My brows have always been, for lack of a better word, wimpy. They're generally sparse and especially gappy toward the tails, and the individual hairs are so light that they all but disappear in the sun. (To be clear, I do adore a bleached-brow look on most people. It just doesn't look as intentional on me.) I typically opt for a brow tint every six weeks to match my natural brunette hair color, but it's been a minute since I've sat in the salon chair.
That said, I've been leaning on a medium-brown brow gel to help me fake a fuller, richer look for the time being, and I thought I had the technique down pat. Then I had the opportunity to see iconic celebrity makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes for a Wednesday morning glam touch-up (casual) over at Aligne's first-ever pop-up store in SoHo, and she told me I was approaching my brow grooming all wrong. "For you, I'd only use a gray brow gel," she said, wiping all traces of chestnut pigment off my arches. Apparently, it's the "smarter, not harder" way to enhance my naturally thin hairs, and it completely altered my brow game. That's the thing about those face framers—even the smallest tweaks really do make a difference.
Now, gray brow gel is my new go-to.
Who should use gray brow gel?
Gray brow gel is well suited for those with, well, gray hair, but Hughes says it also works like a charm for anyone with cooler tones. Think platinum, ash blonde, and mushroom brown—my natural hue. I do have some (very grown-out) golden highlights scattered throughout my mane, but Hughes says that my overall tone isn't too warm, which is why cooler taupe and gray will actually suit my brows best. Warmer tints, like the medium to dark browns I had been using before, can appear a bit harsh in comparison; blonde brow gel, on the other hand, could even read a bit red.
As someone with golden undertones in my skin (I'm a warm autumn, according to my recent color analysis), I always thought warmer makeup shades would suit me best. Apparently, that's not the case when it comes to brows. To prove her case, Hughes swept Glossier's Boy Brow in Grey across my arches, making sure to back-comb the tails so the pigment could really latch onto the tiny hairs. The gray tint somehow gave them the extra oomph they needed while still looking feathery and natural. I usually apply tinted brow gel very sparingly—I can easily wind up looking like Groucho Marx—but with a gray formula, I can really go to town with the pigment until I reach my desired shape.
No matter your actual hair color (blonde, brown, black, et al.), a gray brow gel can subtly enhance the arches, assuming you do have cooler tones throughout your mane. Someone with auburn, copper, chestnut, chocolate, or golden strands might want to stick to warmer shades. Gray brow gels also vary in intensity, from silver to deep charcoal, so you can easily discover the best cool hue depending on your exact hair color and skin tone.
Once you apply your gray gel, you can then take your brow pencil du jour—mine is a cool dark brown—to create hair-like strokes in between any gaps. This not only creates a thicker result but also keeps your brows from looking too gray (unless, of course, you have gray brows already). Blend the pencil shade in with your brow gel, and you'll wind up with the fluffiest, most natural-looking arches of your life. I can personally attest!
Shop the Routine
More Gray Brow Gels to Try
This charcoal is great for darker brunettes.
Air Brow has a mousse-like consistency that's ultra-conditioning for the brow hairs.
The perfect brow gel holds the hairs in place without making them feel crunchy or stiff. This glycerin-infused formula from Jones Road fits the bill.
This tapered brush helps you coat every last hair, including those teeny, stubborn strands toward the tail.
This soft gray is both smudge-proof and waterproof.
The shade is technically named Taupe, but it reads way more gray than brown.
Similarly, this cool, very dark brown appears quite charcoal-like in real life.
A little goes a long way with this thickening, waterproof formula.
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