This £5.99 clear brow gel is the best I’ve ever used

My go-to brow product for the past couple of years has taken the form of a clear gel that is alcohol- and silicone-free as well as vegan. As a two-in-one product, it can be used on eyebrows or for laying down and shaping your edges, but it’s also useful for slicking down flyaways when creating smooth, slicked-back buns.

The two-sided brush is fluffier on one side (for applying the product) and shorter on the other (for slicking and shaping), and it provides a good amount of control for a larger-than-average brow gel brush.

The brow gel keeps a fluffed-up, backcombed brow lifted for hours, making it an instant winner in my eyes. My brows are a bit sparse and very flush to my skin, which is exacerbated when certain brow gels plaster hair flat, to help keep it place. With this formula, however, the hairs set together in a web-like structure, holding each other in place. Genius.

It’s not sticky or greasy and it lasts all day without flaking or crusting, which is miraculous. Due to its larger size (most brow gels are around 8ml, compared to this product’s 16ml), you can go longer before having to restock, too. Several months in, when the product starts to appear cloudy on the brush, you might get a small amount of transparent crustiness, meaning it’s time for a fresh tube, even if you haven’t yet run out of formula.

I typically use this gel over whatever brow pencil or wax and powder I’m using, but I also went a year using just this product alone on my brows, and I loved it. I recently discovered it works nicely under a brow pencil top-up, too, as it really gives the product something to cling to.

At this price, you can’t go wrong.

This new formula does deliver incredibly similar results to the OG, as well as coming in the same style of packaging, with the same type of brush, and with the same vegan, alcohol- and silicone-free credentials.

After using this formula, however, my brows felt stiffer and a little crunchy to the touch. To my surprise, though, they didn’t look at it at all in the mirror, and I would say the hold surpassed the original formula, especially at the end of the day. As far as holding up against sweat goes, the product’s waterproof claims check out.

While most of the hold remained after a quick shower, splashing my face with cold water at the end of the day did see some brow hairs break free of their shaping. Looking very closely, there was also a slight shine or glaze of dried product on the skin between the hairs later in the day. However, you may find that a small price to pay for a waterproof hold.