Ask anyone: brows can make or break your look. Whether you’re sporting a fresh face with a light skin tint, mascara, and lip gloss or going for a full-glam beat, your eyebrows will be a defining part of the final look.
Trends always play a role in how people choose to style their brows. During the ’90s, pencil-thin arches were the epitome of model chic. In the 2010s, bold dark brows, carved and shaped with concealer, became popular thanks to YouTube beauty Vlogers. Fortunately, brow trends have found a middle ground with a naturally fluffy look thanks to brow lamination.
Despite the trend cycle, my eyebrow journey was pretty rudimentary. I’d gotten my brows waxed a few times in high school, then moved on to threading before finally deciding to just leave them alone completely. You may think they’d be ragged, but I learned to groom them with light tweezing, pencils, and always a thick brow gel. See, my brows are very unruly. They grow every which way, and thanks to the coarse texture, it takes a lot to lay them down for a sleek look.
To put it in perspective, when I finally tried brow lamination, the technician told me I was her dream client because of my wild, curly brow hairs. I loved the result but was a little apprehensive about a monthly chemical service. I thought I’d have to continue settling for rowdy arches and springy brow hairs until I came across Grande Cosmetics’ GrandeBROW-LAMINATE. Much more than an eyebrow gel, the product has become a staple in my makeup routine after just one use.
The kit includes a small pot of gel and a dual-sided brush (an angled spoolie on one end and an angled brush on the other) for a seamless application. While this was different from other gels I’d tried in the past, the formula is what really stood out. Instead of simply slicking the hair down, it could be used for brow sculpting. Grande Cosmetics is known for its scientific approach to all things related to lashes and brows, and this formula is no different. The star of the blend are the peptides that condition and soften your brows for a healthy appearance.
My makeup routine always starts with my brows. I’ve learned that saving them for later makes for a dingy spoolie. After brushing the tangles out of my brow hairs, I dipped the spoolie into the gel and combed through my arches. The first pass left me completely speechless.
Somehow, my unruly eyebrows were transformed. No longer curly and wild, they looked smooth and straightened. I then began fluffing them into place, using a combination of the spoolie and the angled brush. I couldn’t believe the final result. After lightly filling them in with my go-to pencil, they appeared to be freshly laminated and tinted.
The results were covetable, but even better? The look stayed put—even after a full day of commuting on steamy NYC subways and walking in the heat.