We Tried Glossier’s New Boy Brow Arch Brow Pencil

It’s not an exaggeration to say that Glossier changed the game when it dropped Boy Brow back in 2015. Fluffy, full brows à la Cara Delevingne were already starting to replace over-tweezed brows in the early 2010s, but the product—and the campaign featuring feathery, minimally-groomed brows—cemented the look as the cool girl brow for the last half of the decade.

Fast forward to now, where eyebrow trends are all over the map—feathered “clean girl brows” are just as popular as ’90s skinny ones—but Boy Brow has remained an icon, beloved for its all-day hold and thickening formula. Since launching Boy Brow, the brand has been slow and steady when it comes to dropping brow products, only expanding the line to include Brow Flick, a sheer brow pen, in 2019—until now that is.

On August 5, Glossier’s brow family got another member with the addition of Boy Brow Arch, a pomade pencil to fill and define brows. Ahead, all the details, and team Byrdie’s honest reviews.

The Product

Boy Brow Arch honors Glossier’s OG Boy Brow, which was inspired by the pomade used to style mustaches. Boy Brow Arch takes a traditional brow pomade, but puts the creamy, pigmented formula into an easy-to-use pencil—no brush required. The double-ended tip features a precision edge on one side for detail work and hair-like strokes, and the other side features a larger flat edge to fill in larger areas.

The formula includes a botanical clay complex for long-lasting pigments, and a coconut oil-derived moisturizer for a creamy, easy to work with formula that helps nourish brows. Per the brand, Boy Brow Arch is water-resistant, smudge-resistant, transfer-resistant, sweat-resistant, humidity-resistant, and long-wearing for up to 12 hours. It comes in nine natural-looking shades: Black, Cool Dark Brown, Warm Dark Brown, Cool Brown, Warm Brown, Auburn, Cool Blond, Warm Blond, and Grey.

The Reviews

Jasmine Phillips, social media editor

“I have pretty thin brows and crave fullness, so I am always on the hunt for a product that will fit the bill. Boy Brow Arch has a super creamy formula, adds dimension and fills in any sparse areas, which I have a lot of. The tip of the pencil is unique and required a little practice from me, but once I got the hang of it I was able to create a soft and natural shape that I really like.”

Star Donaldson, social media director

“My brows are super important to my overall makeup look so I was really excited to try out Glossier’s newest launch. The pencil is super thin and the tip is angled to easily make hairlike strokes in clean straight lines. The formula is very pigmented, and I think I would need a lighter shade (I tried Cool Brown) to do the front of my brows in the future. But overall I was super happy with how this pencil effortlessly made my brows look fuller without looking boxy.”

Ali Webb, associate editor

“I have a naturally strong brow, so when I do use a product, I want it to be subtle and precise. Glossier’s Boy Brow Arch offers exactly that, with a 2-in-1 tip that can create hairlike strokes as well as fill in sparse areas. The pencil was easy to use with no learning curve, and the result enhanced my brows without leading to the overly intense look I often end up with—plus the included spoolie brush for lift doesn’t hurt, either.”

Essence Wiley, editorial intern

“This pencil is perfect for a clean, natural-looking brow. The angled tip makes it easy to create hair-like strokes. Though I recently had my eyebrows threaded, I spent significantly less time on them when I used this compared to my normal pencil. After filling them in, I cleaned my brows up with a thin line of concealer using an angled brush. The process was super easy and quick which is exactly what I look for on days I’m going to the office. Plus, the Warm Dark Brown color matched my brows seamlessly.”