Zoe has been in a loyal relationship with REFY’s Brow Sculpt since it launched in 2020, so what does she think of the newly reformulated product?
A definite perk of my job as a beauty journalist is that I get to try lots of new launches, but it does also mean that, no matter how much I like a product at the time, I tend to move on to a newer one as soon as I’ve finished it. One of the only products that I have never strayed from using during the near-five years it’s been since I first tested it, is REFY’s Brow Sculpt.
I don’t know how it does it but the product is magic, I swear. There are some amazing brow gels and pastes on the market across all price points, low and high, but this one is the only formula that really makes my brow hairs stay in place. In fact, it actually cheats a brow lamination, but without giving your brow hairs that overly glossy appearance.
So imagine my horror when I found out REFY was reformulating the product I’ve stayed faithfully attached to for longer than any other relationship in my life. How could they? Before I kicked off, I vowed to give the new and improved formula a chance, and I’m happy I did.
Priced at £18 (£2 more than it was previously) the new version of the gel, which has now replaced the original one on the brand’s website, claims to be ‘remastered for longer lasting and flake-free brows’. Instead of having a white tint (that does turn almost clear after a few minutes), the gel is now completely clear, reducing the risk of any residue showing on brow hairs or skin. Plus, it has 12 hours of clinically-proven, sculpted hold.
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If you haven’t used the Brow Sculpt before, you should also know it isn’t just the formula that’s unique. When you pull the lid off the tube, you’ll find a double-sided brush made for use with the gel. Simply apply a coat of the gel, use the little comb side to brush through your brow hairs and then slick them down and into shape with the mini brush. It’s three steps to flawless brows in one tube.
Since I’ve influenced several of my friends to buy this brow gel for themselves, I have heard a good range of feedback on the product. Everyone I’ve recommended it to agrees that it’s the longest-wearing and strongest-holding formula they’ve come across, but two of my friends with darker hair have said they would prefer it if it didn’t leave white residue around their brow hair. My one tiny complaint about the gel is that if you’re not careful with the placement, it does leave a residue that clings to foundation and concealer, turning the area around my brows slightly gluey looking.
It was easily fixed, for me, by being more careful of my placement of the gel, but it’s clear from the reformulation that this feedback about the white residue has made it to their ears. And honestly? We love a brand that listens and actions feedback.
So, what are my thoughts? I needn’t have worried because the brow gel is just as good as ever, with the added bonus of there being no white residue. I’ve been using it for the past couple of days and I still wouldn’t use another gel. I know £18 is a little steep for such a small tube of product, but the way I see it is that I save by not having to have regular £60 brow lamination treatments. Plus, the tube lasts me a good couple of months.
I’m not the only one who won’t be without it, either. I’m in good company with my love for the Brow Sculpt, as Bella Hadid, Frankie Bridge and Molly-Mae Hague, to name just a few, have previously noted it as a favourite of theirs.
While this gel is my personal favourite, our beauty editor Laura swears by a different one. MAC has also recently revamped its brow products and launched Pro Locked Brow Gel, priced at £24 and available to buy from MAC’s own website as well as retailers such as LookFantastic and Boots. MAC says this clear gel gives ‘a strong yet flexible hold with all-day wear and a flake-free finish’ – and Laura agrees.
She says: “I often find that brow gel formulas are either not strong enough to lock hairs into place all day, or if they are, often leave white, flaky bits on the hairs as they dry (even my favourite REFY is guilty of this). MAC’s new launch, however, ticks both boxes.”
