Essence, Maybelline or Anastasia Beverly Hills: which gel tames your eyebrows best?
11.3.2026
Translation: Elicia Payne
Pictures: Natalie Hemengül
It’s not exactly one of life’s big questions, but it’s one I'm currently struggling with: how hard can it be to find a decent brow gel? I’ve tested three products and I’m feeling hopeful.
My beloved eyebrow gel’s empty. What’s more, the brand’s removing it from its range – yay. So I’m searching for a new one, yet again. Three products from different price categories made it onto my shortlist. They’re all transparent and promise a strong hold.
Essence Fix It Like A Pro Transparent Brow Fixing Gel
The extra strong sticker’s a statement. One that Essence unfortunately doesn’t quite live up to. The disappointment begins with a standard shaped wire-bound nylon brush. There are two main problems: it’s too big for my rather short and slender brows, and it’s also too soft to cope with my stubborn hairs. Even if I coat my brows thoroughly with the rather thin gel and then comb them into shape, the result doesn’t last very long. People with fine, bushy hairs might have more luck with this. At least it doesn’t create any white residue throughout the day.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze Gel
When I compare the packaging, the one from Anastasia Beverly Hills (ABH) looks the most premium. It’s heavy (not great for travelling) and I like how the velvety soft-touch surface feels on my fingertips. But the only thing I’m really interested in is whether the content’s good.
It’s clear someone’s put thought into this brush: the moulded comb applicator has two different sides. While the micro-bristles separate the hairs cleanly, the longer bristles shape and lift them. But it’s not the perfect applicator: the tip holds far too much of the viscous, stringy formula. The first time I applied the gel was pure disaster. The following times, I carefully wiped the applicator on a tissue beforehand. What a waste! But at least you can work with it – and the result lasts.
What’s rubbish is that if I move my brows, I can feel the rigid «glue». As long as I leave the hardened hairs alone, there’s no visible residue. If I loosen the «rigidity» by accidentally touching them, white flaky bits form.
Maybelline Superlock Brow Glue
Like the Essence product, the Superlock has a wire-bound nylon brush. However, it’s shorter and narrower, more tightly bound and the individual bristle hairs are therefore more resistant. This gives you more control when styling your brows. Overall, Maybelline’s brush design leaves room for improvement. I like the gel consistency best here. Not too liquid, not too solid. No strands. The hair stays in place all day and the waxy hold is much less noticeable than with the ABH product. For a final test, I let some time pass then comb against the direction of hair growth with a dry brow brush: no white clumps. Great!
So, which one’s it going to be?
Unfortunately, none of the products come close to my previous product, Patrick Ta’s Major Brow Lamination Gel. Until I find something comparable (or maybe even go back to other age-old favourites?), I’ll use Maybelline’s Superlock Brow Glue to get me by. I like the combination of brush and gel the best out of the three, and the price is also quite reasonable.
Header image: Natalie Hemengül
Natalie Hemengül
Senior Editor
Natalie.Hemenguel@digitecgalaxus.chAs a massive Disney fan, I see the world through rose-tinted glasses. I worship series from the 90s and consider mermaids a religion. When I’m not dancing in glitter rain, I’m either hanging out at pyjama parties or sitting at my make-up table. P.S. I love you, bacon, garlic and onions.
Beauty
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