TRIED AND TESTED: From $3 to $45, the best tinted eyebrow gels to get your brows in order.

Senior Lifestyle Writer

May 26, 2020

Mamamia’s Tried and Tested series is your weekly review of the latest to hit our desks in beauty, health and wellness. You won’t find any #sponsored content here, just honest, relatable and independent advice. This week, Senior Lifestyle Writer Amy Clark shares the bougie and affordable tinted eyebrow gels for brows in desperate need of a tint.

Raise your hand if you’re missing your go-to, feel-good beauty treatments? Same.

Sure, isolation has been an excellent opportunity to get reacquainted with what our heads look like – think two-month-old regrowth, random eczema patches, shorter lashes and isolation skin – but it’s OK if you prefer how your nails look with a shiny manicure or your lashes with a lift and tint, too.

WATCH: Need some brow tips? Here’s a easy AF tutorial on how to shape and style your eyebrows at home. Post continues after video.

Video via Mamamia

For me, a fresh brow shape and tint makes me feel like a solid 12/10. I’ve got naturally very fair brows, bordering on translucent, and a darker brow helps to define and add contrast to my face.

It’s for this reason tinted brow gel is my lockdown MVP. A few swipes and BAM, my brows exist again.

Amy Clark

Senior Lifestyle Writer

May 26, 2020

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There are two I’ve been reaching for lately: The Benefit Gimme Brow + Fibre Gel, $45, and MCoBeauty Magic Brows Fibre Gel, $14.

Same size. Same claims. Very different prices.

So, I thought I’d make like that telly commercial and compare the pair. Only, there are no elevators involved and you’ll come out on top either way!

Benefit Gimme Brow + Fibre Gel versus MCoBeauty Magic Brows Fibre Gel.

benefit brow gel — This Benefit tinted brow gel is small, but she's a life saver. Image: Supplied/Amy Clark.

mcobeauty brow gel — MCoBeauty's brow gel is already cheap, but you'll often find it even cheaper on sale at the supermarket. Image: Supplied/Amy Clark.

Application-wise, these brow gels are fairly similar. The MCoBeauty gel is a bit runnier and has a slightly larger brush. I find it messier to brush on, but it’s nothing that can’t be tidied up.

The formulas also claim to be quite similar - both contain hair-like microfibres that stick to your brow hairs and skin to give the illusion of fuller brows, and both say they’re long-wearing (MCoBeauty also says theirs is water-resistant).

I do find the Benefit gel holds my brows in shape for longer, though. FYI, it also now comes in a Jumbo Gimme Brow size ($68).

Before and after with Benefit Gimme Brow. Image: Supplied/Amy Clark.

Before and after with MCo Magic Brows. Image: Supplied/Amy Clark.

From the image above, it’s clear both of these tinted brow gels come through. I applied both on bare brows (that look a bit darker than they are because I took the before shots not long out of the shower) using the same method.

First, I brush my brows with a spoolie brush so I can see what I’m working with. Then, I wipe excess product from the tinted gel brush on the side of the tube and apply through my brows. The final and most important step is to go back over your work with the spoolie to brush the product through evenly to coat every hair and set your final shape for the most natural-looking result.

The biggest difference between these two is the shade ranges, and it’s not to be underestimated. Using the wrong brow shade can ruin your day pretty fast. The Benefit brow gel comes in 10 shades with warm, neutral and cool undertones. MCoBeauty’s comes in just three: Light Medium, Medium Brown and Dark Brown.

I’m wearing shade three neutral light brown in the Benefit gel, and Medium Brown in MCoBeauty. You might disagree with me, but I prefer a neutral shade to contrast against my warm hair and skin. For me, shade three is perfect.