Rimmel Brow This Way Lightweight Gel, Medium Brown, 0.17 Fluid Ounce

For many years I've used the Maybelline eyebrow pencils in blond (the familiar red pencils you see everywhere), because after trying many other brands from pencils to crayons to pallets the color was never *just* the right shade of light ash blond - usually if I had to describe, they would be too warm or pastel or whatever and change my whole face. Lately I've noticed I have a skin colored mole on both sides within the brow line which makes it impossible to get the 'hard' eyebrow pencil to go on smoothly, plus I always had to remember to draw it on before any moisturizer of any kind otherwise it would go on even more unevenly and I'd have to press even harder, accentuating the tiny moles and places where now (at age 51) I have actual gaps in my brows - in short a sloppy looking mess.Finally after making do all these years, I tried this Rimmel brow gel with the mascara wand-like applicator and lo and behold - the color is EXACTLY right - and because it's a wet gel when it goes on, it's completely even as I spread it on with the wand-brush, doesn't gather around the mole or the bald-brow-gaps (so gross to describe!). The fact is, I have a lot of filling and creating the brow area with this gel and very little actual brow hairs except towards the center - so what I'm actually doing is brushing the color directly onto my brow area SKIN, and the brush is GREAT for softly creating the color in the area, softening it and tapering it without hard lines for a completely NATURAL look, VISIBLE without being harsh or garish - the right color, a soft blurry yet shaped brow that looks like it did maybe when I was 10??? Back when I had full but baby-soft brows, before they began to over-grow in length and wiry texture (which is when the plucking begins) and before they started thinning later - in short, my brows are at least one perfect young thing on my face now, and I can apply this stuff whether I've put on lotion, sunscreen, clean, dry, wet - any old way - and it drys and stays on all day, including swimming in the ocean. I would note that it's best to apply an even but THIN layer, and wait for it to dry before assessing, because it darkens up a bit when it's dry (which could be 5 minutes or more?) and then if you put it on 'just right' while wet, it will be a bit TOO dark when dry. You can always add more after it's dry if it doesn't seem quite dark or filled in enough.

I apply this brow mascara daily to cover grey brow hairs that are starting to show . I used to dye my brows before but found this mascara less harsh and it give me an even beautiful color. It's very natural and last all day without retouching.

I wish I could take the best features of the many brow gels I’ve tried, and roll them into one. I use a blonde shade, but also need one that will fill in sparse areas and color a few white hairs that are replacing darker ones (I’m middle-aged). I can’t afford to pluck the white hairs out--to make them neater and less conspicuous, I trim all the hairs up, but it’s an odd combination of white and normal colored hair, so I need something that will make them all match. The best brand for even tinting is Beauty Rules—their product is a gel that actually tints hair. The downside is its blonde color is a bit darker than this Rimmel formula, but not by much. For a true blonde color, I like Rimmel’s shade the best, and for the price, it can’t be beat. Where it lacks is in making a smooth brow line and actually tinting hair. That’s where brand #3 comes in—Loreal makes a mediocre brow gel (Unbelieva Brow--the colors are just bad matches) but the product includes a wonderful double-ended brush that effectively smooths, defines and outlines brow shape. I threw away the gel but saved the brush for use with the other brands. Anyone who doesn’t use one should—I’ve included a photo what this style brush looks like; the angled end is very effective for smoothly spreading the gel and forming a good line. They’re simply called angled eyebrow brushes, and can be found cheaply here on Amazon or at a local drug store.I’d give this Rimmel brow gel five stars if it tinted hair colors better and spread more evenly. It simply adds a nice color line to existing brows, and would work even better if Rimmel considered including one of those brushes with their product. Anyone who doesn’t need actual tinting (but simply wants better eyebrow definition) should consider Rimmel. Others who need help matching up brow hair colors like I do might consider purchasing Beauty Rules instead.

I am bummed by this because I like the consistency and I use rimmel black brown eye pencil. The dark brown color when applied, looks very brown like mocha color but dries down to a greyish color. As you can see in the photo, I compared it to my elf deep brown and elf dries down to a black brown. I used rimmel pencil in the labeled photo. This dry down in the photo is with only one stroke. The second photo with no names was with no eye pencil. I applied three strokes of both to each brows and that's the dry down process. I tried testing waterproof levels and a dap of water lead to crusty particles from rimmel, not alarming and only if you touch it but the brows stayed intact. Elf had no particles. Ease of removal with both is fantastic, i use oils for removing makeup so it came off super easy. Overall, I think it works for someone who doesn't have darker brows close to black.

The main problem with this brow product is the color. I ordered medium brown but it looks auburn . It stands out against my dark brows and doesn't blend in at all. Too much product comes out on the wand making it hard to apply a small , even amount . The formula is clumpy and thick. This stuff is awful , it made look like Groucho Marx . I can't find one good thing about it. You can get much nicer brow products for $4.50.