- REVIEWS
- AUGUST 31, 2021
Everything You Need to Know About Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze
With thousands of positive reviews across the internet and constant buzz about the formula on every social media platform (take your pick—everyone’s talking), Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze is an instantly iconic product that only continues to gain momentum and is one that Anastasia Soare’s celebrity clients ask for by name.
Table of Contents
- What Is Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze?
- How Brow Freeze Works
- How to Apply Brow Freeze
- Shop Similar Products
"Everyone is telling me that I need to make more Brow Freeze because it’s sold out everywhere,” Soare aka the goddess and inventor of brows told us over Zoom. "Even Kim [Kardashian], when I saw her, told me that she was mad I posted Brow Freeze to my Instagram Stories because it was sold out right after! But it wasn’t just because I posted, it’s because it’s a great product.”
Since establishing the brow category almost 25 years ago, Soare has developed each product with the intent to solve an issue she or her clients were having with their brows. For Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze, in particular, it was about imparting a fluffier, natural-looking brow that stayed in place all day—come heat, humidity, or high water. Clearly, the entire world was on the same page with that need, because Brow Freeze has quickly risen to cult-favorite status by makeup maximalists and minimalists alike. Here, Soare breaks down everything you need to know about the now-famous formula.
What Is Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze?
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze Styling Wax is a clear brow pomade designed to groom each and every hair into place and freeze it there (as the name suggests) all day long. "My daughter and I noticed that a lot of people were doing the soap brow technique on Instagram, so we started looking into soap formulas, but they typically got flaky and the hair didn’t hold once the water dried,” Soare says. "We tried different formulas for two years until we landed on the formula we have today, which creates a fuller, almost-laminated look—without the commitment or damage of brow lamination, of course.”
PHOTO: MARIANNE MYCHASKIW
How Does Brow Freeze Work?
Brow Freeze uses a blend of vegan, oil-free ingredients in its formulation, with glycerin—a hydrating element—ranking high on the list. After a quick pass with the spoolie brush, the Brow Freeze locks (or freezes) every single hair exactly where it's placed, with no moving or budging for hours. Unlike traditional soap brow methods, Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze doesn’t leave behind a white cast, and won’t flake or pill, even if you brush through your brows post-application.
PHOTO: MARIANNE MYCHASKIW
Which Products Can I Use With Brow Freeze?
Brow Freeze plays very well with every single product in the Anastasia arsenal—from the Brow Wiz Pencils and the Brow Powder Duo, all the way to the DipBrowI Pomade and Micro-Stroking Brow Pen. Once your desired brow shape is set with the Brow Freeze, you can use any product of your choosing to fill in any gaps or draw on individual hair-like strokes.
Soare, who gave us a crash course on the product via Zoom, actually demonstrated the effects of different products paired with the Brow Freeze, each one as perfect as the last. "When you brush your brows up using the Brow Freeze, it acts as a canvas or guideline of how your natural, full set should look, so we’re mimicking that and adding hairs from there,” she says. "You can use whatever is the most natural for you because the Brow Freeze actually grabs the color of the pencils or powders, and when you’re done, brush through the hairs to distribute the color and make it look more natural.”
PHOTO: MARIANNE MYCHASKIW
How to Apply Brow Freeze
Start by unscrewing the cap and using the spatula side of the Brow Freeze Applicator to scoop out a tiny amount of the product. Tightly screw the cap back on, then swipe the formula from the spatula onto the top of the cap or your hand. Run the spoolie brush through the Brow Freeze, then apply to your eyebrows by combing in an upward direction. "Always start with the highest part of your brow, so you can gauge how the product performs and how much you’ll need to use,” Soare advises. "Keep brushing the hairs upwards or in the direction that they grow to create a fuller appearance and take note of where the gaps are so that you can go back and fill them in later.” Repeat the motions on the other side, then pick up the product of your choosing to fill in any gaps. Soare recommends using light, hair-like strokes to fill in the gaps, then brushing through with the spoolie to achieve a natural blend.
Once you’re finished, you can opt to top off with the Clear Brow Gel to separate any hairs that are stuck together, or just give your brows a final pass with the spoolie brush, and leave it at that.
How Long Does Brow Freeze Last?
How long do you have? Because, no joke, it’ll last as long as you need it to. After test-driving the product on our own (more on this in the following section), we can confidently say that Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze has serious staying power. Even in the late summer heat and humidity, our brows were groomed and set for hours, not budging in the slightest until we washed our faces at the end of the day.
How long a single jar of Brow Freeze will last you depends on how frequently you use it and how much you use, but a little goes a very long way, so keep the "less is more” mantra in mind as you find your perfect ratio. Also important: Make sure to screw the lid on very tightly to prolong the formula’s lifespan and keep it from drying out.
How Does Brow Freeze Fare When Worn All Day?
From this author’s perspective, extremely well. I’ve been using Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze as one of the first steps in my makeup routine for a few weeks now, usually getting ready for my day around 9:30 a.m. Once my brows are set and styled, they stay in place for hours on end and won’t so much as fall until I wash my face around 10 p.m.—even on hot days where I was sure that the heat, sun, or even the horsepower of my blow-dryer had altered the wax.
There was a slight learning curve with gauging how much to use on each brow, but once I figured out my wax-to-powder-to-setting-gel ratio, the product was so easy and quick to navigate. It takes me about 5 minutes flat to complete both arches, and my brows look so convincingly full and natural, I’ve even been asked if I used a brow serum to make them appear thicker.
Shop Similar Products
Can’t get your hands on the in-demand item? You and Kim K both, but luckily, there are a few comparable products that should hold you over until the next restock.
When a product starts trending on TikTok, you know it’s probably worth the hype. While the NYX formula is housed in a tube and has a more watery texture than Brow Freeze, the final result is similar.
Celebrity makeup artist Patrick Ta’s take on the formula is infused with peptides to promote brow growth (much needed for those of us who had tweezers in 8th grade), and in addition to a clear option, is available in a tinted version.
As a nod to the OG soap brow technique, Makeup Revolution’s formula requires you to slightly dampen the included brush first, then swirl it in the wax to pick up the formula.
Known for pairing his runway looks with a bold, natural brow fashion week after fashion week, Jason Wu’s brow pomade is a clear formula infused with Vitamin E to keep every hair hydrated and held into place.
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