early cut-off.
“However, if you naturally have very strong, conditioned brow hairs that are well-rooted, this shouldn’t be as big of a problem,” he notes. Yep, just another reason to add a brow serum to your beauty routine.
If you’re truly concerned about how sleeping on one side will impact your skin or brows, you can try to switch to sleeping on your back. The transition isn’t always easy, but it is certainly possible.
Healy also recommends investing in a silk pillowcase. This will help decrease friction and prevent threads tugging at the brow hairs. Plus, your hair and skin will thank you, too.
Welcome to I Tried It Month, where we’ll be publishing a new fashion, beauty, or wellness article every day that features a first-person account of shaking up an old habit, pushing beyond a comfort zone, or simply trying something new. Follow along for 31 days of storytelling, including everything from trying new beauty treatments to copying the most risqué runway looks of the season.
I remember when I first discovered that filling in your brows was a thing, and embarrassingly, it was fairly recent. I’ve always taken a pretty lackadaisical approach to makeup, so it’s not surprising I was a bit of a late bloomer in the brow department. Growing up, I was never really into makeup and tended to go the more natural route. But of course, the more I was exposed to it via friends, the internet, what have you, the more I dabbled.And when I did actually start wearing makeup (starting in middle school), let’s just say everything was very… experimental.
Eventually, I discovered I could fill in my brows. To paint the picture for you, this was also during a time when I was recovering from a base-bump gone wrong, so my hair was a fun shade of yellowish-orange. (I kid.) The art of filling in your brows is exactly that: an art. It takes practice and patience and, most importantly, restraint. None of which I had. I didn’t know how to do natural, hairlike strokes, so I just filled ’em right up. My sister once told me it reminded her of the time I played Julius Caesar in a school play, for which the makeup artist (aka one of my classmates) drew on big, dark brows. My sister wasn’t wrong, and they did, in fact, look costumey.
In the years since discovering brow makeup, I have honed my skills a bit and—if I do say so myself—gotten slightly less bad at it. (It also helps that I literally read about beauty trends every day for work as a copy editor for Who What Wear.) That said, ever since I became a mom, I’ve noticed my brows getting sparser and sparser, making it even harder to fill them in naturally. Despite the fact that I haven’t plucked them nor gotten them waxed/threaded/trimmed by a professional in over five years, there are empty patches that weren’t there before, and I swear I wake up with different brows every morning.
One of the good things that came out of my discovering brow makeup was realizing how much your brows really frame your face. And as mine were seemingly blowing away with the breeze, I wanted to do something about it. I don’t have time to fill in my brows every morning, nor do I want to, and as we’ve established, I don’t have the skill. I could get by, and I’ve found some products that have worked really well for me, but I can never seem to find the right shade.
So in my quest to get the natural-looking, full-but-subtle, symmetrical brows of my dreams that I don’t have to touch ever, I decided to turn to the pros—the first being our senior beauty editor, Erin Jahns. I told her I was looking to do something to my brows, and she immediately recommended I get in touch with Alix Capparelli, the founder of Hairy Little Things. Capparelli is a makeup artist with over 11 years of experience in the beauty industry, and as Erin put it, she’s a “bona fide fairy godmother” when it comes to brows.
When Erin connected us, I sent Alix a picture of my brows with no makeup on, and she said I was a great candidate for microblading. I had an inkling that that would be the solution (years of reading Who What Wear Beauty led me there), but I was nervous about the process—not because of the pain but because I really didn’t want statement brows, which I had always associated with microblading. Julius Caesar as interpreted by a middle school theater makeup artist was not the goal. That’s not to say that I think statement brows are bad—I love them on other people—they’re just not right for me or my face. But after looking at Alix’s Instagram page, I was all in. Not only does Alix work with some impressive celebrity clientele, but she also has worked with a lot of, well, people like me who are looking for subtle, natural, non-statement brows. I knew I’d be in great hands, and I booked an appointment.
From there, the team at Hairy Little Things sent me all the info I needed prior to the appointment, which included prep instructions (we’ll get to that in a bit), an infographic on what to expect in the weeks following (this was so helpful—expectation management is key), and aftercare steps to follow (religiously). If you’re over trying to fill in your brows every day, lack the skills to do so, and/or are considering getting microblading done for whatever reason, keep reading to see what the process was like for me and whether I think it’s worth it.
In short, microblading is a process in which a trained specialist uses a blade and custom pigment to create tiny strokes that mimic natural brow hairs. It’s great for anyone with sparse, asymmetric, over-tweezed, over-waxed, or thinning brows. At Hairy Little Things, the microblading treatment includes brow reshaping or symmetry work as needed, plus a touch-up session after six to eight weeks. The final result is semipermanent, superficial brows. You can get the full rundown on microblading on the Hairy Little Things website.
As you might imagine, I had a ton of questions before the treatment. I knew there would be some aftercare involved and possibly some redness, so it was important schedule-wise to know what to expect before even booking the appointment. While instructions will likely differ slightly depending on where you go or who you see, here are some things to consider based on the prep instructions I received.
Avoid caffeine prior to your appointment. If you’re like me and require multiple cups of coffee before lunch, you might want to consider a morning time slot. Also, avoid drinking alcohol 24 hours before the procedure; tanning or sunbathing three days before; chemical peels or harsh exfoliating treatments for at least one week before; Retin-A/retinoids/retinol, filler, and Botox for two weeks before; and fish oil, vitamin E, aspirin, and other blood thinners 24 hours before.
In addition to avoiding the above beforehand, I’d recommend clearing your calendar for the rest of the day. By that I mean just don’t plan on attending anything that you don’t want red brows for. My redness cleared within a few hours, but your brows will look pretty raw immediately after, so keep that in mind. Lastly, if you’re prone to sensitivity or have any pre-existing skin conditions, it’s always a good idea to consult a doctor or dermatologist prior to booking a treatment.
I had a wedding to attend four days after the procedure, and based on the timeline HLT sent me (see above), it seemed like my brows might be scabbing or flaking at that point. So I made sure to check with Alix ahead of time, and she assured me that they actually would not look too scary, perhaps just a bit darker than the final result.
When I arrived at the salon, Alix put a numbing cream on my brows while she prepped for the treatment. Then, she brushed up my brows and handed me a mirror that I thought was maybe for nostalgic reasons. You know, to say goodbye to the patchy, uneven second cousins above my eyes before she bibbidi-bobbidi-booed them into twins.
But I soon found out this move was more strategic than it was sentimental. She asked me if I had a favorite brow, and if so, why. Well, neither, I thought immediately. But what this did was get me to talk about what I like about my brows and what I dislike, and it put us on the exact same page in terms of what I was looking for. She also asked if I wanted a whole new look or to stay within my brows’ current footprint. Definitely the latter, I told her. Our convo was a mix of me explaining what I wanted but also, and equally as important, me trusting her professional opinion on what works best with my face, features, hair color, etc.
Alix then took a brown liquid and began drawing an outline, focusing on my natural brow shape and filling it in. She explained that this step was to determine the shape only and not indicative of the final color my brows would be. I was surprised when she told me I had a natural arch, and sure enough, when I looked back in the mirror, there it was. (This is why I leave the semipermanent makeup application to the pros—I had no idea.) It was a little too much of an arch, though, so she filled them in more underneath ever so slightly. And boom, they were perfect, and it was time to commit.
After applying some lidocaine, Alix started in with the blade, never taking it outside of the outline she drew on with the brown liquid. The only way I can describe it is that it felt like a lot of tiny scratches—not necessarily painful but certainly uncomfortable. She went over each brow three times, applying more lidocaine in between each round. I was able to carry on our conversation during it, and my eyes surprisingly didn’t water very much. I specifically didn’t put on mascara that morning because I expected them to. The actual microblading portion of the appointment took about 25 minutes (not a fact, just my estimation). Alix told me afterward that I did bleed a bit, but that didn’t surprise me, and it stopped by the time I got to my car.
When she handed me the mirror again, I couldn’t believe it.My brows looked exactly like the brows that I visualized every morning before I went in with the pencil but that never quite materialized—perfectly shaped, natural (minus the redness surrounding them), subtle. “You are a magician,” I think I said. And I wanted to hug her.
She put some ointment on them and sent me on my way with strict instructions to follow the aftercare guidelines to a T. That included avoiding excessive sweat, pools, sun exposure, jacuzzis, and saunas. Remember that wedding I mentioned earlier, the one that I’d be attending just four days later? Did I also mention it was in the desert, where it was supposed to be over 100ºF? A challenge.
Immediately after, my eyebrows were, as I mentioned, very red. Alix told me I should expect them to feel like a little sunburn. That was accurate, but it went away after about 30 minutes, and the redness fully subsided within a few hours. For some reason, I expected the maintenance to be tedious, requiring me to apply an ointment all day and deal with constant discomfort, but it’s more about leaving them alone and avoiding certain activities for the first 10 days.
During that time, in addition to avoiding sun, exercise (no sweating allowed), and water/moisture, Hairy Little Things says to avoid undergoing any laser or chemical treatments, applying creams containing Retin-A or glycolic acid, and picking/scratching the brow area. They also advise only putting Aquaphor on the brows when you need to, such as when you shower or toward the end of the healing period if they itch or scab. I made sure to keep my face away from the showerhead, only used the Aquaphor when I had to wash my hair, and was careful to not touch my brows or get them wet when I washed my face.
The desert-wedding-weekend challenge turned out to be not so challenging after all. Alix gave me permission to be in the pool as long as I didn’t dunk my head and wore a hat at all times in the sun. She also advised wearing sunglasses while in the pool since the sun reflects off the top of the water and could ruin the pigment. (A hot tip, if you will.) I also made sure to retreat to the AC at the first sign of perspiration, which was probably advisable anyway, fresh brows or not.
By day seven, I had barely noticed any itching or discomfort since the actual treatment. If I hadn’t been so obsessed with looking at them in the mirror every chance I got, I probably would have forgotten that I got my brows tattooed. This is just my experience, though, and peeling, itchiness, and moderate to thick scabbing are to be expected as part of the process. Also, because of natural skin regeneration, the brows might end up appearing lighter than they originally were during those first 10 days. That’s why Hairy Little Things recommends a touch-up after six to eight weeks. I found the infographic they sent me to be so incredibly helpful in terms of expectation management and understanding the stages of healing.
It takes about 30 days for the brows to fully settle into their final look. So far, I am thrilled with the result. I can only vouch for Alix’s wizardry (wizard, magician, fairy godmother—she’s all the things), but Erin has also visited the Hairy Little Things salon in West Hollywood for various treatments and had nothing but great things to say about her experience there.
In the interest of full transparency, I was able to get this done as a perk of my job. I had access to one of the best brow specialists around and felt very comfortable because of that. Microblading treatments range in cost, depending on where you go, and even within Hairy Little Things, the price is based on which specialist you go to. It can cost anywhere from $400 to around $800. Yikes. (This does include the touch-up appointment. But still, it’s nothing to sneeze at.)
If you’re considering microblading, it will be an investment. So the question is, Would I pay for it? The short answer is yes. Before microblading, I honestly felt a bit naked if I didn’t fill in my brows. And as a new mom, I value anything that takes even just one more task off my daily to-do list, especially in the morning. Plus, I feel so much more put-together, even without any makeup on, and that goes a long way in my book. It’s also worth noting that I really don’t do any other beauty treatments (yet) besides haircuts and highlights (I even do my own nails, TYVM), but this one is something that I consider worth it. Although, the $400 range is probably the peak of my comfort zone.
If you are really unhappy with your brows for whatever reason and decide it’s something that’s important to you, I highly recommend microblading if it’s feasible budget-wise. I suggest finding a trusted, trained professional and being very clear about what you want. Check their website and social media for examples of their work. Take pictures of yourself and of other people whose brows you like for reference, but of course, work with the pro to find something that works best for you. Perhaps err on the lighter/smaller side if you’re apprehensive about statement brows. And if you want a whole new brow look, the procedure is certainly great for that too.
If you’d rather stick to at-home brow products, here are some of my favorites that even a makeup novice can handle.
Brow Wiz makes filling in your brows almost foolproof.
This powder duo takes a little more skill, but once you nail the technique, the result is beautiful brows with a natural ombré effect.
If you have approximately 30 seconds to fill in your brows in the morning, go for this pencil from drugstore-favorite brand E.l.f. It’s so easy to use, and I mean, you can’t beat that price.
This is my favorite brow product to date. I have both this one and Brow Wiz, and pre-microblading, I found myself gravitating toward the E.l.f. pencil on a daily basis. Like its thicker counterpart from the brand, the Instant Lift pencil, it’s incredibly easy to use but yields more natural, hairlike strokes.
Sometimes, a quick swipe of clear brow gel at 8:59 a.m. is all you need to perk up your face for that 9 a.m. Zoom meeting.
As the owner of recently-bleached brows, I can tell you one thing for sure: they make a huge difference to your face. Eyes are the windows to the soul but let’s not pretend that eyebrows aren’t just as important. The perfect brow (ahem, Zendaya) isn’t birthed overnight; it takes a lot of training, threading, waxing, and an arduous search for the perfect brow gel. Maybe you use a brow pencil to add depth or religiously apply a brow-growth serum. Either way, topping it off with a brow gel is essential. “Eyebrow gel is the easiest way to tame brows and make them look fuller and groomed,” says makeup artist Tasha Brown, who works with Yara Shahidi, Logan Browning, and Maggie Betts.
“I use clear brows gel and brush brows upwards and out for basic grooming. My go-to technique is to use a brow powder and create small, hair-like strokes in the direction the hair grows in the brows. Then I finish with a generous coating of tinted brow gel for a clean, believable effect.” Like many beauty lovers, Betts’s favorite gel is none other than the fan-favorite Glossier Brow Boy. Ahead, Boy Brow and 14 other gels will keep your brow game strong.
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1
Best Overall
Glossier
Boy Brow
2
Best For Unruly Brows
Anastasia Beverly Hills
Brow Gel
3
Best Waterproof Brow Gel
Wunder2
Long Lasting Eyebrow Gel for Waterproof Eyebrow Makeup
4
Best For Sparse Brows
Ardell
Brow & Lash Growth Accelerator Treatment
5
Best Clear Brow Gel
Benefit Cosmetics
24-HR Brow Setter Shaping & Setting Gel
6
Best For A Budget
NYX Professional Makeup
The Brow Glue
7
Best For Bushy Brows
Makeup by Mario
Master Hold Brow Gel
8
Best For Thin Brows
e.l.f. Cosmetics
Wow Brow Gel
9
Best Soap Brow Alternative
Refy
Brow Sculpt Shape and Hold Gel with Lamination Effect
10
Best For Brow Growth
Eyeko
Brow Gel
11
Best For Fine Brows
Kosas
Air Brow Tinted Clean Volumizing Eyebrow Gel
12
Best For Thin Brows
UOMA Beauty
BROW-FRO Blow Out Gel
13
Best For Bold Brows
MILK MAKEUP
KUSH Fiber Eyebrow Gel
14
Best Clean Brow Gel
Gen See
Arch Support Brow Powder Gel
15
Best Soft Brow Gel
Joey Healy
Brow Structure Clear Set
Joey Healy is a brow expert, brand founder, and owner of Joey Healy Eyebrow Studio.
Jared Bailey is the Benefit Cosmetics Global Brow Expert.
Tasha Brown is a celebrity makeup artist who’s clients include Alicia Keys and Whitney Peak.
“Brow gels are the simplest way to style, redirect, fill, or tame brow hairs,” says Bailey. “It really depends on the nature of your brows, you might use it to comb it up in a pleasing, fluffy manner. You might use it to keep your shape and place all day, or you might use them to really tame stubborn hairs that tend to go crazy on you,” adds Healy.
Why are people using soap as brow gel?
“People love using this hack because it’s an inexpensive way to get a stronghold and help keep your brows in place all day, especially if you have thick, unruly brow hairs,” says Bailey. “It’s actually considered an old-Hollywood secret that has been used by makeup artists on set, in editorial beauty and fashion shoots, and even in drag makeup for decades.” Soap brows are a great way to cheat laminated brows. “It’s a highly stylized look, but to me, it’s not a no-makeup makeup look,” says Healy. “It looks like the brows have been manipulated in such a way. There are a lot of expensive products on the market that are soap brow-like products, but good old-fashioned soap, specifically a clear bar of Glycerine soap, will do the job. I always recommend Pears, it’s just a very simple Glycerine soap that you see commonly around.”
What is the best eyebrow gel?
“Finding the right brow gel for you can be really personal depending on how you want it to perform,” says Bailey. “I love brow gels that don’t get crispy or crunchy and ones that don’t leave a residue,” says Healy. “Sometimes brow gels leave this flakiness behind and I prefer when they leave a pliable, flexible hold. For me, that’s a light to medium weight hold. If you need something a little bit more intense, you can opt for a mustache wax, and I think that’s even better than using a bar of soap. It’s also inexpensive, but it’s made for hair and it does give a bit of more substantial hold. But, most people are good with a basic, medium brow gel, and people don’t always know that you can in fact layer your brow gels.”
What are the different types of brow gels?
“These days, there are so many different types,” says Healy. For Bailey, answering these questions is key to finding your perfect brow gel. “Do you want a strong hold or a light hold? Do you want a gel with a tint or clear? Fiber enhanced gel for volume or something more flat? Quick dry time or something more workable?” The two most common types of brow gels are Brow Setting Gels and Fiber Brow gels. A setting brow keeps hairs in place, while a fiber gel can help the brow look fluffier and more voluminous.
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Why trust ELLE Beauty?
This article was written by Beauty E-Commerce Writer (and recent bleached eyebrow convert) Tatjana Freund. Freund has interviewed countless leading makeup artists, and enjoys exploring new beauty trends.
Chloe Hall Beauty Director Chloe Hall oversees all beauty coverage at ELLE.com.
Nerisha Penrose Beauty Commerce Editor Nerisha is the beauty commerce editor at ELLE.com, covering all things beauty (and fashion and music).
Tatjana Freund Beauty Commerce Writer Tatjana Freund is a Beauty Commerce Writer, covering makeup, skincare, and haircare products and trends.
