Welcome to Deep Reviews—your one-stop destination to discover the absolute best products and brands the beauty industry has to offer. The Who What Wear staffers you already know and trust will research, test, and review the market’s most sought-after and buzzed-about products to see which formulas (of the hundreds up for consideration) are worth your hard-earned money and attention. You can expect honest, uncensored feedback and no-BS recommendations our hard-to-please testers endorse without reservations.
The majority of our Deep Reviews will feature our editors’ honest, ultra-hot takes on entire product categories or multiple products from a particular beauty brand, but every so often, we’ll sprinkle in a special single-product format called Honestly, I Love It. As the name suggests, these reviews focus on one standout beauty formula our editors can’t shut up about. This time around, I’m highlighting the Glossier Boy Brow Arch ($24).
I have thin, sparse, and generally wimpy brows—and not because I succumbed to the tweezer-happy craze of the early aughts. I was simply born with a less than stellar brow game (sigh). Luckily, there are more than a few ways to fake fluffy, Brooke Shields-level arches, such as semi-permanent services (I opt for a brow tint every six weeks), growth serums (I apply this one every night!), and natural-looking makeup products (gels, pencils, pomades, and powders—I’ve tried ’em all).
Armed with this collection of tools and services, I can zhuzh my sparse arches and fake a fuller brow in mere minutes. Still, I’ve made peace with the fact that my brows will never be my most defining feature, and people likely won’t stop me on the street and beg for my brow-grooming routine.
But then I tried Glossier’s Boy Brow Arch. The first time I wore it, a friend (who has incredibly thick arches, BTW) asked me if I had done anything different with my brows. A few weeks later, someone at a work event complimented my “great eyebrows.” I was finally on the receiving end of the praise I had so often doled out to fluffy-browed individuals, and I 100% have this holy grail to thank.
(Image credit: Glossier)
Allow me to clarify: Boy Brow Arch isn’t your average brow pencil. No, it’s a hybrid between a pencil and a pomade with a two-in-one tip—a precise end for wispy, hair-like strokes and a flat edge to help shadow in sparse areas.
I typically prefer pomades over pencils, as the latter tends to tug on my sensitive brow hairs with each stroke, resulting in redness and irritation (which impedes growth and leads to even sparser areas—it’s a vicious cycle). Pomades have a softer, creamier texture that helps fill in gaps with a powder-like shadow, so it’s great for my gappy brow tails that definitely need some extra love. The only downside is that pomades aren’t the quickest grooming option out there; you need an angled makeup brush to dip into the pot, which means it’s not ideal for on-the-go touch-ups.
Glossier’s new launch combines the ease of a brow pencil with the texture of a creamy pomade, and it feels like it was literally made for me. I can easily shade my tails and use the precise tip to create sprout-like wisps at the front, which looks so natural and soft. And because it comes in a slim, mechanical-like packaging, I can easily toss the tool into my bag for midday touch-ups.
It comes in nine shades tailored to your undertones, which is so important for crafting fuller, natural-looking brows (and a feature not many brow products have!). See, a lot of brow makeup products are cool-toned, which is great for creating shadow and definition—they’re similar to contouring products in that way. However, if you have warm tones in your skin, those cool brow products can easily read gray.
Glossier also offers warm-toned shades to the line-up, which I prefer to mix and match for a three-dimensional brow. First, I use the Cool Brown shade to fill in gaps. I blend with the attached spoolie, then grab the Warm Dark Brown shade to add some soft, hair-like strokes (especially at the fronts).
Most people have a range of tones in their brows (mine vary from light blonde to brown), so it makes sense to use more than one brow pencil to create the most realistic result. I suspect that’s why people are curious about what I’ve done to my brows as of late—the fluffiness looks way too natural to come from one makeup product. Technically, it comes from two!
While I keep my two favorite shades (Cool Brown and Warm Dark Brown) in my bag for touch-ups, I rarely even need to reapply throughout the day. Boy Brow Arch is smudge- and water-resistant—it’s half pomade, so it clings to those hairs!—so it stays put until I wash my face before bed. It’s pretty malleable as I apply, so fixing errant strokes is a non-issue, but once it sets, well, it sets.
My favorite perk, if I had to pick one, is the built-in sharpener. I honestly didn’t even notice it until a makeup artist pointed it out to me as she was grooming my brows. (She also told me Boy Brow Arch is her all-time favorite brow product right now!). On the cap, you’ll see a strip of color that denotes its shade—this doubles as a whetstone for you to mold the tip to your desired shape, similar to how you might sharpen a knife. You can make the tip as pointed or angled as you please, and because the pomade-like formula is so creamy, it instantly reconfigures to your liking.
A quick swipe of brow gel (also courtesy of Glossier) to lock everything in place, and I’m left with the fluffy, feathery face framers I always dreamed of. I never thought a humble brow pencil would be what it took to move the needle, but leave it to an iconic brand like Glossier to help me finally reach my brow goals—at least until I wash everything off at the end of the day.
More Glossier Staples I Love
The OG Boy Brow gel always has a place in my routine. It’s the ultimate dynamic duo with Boy Brow Arch.
This detailing pen is a godsend on days I’m in desperate need of a brow tint. It makes my tails look perfectly wispy.
If you haven’t yet tried Glossier’s new body cream, you’re in for a treat. It has the same scent as the brand’s cult-loved fragrance, just with a slightly “fresher” quality that makes my limbs smell divine post-shower. Not for nothing, scented body creams help make your perfume last longer; consider this a practical purchase for fragrance longevity.
Natural deodorants: once you find one that works, you hold on for dear life. I swipe this one on every single day without fail. The Orange Blossom Neroli scent is heaven.
Proposed to smell different on everyone (and it actually does!), Glossier You is the ultimate skin scent. I personally can’t get enough of the stuff, and I keep the travel-sized version on my desk for midday spritzes.
Glossier
Glossier Candles
Why not make your entire home smell like You? People immediately comment on my apartment’s delectable scent whenever I burn this slightly spicy, musky, salty candle.
According to Glossier, you should choose a lip liner based on the color of your nipples. Yes, really! No matter which shade you wind up with, you’ll love this liner’s creamy formula, ultra-smooth glide, and impressive staying power.
You must snag the lip liner sharpener, too. It’s simply too adorable not to add to cart.
Clear lip gloss is just so chic, don’t you think? Glossier’s glassy formula makes my lips look noticeably juicier.
This smooth tinted balm pairs perfectly with the aforementioned liner. It effortlessly blends any harsh lines.
This is technically a skincare product, but I also like to tap this oil-serum hybrid on top of my makeup for a subtle highlight that simultaneously moisturizes my skin. Try it this winter and thank me later.
