Whether you may gladly die on the hill of massive, bushy brows or able to embrace the resurgence of thin brows, you’ll have a brow-setting product to maintain your strands in place. Sure, there are a plethora of waxes, soaps, and gels to select from, but as everyone knows by now, different formulas don’t provide the identical results. If you happen to need a product that’ll provide maximum hold without drying out your brows, the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze Gel is a recent pick that is already turn out to be a staple in my makeup bag for keeping my arches in perfect shape from the moment I swipe it on until it is time to wash off.

Consider this clear gel-wax hybrid as the infant sister to the brand’s ever-viral Brow Freeze Sculpting Wax. Like its predecessor, it guarantees a lamination-like effect that lifts, sets, and secures each hair in place, but where it differs is its texture. As its name suggests, the Brow Freeze Gel has a lighter, more fluid gel consistency to reduce flaking and create a softer, more natural finish to your eyebrows.

The important thing to this light yet strong-hold gel is a polymer, a film-like molecule that is utilized in beauty products like brow gels and hairsprays for a thicker, stickier consistency. The polymer of the day in Anastasia Beverly Hills’ latest launch is polyacrylate-2 crosspolymer, which provides this formulation its extreme hold and non-sticky texture, in keeping with the brand. “It’s a hair-setting polymer that creates a soft, touchable, humidity-resistant, flake-free hold for brows,” says Krupa Koestline,
cosmetic chemist and founding father of KKT Innovations Lab. “It also has a thickening effect.”

Sure, it has a budge-less hold that would rival hairspray, but my brows aren’t affected by extreme dryness or fallout after using it. That is all because of good old glycerin, a humectant known for its hydrating properties. “Glycerin is actually like a sponge that pulls in water,” Joshua DraftsmanMD, director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai in Recent York City, previously told Allure.

I even have to present a round of applause to the Brow Freeze Gel’s progressive wand applicator. As a substitute of the standard spoolie most brow gels include, Anastasia Beverly Hills opted for what they describe as a “triple-action comb applicator.” One side features thin micro-bristles that sculpt and place every small hair into place, while the longer bristles create a fluffed-out effect. I also use the sleek, bristle-less sides to smooth strands into place for a laminated effect.