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Jun 04, 2024

The very best brow products of 2023, as tested by our beauty team

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Gels, pencils, pomades and serums - we've tried them all. Here, our pick of the best

We all have a brow story to tell, whether it features over-plucking, overdrawing, or both. Brows can be tricky business, and navigating the market of brow products can be even trickier.

Yes, the market is a saturated one, but amongst the noise, the beauty industry has delivered smart solutions to solve real brow dilemmas. These days, you can find brow products in the form of gels, pomades, powders, waxes and more, each serving a unique purpose.

The GH beauty team - with 75 years of collective beauty experience behind us - has separated the wheat from the chaff to bring you the very best brow products on the market, to suit a range of brow types and textures. Here's to better brows.

This tiny pencil is what our beauty editor Fleur Fruzza calls her 'forever product'. Her verdict? "It's so swift and easy to use. I love the precision of the tip and the fact that it can be used very subtly but is also buildable." While some brow products veer toward colours that are more red or grey, Fleur's verdict is that these shades are completely 'brow-accurate'.

For brows that stay in place all day, look to this smart gel from Dior. The nifty brush means it can be stroked through even the thinnest hairs with ease (read: no gel on the skin around the brows). While some clear gels leave hairs feeling crunchy and stiff, this formula hits the sweet spot between holding hairs into place firmly, while being comfortable to wear.

Eyebrow pens are excellent at creating a natural looking brow but a light hand is key. Senior beauty editor, Alexandra Friend, uses this one to create the appearance of denser brows. "I have a tendency to go overboard with brow pens, but these come in such nuanced colours and create such natural-looking strokes that it’s hard to get it wrong,' says Alex. 'Makeup artists love them, too."

This is an undeniable investment. But it's also one of our favourite brow conditioning products on the market. It's perfect for those who have over-plucked, are going through chemotherapy, or have brittle, fine hairs (it strengthens them with peptides). "I've always had a little patch of sparseness that has struggled to grow,' says beauty writer, Phoebe. 'I've used RevitaBrow twice daily for a good couple of months, and can say, confidently, that my brows - and that frustrating sparse patch - do look fuller."

"The older I get the more obsessed I am with my eyebrows; specifically making them look fuller and darker (more youthful!)', says beauty director Eve Cameron. "Every day I reach for this conditioning tint. It only comes in one shade, optimistically named Perfect. It is perfect for many (three of us on GH’s beauty desk with different colouring use it) but not the very dark or fair. Still, its little brush does a marvellous job of fanning brows up and out to look more substantial but without looking heavy or flaking."

"This is hands down the best tinted gel I’ve tried,' says Alexandra. 'It’s the brush that does it – it’s tiny and angled, making it super easy to work the colour right into my brows without smudging onto the skin. The shades are spot on, and the micro-fibres in the formula have a subtle bulking effect."

"I’ve used this DIY eyebrow dye kit on and off for years,' says Eve. "It’s incredibly easy to use – you mix the cream with the developer, brush it into the brows, leave for 5 to 10 minutes and wipe off with cotton wool and warm water. Simple and brilliant."

A lot of emphasis is placed on pencils with ultra-fine nibs, but this chunkier one from Jones Road (the brand from makeup mogul Bobbi Brown) is excellent for thicker brows that need subtle definition. The soft texture means you can apply directly onto your brows and smudge it into the hair with a spoolie, for a look that feels natural but polished.

Beauty intern Becky Topping is fair haired. "I’ve spent years figuring out the best way to fill in my sparse brows without feeling inauthentic (I learned the hard way with black tint). Now preferring a natural hue, I use this soft formula to shape them seamlessly,' says Becky. "Using the handy slanted mini nib and built in spooly brush, you only need five minutes for all-day colour. Brush through brows, apply in small upward strokes and brush through again. After, go in with your favourite clear brow gel to keep brows in place."

Becky also knows the importance of a good pair of tweezers. "The best thing I learnt in lockdown was how to manage my brows from home,' she said. 'Although it's blonde, the hair between my brows looks permanently fluffy, and it glimmers whenever the sun shines. The sharpness of these tweezers means they're precise and accurate, which saves me from over plucking. They’re slightly slanted to help grab hair from the root for efficiency and a slower re-growth cycle, too. Smart."

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