bailey bee

beauty, home and lifestyle blog

TINTED BROW GEL FACEOFF: GLOSSIER ‘BOY BROW’ VS. BENEFIT ‘GIMME BROW’ VS. MILK MAKEUP ‘KUSH’

Happy pre-Thanksgiving! I’m so excited about today’s post because I feel like I am finally organizing all of these thoughts that I’ve had in my head for the past few weeks and publishing them down in a concise, easy-to-understand manner. Let’s get to it!

Today I wanted to compare three similar, mid-range tinted brow gels that are out on the market currently. We’re looking at the Glossier Boy Brow, Benefit Gimme Brow, and the Milk Makeup Kush brow gel.

Starting with applicators, they are all very similar. Each applicator is decently short, which allows you to fine tune your brow gel application and not get it on surrounding hairs or skin. Boy Brow is a bit more compact and dense of a brush than Milk, which is more compact and dense than Gimme Brow. I believe this does make a difference in applications. See below!

The three shades chosen were all mid-toned brown offerings from each of the brands. That being said, each brown is not created equal. Glossier’s Boy Brow in ‘brown’ is the lightest of the three, MIlk Makeup’s Kush in ‘Dutch’ is the darkest and Benefit’s Gimme Brow in ‘3’ was in the middle.

Okay, let’s get into the nitty-gritty.

One of the highest rated brow gels on the market right now is Glossier Boy Brow in ‘Brown’. I have owned this product in the past and have genuinely enjoyed it but due to Glossier’s limited online availability I never picked up a new one until I was creating this post. It’s different than the other two gels listed here in that it’s more of a pomade than a gel– meaning that it feels like it doesn’t truly dry all the way down. That being said, it does lend a more natural appearance and feel to your eyebrows. I find that Boy Brow is the best of the three products for making current hairs appear fuller (aka needing to fill them in less or using BB as a replacement for fill-in products!). If you have a decent shape to your eyebrows and just need help to get that extra mile, Boy Brow is your product.

Truly my “OG” in this category, next up is the Benefit Gimme Brow in ‘3’. I have absolutely loved this product for years and have repurchased numerous times. The reason that I like Gimme Brow is that you get the tint, you get the hold and you get the slight volumizing of your hairs. I’d say Gimme Brow does not volumize your hairs as much as Boy Brow but the formula of the product does allow it to dry down and not feel as pomade-like throughout the day. I also prefer the Gimme Brow brush the best over the others– it’s easy to use and doesn’t get product all over your face.

Milk Makeup Kush brow gel in ‘Dutch’ is the newest product for me in this trio. It is the most “brow gel”-like in the group, meaning it holds your brows in place the best. The ‘Dutch’ shade was a bit too dark and cool for me personally, but that is no fault to the actual product. One thing that I do find as a fault, though, is the brush. I can never seem to apply Kush without getting product all over my small facial hairs. If you’re looking for a brow gel that applies a tint and holds your hairs in place (ala Anastasia’s tinted brow gel) though, this is your product. If you’re looking for something that will assist your hairs in looking fuller, the other two products mentioned are yours!

I prefer the Benefit Gimme Brow the most, followed by the Glossier Boy Brow and the Milk Makeup Kush. I think I may buy that Milk one in clear to use as a brow setter instead 🙂 LMK your favorite tinted brow gels in the comments below! I did not include the Anastasia Beverly Hills gel because I personally use the clear and use it for a different purpose than these.
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FINAL OPINIONS: GLOSSIER

Today’s post is all about Glossier!

Honestly, does it need any introduction? Glossier is the “barely there” makeup brand. Think: cool LA model girl makeup

Okay let’s get into it.. I’ve been purchasing Glossier on and off for the past four years and have tried a fair amount of products by the brand. I no longer own….. all but one of them. That’s not to say I didn’t like all of the items that I tried but— you’ll see. Let’s get into my Final Opinions of Glossier.

Milky Jelly Cleanser: This cleanser was the first product I tried from Glossier in 2014. I’d heard about it for a little while and was intrigued by word of a cleanser that also removed makeup. This cleanser lived in my shower for about two years after I bought it and I did not repurchase it. It did remove makeup. I just feel like it didn’t clean my skin very effectively. The smell was a bit strange to me as well. It wasn’t bad nor was it good.. it was just a little grandma-y.

Boy Brow: Boy Brow is my favorite product by Glossier. BB is a brow pomade in a brow gel component that helps thicken brow hairs and gives them a tint (unless you use the clear one). What makes it superior to other brow gels is that it truly thickens the hairs that need it and the thick pomade formula stays in the hairs pretty well (although not holding the hairs stiff like some other gels). I did repurchase Boy Brow once or twice but do not currently own any right now because I don’t feel like placing an order with Glossier for only one product.

Cloud Paint: If you want something that will give you the most bang for your buck, it’s Cloud Paint. Unlike other Glossier products that require you to truly slather them on for them to make an intense impact, CP requires suuuuuuch a smaaaall amount of product to be overly pigmented that it’s almost unbelievable. I bought the color ‘Puff’, which was a cute baby pink. I did not repurchase and I got rid of it before finishing because I wasn’t reaching for it over my powder blushes.

Haloscope: Haloscope was the original “glossy” highlight. It was so good at being glossy because it never actually dried down on the face. I would wear Haloscope when I had my hair up in a power ponytail and pulled away from my face otherwise I would have been touching my sticky cheekbones everytime I tucked my hair behind my ears. That being said, it really is pretty. You can layer up a lot of product for an intense glow or keep it natural with just one application/swipe. I recently got rid of Haloscope when I did my last makeup collection clean out because I never reached for it over my powder options.

Generation G: Generation G is truly an innovative product. It applies like a lip balm and had a completely matte finish. I bought the color ‘Crush’, a magenta-wine hybrid and the color did show up on my fairly pigmented lips but I cannot imagine it would have shown up on anyone with pigment in their lips at all. I feel all of the colors would be like this except for their red shade. I ended up selling this on Poshmark after only using it a handful of times. The buyer said that it didn’t show up on their lips…. oops?

Balm Dotcom: I purchased the ‘Birthday’ balm dot com, which is a clear balm with glitter in it and it smells like cake. I do like it but not enough for it to be my everyday lip balm. I keep it at my desk at work where I don’t usually need to apply anything to my lips. I could easily live without this product but the Birthday shade is kinda fun to have on hand for random applications. It moisturizes my lips pretty well so there’s no harm in holding on.

Invisible Shield: I loved the idea of a more inclusive sunscreen that also managed to not smell like sunscreen. I ended up throwing this product out about halfway through the bottle because I read that it doesn’t have the proper ingredients to actually protect your skin from sun damage… just whatever is used to avoid getting sunburnt. Sorry, that’s not enough for me. I want TRUE sun protection. It did smell fine though and was truly invisible!

Stretch Concealer: Stretch concealer is an emollient, tinted, balmy product. I can only assume it would be better suited for somebody who has dry undereyes because the product doesn’t dry down on its own. With powder you are fine but once I start to get oily throughout the day, the product won’t feel or sit right. Additionally, there wasn’t enough coverage for me (which I understand is the Glossier schtick). I no longer own this product.

All in all, I have tried some things that I’ve enjoyed from Glossier but for the most part I feel that I am not the right gal for the brand— which is fine! There are plenty of people they cater to and who knows, I may go back and buy another Boy Brow one day because I really do like it.. but for now, no more Glossier aside from my random work chapstick!

What are your favorite and least favorite things from the brand? They have expanded massively over the past year and I would love to hear if they have any awesome new products that I may have not paid any attention to.