We’ve seen the viral “boyfriend blush” trend racking up over 85 million views on TikTok, with users flushing out their cheeks with triangular-shaped blush. While men’s grooming is often excluded from makeup, boyish beauty has turned into all the rage online for women. So, Glossier gave their original Boy Brow––a brow wax formulated after mustache pomade––a surprise facelift (or should we say, brow lift) with their latest eyebrow product Boy Brow Arch for an updated angle on the circular trend.
“Glossier’s Boy Brow has always been that perfect on-the-go brow gel to swipe and fluff,” makeup artist Harold James tells ESSENCE, remaining one of the industry’s favorite formulas for almost a decade. Now, just before their 10-year anniversary, the grooming pomade for full brows turns into pomade pencil for a diet version of the classic. “The new Boy Brow Arch has this amazing 2-in-1 tip with a sharp edge to create fine, hair-like flicks and a flat edge to fill in brows for a defined but still natural look,” James says.
With the return of ‘90s boy beauty, Glossier couples the look with the arch of the feminine skinny brow (think: ‘Lil Kim, Missy Elliott, and Meagan Good) by adding a flat edge to fill and arch a pencil-thin look. However, the updated dual-tip doesn’t make you choose between shape, definition, and volume. “My ultimate brow inspiration is the French model and muse Tina Kunakey,” he says. “Her fluffy brows have a natural look with beautiful, full eyebrows; however, the contours are emphasized and shaped.”
However, shape is only half the job. Tint is the key to any Glossier formula––their previous Lip Line launch featured nipple-toned liners as a shade matching hack––and the new brow pencil is no different. “Boy Brow Arch offers nine true-to-hair shades making it simple to find an ideal match for complementary brows that frame the face,” he says, ranging from a natural black to cool gray. To seal the color in, a botanical clay complex helps keep the pigments in place for an all-around resistant wear.
Harold James’s Boy Brow Arch pro tips:
“Depending on your desired result, I recommend alternating techniques with the dual-tip. If your brows are already at your desired thickness, but you’d like a more precise finish, or to create hair-like strokes especially near the front of the brow, I would opt for the sharp point. If you’d like to fill in sparse areas or add volume to the brow, I’d opt for the flat edge,” James says.
- Brush eyebrows upwards to see natural shape.
- Use Boy Brow Arch to outline your arch.
- Fill in sparse areas with light strokes.
- Set with Boy Brow gel.
- Clean up with concealer.
- Blend with the spoolie brush so it looks natural.