I didn’t care what my brows looked like when I was in high school, but in the past few years things have changed a lot. Nowadays well-groomed brows have become an essential part of any makeup look, whether it’s natural or dramatic. Not gonna lie, I’m glad that brows are ‘in’. They frame the face in the most flattering way and draw attention to the eyes, which most women consider to be their best feature [according to online polls].
Brow products can be expensive, but do they have to be? Today I tested two different brow products from L’Oreal to determine if they can perform as well as my department store picks.
First I tried L’Oreal Brow Stylist Shape & Fill in Blonde ($9.99), which is not a shade you’d expect me to pick, but for some reason I prefer a lighter tint on my brows right now. The high end alternative I am comparing it with is my favorite Hourglass Arch Brow in Soft Brunette. Both products feature a twist-up pencil design, triangular shape of the tip, and a grooming spoolie on the opposite end.
Side by side the shades are nearly identical with L’Oreal being a tad warmer. Hourglass spoolie is slightly longer and wider, and the shape of the tip is more angular, while L’Oreal’s looks more like a teardrop with a sharp tip for drawing on little hairs. Both products feel medium-firm on the skin, so if you need a very bold line, you’ll need to press a little harder. Brow Stylist Shape & Fill pencil lasts on my browsall day, unless it’s super hot and humid, in which case it might melt a little.
Personally, I prefer the texture and the packaging of the Hourglass pencil more, but the pigmentation, longevity, and the overall look of both products on the brows is nearly identical. That’s why I think L’Oreal Brow Stylist Shape & Fill is a solid dupe for Hourglass Arch Brow, because both are great. You really can’t go wrong with either one. A+ to L’Oreal for making an affordable alternative to one of my favorite high end brow pencils!
You will LOVE it if:
- You are on a budget.
- You want your brows to look groomed and natural.
- The color range has a shade that you like.
- You are looking for a drugstore dupe for Hourglass Arch Brow.
- You like the convenience of being able to draw on little hairs with the sharp tip.
- You like that there’s a spoolie attached to the pencil, so you don’t have to look for one all the time.
You will HATE it if:
- You don’t like any of the three colors it’s currently offered in.
- You prefer to use all-natural products.
- You only buy from CF certified brands.
- You prefer vegan formulas.
- You prefer to use brow pomades or a bold Instagram brow look.
- You are sensitive to any of the ingredients.
Ingredients: Synthetic Japan Wax, Stearic Acid, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Zinc Stearate, Polybutene, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Cera Alba / Beeswax / Cire Dabeille, Myristyl Myristate, Copernicia Cerifera Cera / Carnauba Wax / Cire De Carnauba, Polyglyceryl-2 Triisostearate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, VP / Eicosene Copolymer, Tocopherol, Citric Acid. May Contain: CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 / Iron Oxides, Mica, CI 77891 / Titanium Dioxide.
Finding a comparable product in my stash for my next tryout – L’Oreal Brow Stylist Boost & Set Brow Mascara in Blonde ($10.99) – was a little more difficult. It’s a fiber formula like 100% Pure and Benefit Gimme Brow, but I don’t own either of those anymore. Besides, Gimme Brow has been recently recalled, so I can’t really recommend it until it’s reformulated and confirmed to be safe. I own one other brow gel from Lancome, but it has a very different brush and non-fiber formula, so I guess we’ll have to go without a comparison for this part.
Boost & Set Brow Mascara was clearly designed with the current ‘it’ look in mind: natural, bushy, full brows [think Glossier models]. As long as the product has something to grab on to, it’s easy to build up the volume. I could probably go a shade darker, but Blonde looks more natural on me in person. Unfortunately, that doesn’t translate the same in the photos, so you’re just going to have to trust me on that, haha!
It comes in four shades: three classic ones plus a clear gel for those who already have beautiful full brows and just want to set them in place. On me the color remains the same all day, even after long periods of time in hot and humid environment, but the hairs tend to ‘unstick’, so I need to brush them again once or twice. Also, can we just talk about that teensy wand? It’s perfect for the brows! I wish more companies made their brow gel products with a small wand like this one.
You will LOVE it if:
- You are on a budget.
- The color range has a shade that you like.
- You want to recreate the on-trend look of full, natural brows.
- You are looking for a budget-friendly fiber brow gel.
- You like long-lasting formulas.
You will HATE it if:
- You don’t like any of the colors it’s currently offered in.
- You prefer to use all-natural products.
- You only buy from CF certified brands.
- You don’t have enough brow hairs for the gel to grab on to.
- You prefer the dramatic Instagram brow look.
- You are sensitive to any of the ingredients.
Ingredients: Aqua / Water / Eau, Styrene / Acrylates / Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer, Alcohol Denat., Butylene Glycol, Acrylamide / Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Perlite, Isohexadecane, Propylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Rayon, Polysorbate 80, Nylon-12, Steareth-20, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sorbitan Oleate, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Disodium EDTA, Panthenol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Potassium Sorbate. May Contain: CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 / Iron Oxides, Mica, CI 77891 / Titanium Dioxide.
Overall, I am pretty impressed with both of these offerings from L’Oreal. Until a few years back it was nearly impossible to find truly high quality brow grooming stuff at the drugstore. Since 2018 was appointed the unofficial year of the brow, I’m bet we will see more amazing budget friendly launches though. As happy as I am with these two, if I had to name one con, it would be the limited shade range. But as far as pigmentation, longevity, and the overall performance I have no complaints – the products are exactly what I thought they would be.
Have you tried any of these L’Oreal products before? What is your go-to brow look if you have one? Let me know in the comments below!
