Get Brows That Wow With Benefit’s Goof Proof Brow Pencil And New 3D Browtones

In the late ’90s, pencil-thin brows were a beauty must, with girls plucking away at the fine hairs over their eyes with reckless abandon. Everyone from Gwen Stefani and Drew Barrymore to Linda Evangelista and Kate Moss was rocking itty-bitty brows. Fast-forward 25 years, and the pendulum has swung the other way, with thick and luscious brows dominating the beauty landscape. Call it the Cara Delevingne phenomenon. But, of course, most gals weren’t born with Brooke Shields’s brows (or Cara’s for that matter), which means a growing demand for pencils, powders, gels, markers, and tinted mousses that can fill in sparse brows and give the a well-defined shape. Having been a teenager in the ’90s, I plucked my eyebrows to high heaven and, much to my dismay, some of the hairs I once thoughtlessly removed now refuse to grow back (a shame, really, since my natural brows were pretty thick and bold). My grandmother warned me about tweezing too much, but I didn’t listen. Typical teenager. Now, however, I’m wishing I wouldn’t have been quite so overzealous with the waxing and tweezing, as I have to rely on cosmetics to achieve the fuller-looking brows I once had (and, ironically enough, once loathes). Go figure.

I’ve tried a number of brow products (more on that later!), but recently, I’ve found a two-step combo that really works for me, and it involves two Benefit products: the Goof Proof Brow Pencil  ($24 at BenefitCosmetics.com and Sephora.com) and the 3D Browtones ($24 at BenefitCosmetics.com and Sephora.com). In July, Benefit launched a really expansive Brow collection that incorporates everything from conditioning primers to arch-highlighting pencils, and tinted cream-gel brow hues. Both the Goof Proof Brow Pencil and the 3D Browtones, then, are part of Benefit’s arch-centric collection.

The Goof Proof Brow Pencil is basically the quickest, easiest way to fill in those pesky gaps along your  arches. As you can see in the second picture above, the pencil has a wide and slanted tip that allows you to simply glide it over your brows to fill them in. The wide tip will also help you better define the inner ends of your brows since the slanted tip allows you to extend brows to the desired point and make a more precise yet thick line therein. The opposite end of the pencil, meanwhile, hold a spoolie brush so that you can blend in the color for a natural, softer-looking effect. Once it’s time to fill in the gaps along the brow’s tail (or to extend that tail), you just need to change the way you hold the pencil so that, now, you’ll be relying on the pointed tip for thinner strokes of color. Now, I don’t necessarily think the Goof Proof Brow Pencil is the best brow pencil out there in the sense that it doesn’t achieve as precise or as realistic a look as some of the other pencils I’ve tried, but it does do a decent job at filling in brows and it’s beyond simple to use. If you don’t have the time to obsess over your brows every morning and need a quick fix, this will be a lifesaver since it takes less than five minutes to go over those brows and pack in some color.

Since pictures speak volumes, I’ll show what my brows look like in their natural and unruly state and, then, what they look like after the Goof Proof Brow Pencil. Here are my sad-looking brows:

Poor brows, right? They look like patchy blades of grass growing back after a long and harsh winter!

Okay, now check them out after I filled them in with the Goof Proof Brow Pencil:

See the difference? Now, I’m not someone who likes brows to look too architectural, with sharp edges and perfect angles, since I think that looks unnatural but, hey, if that’s your jam, you can definitely achieve that look with this pencil. The Goof Proof Brow Pencil is now available in six shades (I’m using No. 2). Also, and this is yet another perk, the pencil has a twist-up mechanism so you won’t ever have to sharpen it (score!).

Now, moving on to the second step of my easy-breezy brow-enhancing routine: adding highlights to my brows. Say what? Yes, gals, Benefit Cosmetics launched a novel (and simply amazing) new brow product called 3D Browtones that enhances your arches by giving them very subtle highlights so they don’t look flat or one-dimensional. The product combs in a tube reminiscent of a mascara but the cap has a conical shape that reminds me of the I Dream of Jeannie bottle. When you twist off the cap, you’ll notice a wand with a custom brush featuring spiral  bristles that ensure a mess-free, streak-free, clump-free application. The tip of the brush, meanwhile, features a mini comb that allows you to reach those narrow sections of the brow and to better define your arches.

In my case, I’ll start by filling in any gaps with the Goof Proof Brow Pencil and then I’ll go over my work with the 3D Browtones. Because I have darker brows but I have blonde hair, I like to use the lighter shade (No. 2) to soften my arches and create less of a disconnect between my mane and my brows. I also find that the golden highlights the 3D Browtones adds really adds a spark to my face and helps to open up my eyes.

Check out my brows with the Benefit 3D Browtones:

If you notice, the 3D Browtones make my brows look less severe and add a bit of depth and texture.

Even if you already have a brow pencil you adore, I strongly recommend you try out the Benefit 3D Browtones since it really can help spruce up your brow game!