Despite all the memes about the brand’s skin care, when you hear the name Glossier, the first thing that comes to mind (besides maybe millennial pink) is Boy Brow. While the brand certainly caused buzz when it launched in 2014 with its “skin first, makeup second” approach, Boy Brow is what truly put it on the map a year later.
The brow pomade is beloved by almost every beauty editor, Insta girl, and millennial on the planet, and has generated a truly cultlike following. The hashtag #glossierboybrow has close to 11,000 tags on Instagram, and had a 10,000-person wait list only five months after launching. The product, which launched at the peak of the full-brow craze, is unlike anything else on the market. It’s like a mix between a wax, a gel, and a powder, and somehow manages to fluff up, fill in, and keep brows in place while looking like you’re not wearing anything at all. Add in the fact that it’s extremely user-friendly—a crux of Glossier’s brand—and it’s easy to see why one was sold every 32 seconds in 2018.
With a product as beloved as Boy Brow, it makes sense that Glossier has kept its hands off the brow category and let Boy Brow do it’s thing. Until now. Today Glossier is launching Brow Flick, a brush-tip detailing pen designed to compliment Boy Brow. While Boy Brow is more of a one-and-done type of product, the $18 Brow Flick is designed to fill in where needed, or for more elaborate shaping and definition.
That being said, don’t expect any Sharpie-style markers here. Brow Flick is made with the Glossier girl in mind, so the pigment is sheer and designed to look very natural, not drawn-on. Like Boy Brow, the water resistant pens are available in three shades—Blonde, Brown, and Black. The brand recommends using the pen on clean skin (foundation is harder for the pigment to stick to) and using Boy Brow to set.
Bow Brow is such a game changer that it’s hard to compete with, but we still had high expectations for Brow Flick. We had four Glamour editors put it to the test to see how it stood up to our OG fave. (Spoiler: Many of us were asked if we had gotten microblading.) Here's what we thought.
Tara Gonzalez, commerce editor
I'm obsessed, obsessed, obsessed with Boy Brow, but after trying Brow Flick in Brown, I'm super into it too. Whereas Boy Brow is best for when my eyebrows have been threaded and are a bit more shaped, I find Brow Flick is great for when my eyebrows are more overgrown. It helps me draw in some shape and tidy them up on my own. Definitely going to add this into my rotation when threading isn't an option.
Bella Cacciatore, beauty associate
I ride hard for Glossier and always want to love its products even if I know they won't work for me. This was one of those cases. I am very low-maintenance with my eyebrows, and generally just use Boy Brow to brush them up and a pencil to fill in any missing hairs. I have full brows, so I don't need to add density, so Brow Flick (I tried the Blonde shade) isn't really the right product for me. But I do like that it has a more natural look and doesn't make my brows look drawn-on, so I'll definitely recommend it to my thinner-browed friends.
Khaliha Hawkins, producer
I have my eyebrow routine down pat, I apply a primer/growth serum and use my Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz and that it’s. Two products and I’m done. However, after trying Glossier’s Brow Flick in Black, I realized that my eyebrows were missing some serious definition. Brow Flick definitely made my eyebrows stand out more than they originally did, and as I grow them out to be the big bushy brows I want, I can see this being a subtle but perfect addition to the routine. The tip is thin and precise, and you can wipe/brush out any mistakes you make.
Lindsay Schallon, senior beauty editor
Most days I brush my brows up with a clear gel and I'm done. But ever since I tested Maybelline's $10 Brow Pen, I've been on hooked on brow markers over pencils when I want some extra definition. Glossier's, while $8 more than my favorite, delivers. It goes on thin so you can create realistic-looking strokes. And even when I did accidentally go heavy-handed, it's easy to smudge off. Don't get it twisted, though: It stays put—all day—after you let it dry. My biggest gripe is that it doesn't have spoolie to brush your brows up before penciling them in. I know it's made to go with Boy Brow, but I prefer finishing with gel, not starting with it. Regardless, I got no less than four compliments on my brows after using it. Guess I need to step it up.
Bella Cacciatore is the beauty associate at Glamour. Follow her @bellacacciatore_ on Instagram.
