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Tried & Tested: Wunderbrow semi-permanent one-step brow gel

By Melanie Kruger   |  

Tired of always having to fill in your brows with pencil or powder, only for it to smudge just seconds later? The problem with common types of brow makeup is that they simply don’t last. Not only that, but they can often look unnatural, which certainly isn’t the desired look for most.

But while salons and brow bars have long been offering more permanent alternatives, sometimes you just want a quick fix in the comfort of your own home – and revolutionary new brow gel Wunderbrow could potentially be just that.

Combining an exclusive blend of hair-like fibers with specially-treated pigments designed to ‘fasten’ onto skin and hairs, the formula employs a special ‘PermaFix Gel’ to create a flexible matrix, locking natural-looking colour and ‘hairs’ onto your brows.

But besides being able to blind you with science, what is it that makes Wunderbrow more desirable than it’s powder and pencil counterparts?

According to the brand, the gel is long-lasting, waterproof, smudge-proof and transfer-proof, remaining in place until you decide to remove it. Impressive claims – but does it live up to its own hype?

Wunderbrow comes in four shades, including blonde, auburn, brunette and black-brown, and I had the pleasure of putting the light brown (brunette) to the test.

The gel comes housed in a plastic tube, and the lid unscrews to reveal a mascara-style wand with a small brush on the end. Following the brand’s advice, I first comb my brows through with a spoolie, then set to work applying the product.

Gel-like in consistency, it goes onto the brows smoothly, and adheres easily to both skin and hairs. It’s important to follow the direction of hair growth to achieve a natural look, keeping to the existing shape of your brows as much as you can.

Once satisfied with the application, I comb through again with the spoolie to ensure that product is distributed evenly, and voila – leave to dry, and you are good to go.

Wunderbrow is simple enough to use, and an entire tube later, I can see why it is becoming so popular. It’s compact, convenient, and very natural looking when applied to brows – and the fact that it stays in place is a huge bonus.

That said, it’s not all good news, as the gel can leave brows crispy and hard if over-applied, with product visible in the hairs in the same way that it would be if you went overboard with the hair gel. While it looks natural enough on the brows, the effect is not quite there on the skin – down, in part, to the flimsy brush applicator which leaves no room for imitating the fine, individual hairs.

The overall verdict, though? It’s a great little product to keep stashed in your makeup bag, and while it can’t thread your brows for you, it can certainly give you that HD-Brows-at-home effect without leaving your bathroom when you need a quick top-up. The fact that reaching the end of my tube was an upsetting day speaks volumes, and as for powders, pencils and other quick fixes, it’s safe to say that it knocks them out of the water.

Wunderbrow is available from Boots, priced at £19.95.