One of the most unexpected side effects of working from home the past few months is how much it has changed my relationship with makeup. I truly love makeup, but I also depend on it daily to hide my scarring thanks to years of acne and haven’t felt pretty without it for a long time. In isolation, however, my priorities have changed. I go foundationless but wear a glitter eye to eat dinner on the couch. I’m passing the time by trying on every lipstick I own without a stitch of makeup elsewhere. Or I go all out, including false lashes, for a quick FaceTime with a friend. The one thing I never skip no matter what is happening with the rest of my face, though, is brow gel.
I never thought I would say eyebrow gel is the makeup product I can’t live without (three months ago I would have said full-coverage foundation, hands down), but I guess we’re learning all sorts of things about ourselves this year. Typically my brows are pretty low-maintenance since they’re on the fuller side. I just use a gel to set them in place (and fill in any sparse patches with a pencil if I feel up to it). But after going totally barefaced for a few months, it’s become a nonnegotiable for me.
I have naturally fluffy brows, which is both a blessing and a curse. While I love the fullness, each hair is really long, especially now that I can’t see my brow guy. This means my brows tend to droop down and loose their shape if I let them be. When my brows are wilting, it brings down my whole face, and I look tired and lifeless. Not only does it instantly make me look better, but slicking on a layer of gel every morning also feels like putting armor on. It triggers a response in my brain that tells me it’s time to work, without putting on a whole face, so my skin can breathe. Plus, it takes two seconds.
But not any old brow gel will do. It has to have hold but not look stiff or dry. There has to be a little tint, but too much looks crazy against a bare face. And it needs to add a little fluffiness without things getting crazy. Luckily, after some trial and error, I found the perfect one for the job: Benefit’s Gimme Brow+.
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Benefit essentially invented the brow category as we know it, so it makes sense the brand would have a great gel in its lineup. Gimme Brow+ (formerly known as Gimme Brow; the brand recently updated the ingredients and shade range) is a gel that pumps up brows with microfibers so they look fuller and fluffier. It comes in 11 shades and is long-wearing and water-resistant. It also has a teeny-tiny brush that’s custom to the brand and is perfect for sweeping my brows upward without getting product all over my skin.
The gel is on the drier side (it’s a little closer to a pomade in my opinion), which I actually like because it’s easier to apply just a little so my brows don’t get sticky or heavy. It pumps up my brows while still looking natural and doesn’t glue them down flat like a lot of other gels. I love a super-shiny laminated look, but that can be a bit much for every day, so Gimme Brow+ is perfect for more natural days. The tiny hint of color brings my brows front and center without making them too dark (I use shade 2, Warm Golden Brown), and the fibers and pigments effortlessly fill in any gaps. Most important, the gel keeps my eyebrows in place all day with no stiffness or flaking, my biggest pet peeve.
Even as things ever so slowly return to normal, I don’t see myself giving up my Gimme Brow obsession anytime soon. In fact, if my brows are one of the few features not blocked by a mask, they might as well look perfect.
Bella Cacciatore is the beauty associate at Glamour. Follow her on Instagram @bellacacciatore_.
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