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Before I worked in the beauty industry, my daily skincare routine was as basic as it gets—Neutrogena’s Pink Grapefruit Oil-Free Acne Wash Cleanser, Johnson’s Baby Lotion, and AXE’s 3-in-1 Body Wash, Shampoo, and Conditioner. It never occurred to me that I needed anything more—my skin wasn’t complaining, either. My minimalist approach to beauty all changed when I started my first beauty PR internship at 19. Suddenly, I was thrown into the world of hyaluronic acid serums, clay pomades and hair tools galore, and I gladly swapped my drugstore staples for more premium products. After all, it was (and still is) my job. But makeup was still an uncharted territory that I was reluctant to embrace, especially as someone who grew up with traditional gender norms.
That all changed when I discovered Glossier’s Boy Brow Grooming Pomade. The name alone made me feel like it was meant for someone like me—a guy who had always been intimidated by the thought of wearing noticeable makeup. Glossier, known for its signature no-makeup-makeup aesthetic, was the perfect brand for me to ease into the idea of wearing makeup. Honestly, I thought Boy Brow was formulated for boys until a store employee kindly burst my bubble.
Contrary to its name, Boy Brow isn’t just for boys; It’s for anyone who wants quick, easy, and fuller brows in seconds. Now, as I look back at my first-ever experience at its Melrose Place store when makeup was marketed towards traditional beauty standards, I think of Glossier as a brand that introduced me to the world of inclusivity in the industry. Glossier gets it. Its fuss-free beauty products are designed with real peoples’ needs in mind—simple, playful, and nostalgic while making you feel like you’re wearing nothing at all.
Fast-forward to today and Boy Brow remains an absolute essential that I use almost daily. I even keep a tube in my car to apply when I’m in a rush and for touch-ups. I rarely have time for more than my skincare routine before rushing out the door, and it complements my always-on-the-run lifestyle perfectly.
As you can see, Boy Brow takes my brows from natural to defined in just a few strokes (before on the left; after on the right). I use a generous amount of product, and I don’t have to worry about the formula making my brows look too dark. I never need more than two dips of product as I brush my brows upward, starting from the inner corner to my peak, and down to my tail. (Pro tip: I always start by dabbing the excess product on the top of the spoolie onto the center of my brow to make sure every bit of product from each dip is used.)
Boy Brow comes in six shades and is packed with powerhouse ingredients, including hydrating hyaluronic acid for flexibility; beeswax and carnauba wax to lock your brows in place without that stiff feeling; oleic acid from olive oil to keep them nourished and moisturized; and lecithin to give the formula its silky texture and add a subtle sheen. Plus, the cruelty-free formula won’t stiffen or flake, so your brows stay defined but soft all day long.
Boy Brow is my desert island product, not just for tinting and filling in my brows but also because it was the first product that made me feel like myself without needing to layer on makeup, which I wasn’t ready to commit to. As I enter my ninth year in the beauty industry, this grooming pomade is the first product I think of when someone asks: “What’s your favorite beauty product of all time?” And while I keep an open mind when trying something new, the thought of using any other brow product feels like a breakup, and I’m not ready for that.
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