Tinted brow gels from the high street - are they any good?

Obviously, like any other normal human girl of today I am very particular when it comes to brows, sometimes even more so than the rest of my make up. A good brow can completely transform your look and add so much dimension to your face, That said, it is so easy to go horribly wrong and look like you are harbouring animals on your face! I can definitely say that in my quest for the perfect balance between effortlessly unkept like all of those super cool chic super models and precise and groomed, I have ended up looking one of two ways; uber scouse brow or slightly startled.

I usually go in with a light ash toned pencil, currently loving soap & Glory's archery (pencil, not pen) which I'm sure you've heard me rave about here like so many others, but I feel when you have super long brow hairs like me a gel is necessary to tame and I have found myself wondering, can I just use a tinted brow gel and cut a corner?

First of all, I want to stress how little the high street has to offer in this department as these 5 tinted gels were literally the only high street offerings I could find. Its no secret that most of the pencils on the high street are not ideal as they are warm toned and leave an unsightly ginger hue on a normal blond brow but there is plenty of them and even brow palettes, pens and waxes are making more of an appearance but tinted brow gels? this is your lot!

I started with Maybellines 'Brow Drama' which has had some very mixed reviews online...

 

Let' state the obvious first off, It has a weird brush! The first time I used this, I couldn't get to grips with the spherical bristles and made quite a bit of mess, however, once I got over that and got used to having it there I really started to love this! It is dark blond and is one of the darkest shades out of the 5 but to be honest I found the lighter shades looked too light anyway so used with a light hand, this one is ideal and is my current favourite out of the 5. It's priced at £4.99 which is slap bang in the middle price wise and is available in 4 shades including clear.

 

The next one I picked up was Loreals brow artist and I had high expectations after reading several great reviews and being a huge fan of the brow artist pencil...

 

As you can see, the brush is the perfect size and shape and I would say the actual brush is the best out of all of the 5. However, the product itself is probably my least favourite which I was so disappointed in. This brow gel has shimmery flecks in... Who on earth wants shimmery eyebrows?? Did I miss something? I seem to be the only person who has noticed this too and I am not overly observant. I cannot get on with this and I am very rarely let down by L'Oreal. Its £5.99 which doesn't break the bank but considering I am never going to use this again its annoying. This comes in 2 other shades including clear.

 

After hearing that the rimmel brow this way was a dupe for benefits gimme brow, I then got this little beaut...

 

I would say that this one is perfectly average. Its a good price at £3.99, has a good brush and the colour isn't to warm or dark. If anything, this is actually too light on me but the next one up is too dark! This isn't the brow gel I reach for but it's not bad. This comes in 4 shades including clear.

 

I then discovered that Revlon's Brow fantasy had a duel product with gel on one end and a pencil on the other, which I got pretty excited about.

 

I hadn't heard of this one before stumbling upon it in boots and the idea is so brilliant! the pencil itself isn't amazing, it is slightly warm but I could definitely make it work. The Brow gel is unlike any of the others in my line up... it is very very lightly tinted and almost clear. I quite liked this at first as it left the most subtle tint and looked very natural and this had a great hold on my brows without feeling crunchy. The problem I had with this is that it tends to attract my foundation and looks almost bulky over time when you wear it. I feel torn with this one because I loved the unique formula but to get a good look you have to apply the smallest amount. Its also the most expensive at £6.99.

 

Lastly, I took a chance on a brand I've never tried.. I heart make up.

 

I really wanted to like this, I was hoping I would stumble across a true gem. When I first applied it, I was impressed. great colour ( I went for medium but there is 4 shades to choose from.) the brush was a bit large but manageable, The formula was quite thin but I liked that as it didn't apply in clumps and allowed you more control. When this dries, it feels nasty. it is hard and crispy and feels so heavy in your eyebrows. It's like applying actual paint onto your brows. Although this is the cheapest at £3.49 I still feel for the quality and packaging that this is overpriced when you compare it to the rimmel one which is only 50p more.

Overall I still feel I am searching for a magnificent tinted gel, Clear gels and a pencil are probably the best way forward until then but I will still use these when I'm having a lazy day.

How do you feel about tinted brow gels? what do you use in your brow routine?