My brows are thinning. Truth be told, it’s probably my fault—middle school me had a habit of tweezing a few hairs too many. And one day, those little hairs responsible for giving my brows their density just stopped coming back. The front and center are (thankfully) still pretty strong, but the tails of my brows are super sparse. The bad news: I couldn’t be worse at doing my eyebrows if I tried. I have a heavy hand and nine times out of 10 end up looking like Oscar the Grouch. The good news: Anastasia Beverly Hills’s new Microfine Brow Pen is the most foolproof brow product I’ve ever tested.
Available today and in nine shades (including my personal favorite, Taupe), it promises the finest, thinnest, and lightest hair-like strokes that don’t go anywhere—for 24 hours. But I often find the best tester for a brow product is the least talented user, so I volunteered my unskilled hands and thinning brows to put this new launch to the test. My honest thoughts, ahead.
The Design
- Micro-fine tip: As far as brow pens are concerned, the design of the tip is key. Sometimes the product comes out too quickly, which results in uneven lines and varying thickness, or the tip is too thick, and it becomes painfully apparent that the brow hairs are, in fact, drawn on. But the shape of this tip is genuinely the perfect length and thickness for a natural finish. It’s tapered, which does provide a bit of artistic liberty to the user (press down super hard and you’ll get a thicker line), but overall, the product comes out so faintly that you won’t really have the chance to go too heavy.
- Spoolie: To me, a spoolie on a brow pen is a no-brainer. Under no circumstances do I want to have to pick up another product to blend my brows. This one is actually pretty chunky, but it’s sturdy, and I can tell it’s going to last a while before it frays.
The Application
Now for the true test: how easy is this really? First things first: I like to brush all my brow hair up first to see which areas need to be filled in before I flip over to the pen. Then, shake the pen and make sure some pigment comes out on your hand. Hold it perpendicular to your brow and do light, little flicks of the wrist to create hair-like strokes where needed. I personally like to start in the middle of my brow and work my way over to the tail—this way I’ve mastered the pressure before I get to my sparsest area. Once I’m done, I spoolie again to blend the product in with my natural hair. I normally top it all off with either a clear brow gel (or just some Vaseline that I’ve warmed between my fingertips) so the look stays put all day.
Samantha Holender tests Anastasia Beverly Hills' Microstroke brow pen.
The Wear
While I have yet to put the full 24 hour claim to the test (you’ll never, ever find me sleeping in makeup—or pulling an all-nighter), I can confirm that the pigment lasts at least 14 hours. I use the taupe shade (a game-changing color if you’re a fake blonde like me), and despite it being on the lighter side, it really grips my skin and never fades as my skin gets oilier throughout the day.
The Takeaway
When I say I’m bad at my eyebrows, I promise you I am not exaggerating. For years, I’ve all but given up hope and just embraced my sad, thinning tails. My routine: just a spoolie (no product) and a clear brow gel, because yes, you can, in fact, look crazy with a tinted one when your skill level is a solid 0. That being said, Anastasia’s Micro Fine Brow Pen genuinely couldn't be more mistake-proof if I tried.
The pigment comes out even (every time) and, paired with the thin, tapered brush, it takes the skill out of creating brow-like strokes. I haphazardly fill in my brows and spoolie in the morning—a routine that takes me all of 20 seconds—and I’m good to go for the rest of the day. Take it from me: this is the ultimate beginner-friendly eyebrow product.
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