Name me a beauty writer who's waited until her 30s to get Botox. I'll wait. Turns out, you're looking at her. While my colleagues have been getting the needle since well before wrinkles have even had a chance to form, I had been putting the coveted treatment on the back burner for years. You see, I won't go near a needle with a ten-foot pole if I don't have to.
While nobody has to get Botox - or microneedling, or a vampire facial, or any other beauty treatment that involves a sharp object - sometimes said treatments make life a little more convenient. As is the case with microblading, a semipermanent service that uses tiny needles to create hair-like strokes for more defined brows. It's a treatment I've been toying with for a while (filling in my brows is my least favorite part of my routine), but quite frankly, I haven't grown the kahunas to actually go through with it. And now, I don't need to.
Enter the Hard Candy Ultra-Precise Brow Pen and Ghosted Brow Gel. These products won't deliver the same semipermanent results as microblading, but they still come with impressive staying power, especially when used in combination with each other. Upon first glance they appear to be your standard eyebrow pen and gel, but Laura Lam-Phaure, a Los Angeles-based cosmetic chemist, highlights the fact that both formulas contain various types of polymers, which helps with each product's hold and longevity.
Kristen Leonard, makeup artist and Global Director of Artistry for Hard Candy adds to this point, noting that the Ultra-Precise Brow Pen, in particular, is meant to last 16 hours while the Ghosted Brow Gel is waterproof, meaning midday touch-ups are a non-issue. I can attest to both of these facts: a mere swatch of both formulas on my hand lasted through a whole day's worth of hand-washing (PSA: I wash my hands a lot).
According to Lam-Phaure, these polymers also assist with the products' ease of use, which I'd also have to agree with - starting with the brow pen. As someone who doesn't have an artistic bone in her body, the product's felt tip was severely intimidating (I typically lean toward brow pens with a more precise tip like the Brow Code Imitations Micro Brow Pencil).
That being said, the felt tip on the Ultra-Precise Brow Pen is unlike any other one I've tried - it doesn't blast me with a stripe of product the moment it hits my skin, and I find it easy to make soft, hair-like strokes. The formula isn't too intensely pigmented and I find myself having to press pretty firmly to get the product to show up (a plus for felt-tip newbies like me). However, an issue is that the product tends to bunch up at the tip of the brush, so when I take it out of the tube, I have to wipe off the excess product onto the lip of the bottle. Not a huge deal, but definitely a nice-to-know.
I also appreciate that this brow pen's formula dries down quickly - Lam-Phaure attests to the product's use of alcohol denat, which also happens to make the formula less prone to smudging. But one thing I'm not a fan of? The spoolie end of the brow pen. It's more of a plastic, silicone-feeling brush, so it has more slick, which, in my opinion, makes it more difficult to comb through every hair. I prefer spoolies that have densely-packed bristles, but the buildability of the pen makes up for it.
As for the Ghosted Brow Gel, it's ideal for those who like to have a little more play time. Lam-Phaure says that this formula contains propylene glycol, a common ingredient found in gel formulas that doesn't dry down too quickly, giving you ample wiggle room to perfect your application. The formula of this brow gel gets an A+ from me: it's rich but buildable, and creamy, yet doesn't budge once it dries down. While I enjoy wearing the gel on its own, when my goal is to fill in sparse areas, I love it even more paired with the Ultra-Precise Brow Pen for a bolder, microbladed effect to my brows.
Simply put: this brow pen has officially transformed me into a felt tip convert, and the brow gel reminds me of higher-end formulas in terms of both longevity and application (Benefit Gimme Brow+, I'm looking at you). Both have become staples in my routine, especially given the wallet-friendly price tag they come with.
As for Leonard, the duo is also a go-to for all of her looks. "I almost view [the brow pen] like a primer - I draw very fine strokes to fill in gaps and add depth and shape, and then I apply the Ghosted Brow Gel using upward strokes to give the brows a lift," she says, noting that she finishes off by following the natural arch of the brow with the spoolie to comb hairs into place.
$5.00, Walmart
$5.00, Walmart
If you're interested in trying out these brow products for yourself, you can shop the Ultra-Precise Brow Pen and Ghosted Brow Gel at walmart.com for $5 each.