NARS Brow Gel Review, Photos and Swatches!

NARS Brow Gel

NARS Brow Gel ($22) is a new product by NARS that tidies and grooms the brows with a glossy gel formula. A unique precision tapered brush adds shape and definition to every angle while creating a fuller, smoother brow look.

NARS Brow Gel is available in (4) shades: Oural (clear), Athens (blonde), Piraeus (medium brown) and Kinshasa (dark brown).

I'm a dark brunette, but I like my brows to be at least one shade lighter than my hair, so I chose the shade medium brown which is a soft, chocolately gray-brown. All of the shades appear to be very neutral (see swatches on Café Makeup) which is very ideal for the brows.

I love tinted brow gels because my natural brows are very dark and if I fill them in with a dark brown color that matches my brows, they can sometimes look a bit harsh. So I like to finish my brows off with a tinted brow gel in a shade or two lighter than my brows to lighten them up slightly so they have a softer appearance. The lighter gel adds almost a highlight to my brow, creating texture and definition as it coats my brow hairs.

Now, if you have very light or invisible brows, tinted brow gels can work to your advantage by choosing a shade darker than your brows and lightly combing over them to bring more attention to them.

In comparison to MAC Brow Set, NARS is more of a gel formula (similar to E.L.F. Studio Treat and Tame) whereas I find MAC to be more creamy and mascara-like, and a bit more pigmented.

As with many tinted brow gel formulas, a lot of product gets dispensed on the brush - almost too much if you have very sparse or thin brows. You can try wiping off the excess on the opening of the tube, but for the most part, I like taking a separate spoolie and patting it on the wand of the brow gel so I'll only pick up very little product and comb it through my brows. I do the same when working with MAC Brow Set, as the colored formulas can deposit too much color at once.

I really like the small tapered brush. It's easy to manuever through the brows.

The hold is really good, and it keeps my unruly brows in place all day.

Here are my brows filled in without the brow gel (left) and my brows with the brow gel (right). As you can see, it's not a huge difference, but you can see that the individual brow hairs stand out a little more and my overall brow color looks a tad bit lighter.

Overall, I really like this brow gel. It's not super pigmented where it will very noticeably tint my brows (like MAC Girl Boy Brow Set would) - it gives my brows a nice, put-together finishing touch and it lasts all day without making my brows crispy.
If you'd like to try a cheaper alternative, I would highly recommend trying out E.L.F. Studio Treat and Tame. It doesn't have as strong of a hold for seriously unruly brows, but it's works great to tint your brows.

The Round-Up

Pros:

• Adds subtle color to the brows
• Adds texture and definition to the brows
• Small tapered brush is easy to work with
• Holds all day without making the brows crispy

Cons:

• I kind of wish these were slightly more pigmented and came in a couple additional shades - otherwise, they're great!

Price: $22, NARS.