Glossier Boy Brow Arch has landed - here's our verdict on the new drop
Between the shiny, millennial-centric brands delivering fresh drops through your letter box, the more established, cult buys and the indie outfits selling 'natural and organic' products, the beauty landscape has never felt more cluttered.
To help you to navigate this brave new world of retinol, AHAs, jade rollers and double cleansing, WH's Beauty Editor, Perdita Nouril, is here to try and test the new drops that are making their way into her (very full) bathroom, via her column, Beauty Dispatch.
Here, she'll share the freshly released heroes that she loves: ready to let you know where to spend your skin and hair care cash. This time around, she tries Glossier Boy Brow Arch to see if it rivals the best selling original.
What is Glossier Boy Brow Arch?
When Boy Brow launched in 2015, it quickly earned its place in the beauty hall of fame and has maintained its iconic status ever since. Adored for its ability to fluff up your face framers while also adding colour and depth, it remains one of Glossier's best sellers—and for good reason.
However, Boy Brow had one shortcoming: it wasn’t the best at filling in sparse or over-plucked areas. Those who succumbed to the late '90s and early 2000s skinny brow trend will know exactly what I mean. Although Brow Flick was introduced a few years later, not everyone was keen on its felt-tip pen design, me included.
So Glossier, have done what they do best and have come up with a brilliant workaround that hat both fills in and defines brows. Enter Boy Brow Arch, a pomade pencil with a 2-in-1 tip that's as if Boy Brow and Brow Flick had a love child.
Glossier claim Boy Brow Arch is able to deliver the soft, creamy texture and impactful colour that you’d normally find in a poured pomade formula, and precise hair-like strokes with the ease and control that only a pencil can achieve. Plus, it has a smudge-resistant and water-resistant formula and is available in 9 shades.
As for who this product suits best? Celebrity makeup artist, Harold James tells WH, 'I think this product is for people who don’t want to spend too much time on their brows. It’s so easy to use. The tip gives precision and draws fine lines. It literally takes two minutes.'
So, does it live up the hype? Here's what happened when I put it to the test.
Glossier Boy Brow Arch: An honest review
I had my brows microbladed over a year ago, so my brow maintenance as been minimal. For a night out, I'll fluff them up with Glossier's clear Boy Brow or Benefit 24-Hour Brow Setter Clear Brow Gel but other than that I've been good to go.
The downside of microblading is that it doesn’t last forever, and recently, I’ve noticed I need more definition around the tails. So, armed with my new Boy Brow Arch, I set to work.
James tells me that the best way to use it is by deploying 'the sharp edge on the pencil so that you can use it horizontally, which gives you precision. If you are scared, start very softly. Combe your brow and see what you need ie, is it filling, is it volume and just start slowly.'
The shape of the pencil makes this pencil a doddle to use. The formula reminds me of Benefit Goof Proof, which I swear by, so that's a good sign. However, Arch Brow Boy does feel easier to use because the incredibly sharp edge of the pencil means you can recreate the look of very tiny hairs, which is the look I'm after. Just don't press down too hard, I did this to begin with and the pencil snapped off. Gently does it.
Perhaps best of all though, Boy Brow Arch’s cap is equipped with a flat shade panel that does more than just indicate what colour you’re working with: It doubles as a sort of sharpener, allowing you to sharpen and mold the tip once its starts to blunt.
To use it, you simply press the tip on panel and gently swipe it along the cap’s colour-coated strip to refine it. Genius!
Glossier Boy Brow Arch: My verdict
You really do have the best of both worlds with Boy Brow Arch. A pomade in a mechanical pencil, it allows for precision and control but the texture means it cleverly fakes the look of real brow hairs. It's goes the distance too, after a sweltering day in London, plus a sweaty Kobox Gym Class, my brows still look in tip top condition. Whether you want to fill in a bigger brow or simply draw in natural hairs - all is achievable with this clever pencil. It gets a big thumbs up from me.
Read now: What to know before getting a bob
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