Glossier and I go way back to my days at an all-girls high school. I first learned about the holy-grail label while eavesdropping on a girl in my homeroom who was giving her desk mates a tutorial on a mascara-esque gel pomade called Boy Brow. Next thing you knew, hordes of girls had the “It” product in the pockets of their green plaid uniform skirts.
Apart from watching firsthand how swiftly the brand swept through the school, Glossier’s “skin first, makeup second” ethos heightened the appeal for me personally. I didn’t have the patience for a daily full beat, wanted to avoid aggravating my acne, and hoped to accentuate my features with a natural beauty look that made me feel pretty and still like myself. Glossier checked all these boxes—which is probably why I own most of their lineup to this day.
Despite stocking up on Glossier’s collection (shout out to my faves: Cloud Paint blush and You perfume) that first viral brow product never worked for me. While it made history spearheading the thick, full, bushy-brow movement, the skinnier, lightly filled, defined brow was better suited for my face. But after nine years of flying solo, Boy Brow is getting a companion. Glossier’s new Boy Brow Arch pomade pencil was released earlier this month, and promises to shape and sharpen. So I put it to the test in hopes of filling that Boy Brow-shaped hole in my makeup bag.
I’m really picky about how my brows look—so much so that I’ll audibly repeat the mantra, “They’re sisters, not twins,” with every exacting pencil stroke and fill-in sweep. I want those little patches filled in but still aim to have every angle and arch looking sharp.
This is why I appreciate Boy Brow Arch’s unique pencil tip. Unlike many brow pencils—which are typically tapered to a point like a No. 2 Ticonderoga, or mimic the uniformly cylindrical lead of a mechanical pencil—Glossier’s is intentionally flattened on a slant. The single sharp edge of Boy Brow Arch is perfect for long, precise strokes, so you can outline your brow or make small hair-like lines. The slanted, flattened body of the pencil tip allows for easy fill-in, or to darken your existing hair. Application is incredibly smooth, so there’s no need to pack on pressure.
My biggest pet peeve with brow products (or any makeup product, really) is when there isn’t a thoughtful range of tones—I’m talking cools, warms, neutrals! Thankfully, Glossier delivers on all fronts. And apart from incorporating a spoolie on one end of Boy Brow Arch—all brow pencils should have some sort of brush or spoolie or else the product’s unfinished, IMO—there’s also a built-in, blade-free sharpener atop the spoolie cap, which doubles as a differentiator between the brush and the pencil side. (There’s nothing better than eliminating that irritating, cap-popping guessing game.) When it comes to Boy Brow, this Glossier fan is finally satisfied.
