obsessive tester

How the Elf Brow Lift Changed My Eyebrows

Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photo: Retailer

I stopped waxing, threading, and tending my brows nearly ten years ago in order to spare what little brows I had left. Since then, my sparse and occasionally unruly eyebrows have taken up a significant amount of my beauty routine. In the pursuit of shaping my brows at-home and keeping them frozen in place, I have tried what feels like every waxy brow pencil, sticky brow gel, and goopy tins of soap under the sun.

For every product that holds my brows perfectly in place, there was always a trade-off. Sometimes the product was too expensive, sometimes the formula was too waxy, and most of the time, it was both. In short, it’s been a long and expensive (almost) decade to find a product that checked off all the boxes.

The NYX Brow Glue was my go-to product all these years. It was pretty good but felt and smelled too much like glue for my liking. So, when I misplaced it in one of my many makeup bags, I took it as a sign that there was something else in the market for me and my brows. I was back to square one at Ulta Beauty until I stumbled upon the E.l.f.’s Brow Lift.

The under-$10 clear aloe-infused wax is meant to nourish, lift, and hold your brows in place all while giving you that fluffy, laminated brow look. It launched earlier this year and went viral on TikTok (of course!). The video testimonials sold it out almost everywhere but now it’s back and I have to say, it’s worth all the hype.

Like I’ve said, I’ve tried many wax brow products before, and while this one is very similar to the Brow Freeze from Anastasia Beverly Hills, the Brow Lift is clear and stays clear, so I didn’t find myself hours after the application in front of a mirror trying to wipe away residue without ruining my brows. Not only that, but the Brow Lift keeps my brows glued down but not too stiff, so I can reshape them easily. Plus any excess can easily be wiped away with a Q-tip.

Elf even released an applicator with a spoolie on one end and a flat tool on the other made just for the Brow Lift. However, I use a regular spoolie to lightly tap into the wax and brush the product through my brows, and it works just as well.

It look me almost a decade to find the product that literally takes a minute to perfectly shape my brows and keep them in place all day despite the sweltering heat waves and my oily forehead, so you bet I’ll be stocking up on this one before it sells out again (and you should, too).

The $6 Brow Product That Changed My Eyebrows