Soap Brows Without The Soap: ABH Brow Freeze

Hi friends!

I’m talking about another hyped product in today’s post, the Anastasia Beverly Hills (ABH) Brow Freeze. I’m honestly not sure where I first heard about this one, but it was probably somewhere on social media (of course). Brow Freeze is a clear brow styling wax – to me it feels like a gel – which ABH touts as having it strongest hold yet. You know I ADORE a brow product with intense hold, so I quickly got my hands on this one to test.

There are very few beauty trends that I whole-heartedly jump on, but “soap brows” is definitely one of them. Now, while I haven’t actually done the whole clear-soap-on-a-spoolie thing, I have certainly tried achieving a similar look using garden-variety drugstore gels (and some of them do a damn good job, see: Maybelline Brow Fast Sculpt). If you’re not familiar with the “soap brow” trend, you can check out this Allure article for some background, but basically it’s a brushed-up, fluffy kinda look that makes the brows look bigger yet more natural. To me, it’s just divine and it goes with my whole “natural but enhanced” makeup ethos.

Just as an FYI – this item goes in and out of stock over on Sephora, so I snagged mine directly from ABH’s main website. As of writing this post, it’s currently out of stock at Sephora. A clear testament to its popularity, it would seem.

So let’s dive in now, and I’ll give you my thoughts on the PACKAGING, the APPLICATION, and the HOLD on the ABH Brow Freeze!

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THE DEETS ON THE ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS BROW FREEZE

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze™ introduces our strongest brow hold yet! This customizable brow styling wax lifts, tames and sculpts every hair in place for the feathered-looking brow you’ve always wanted. The universal, easy-to-apply formula is mess-free and provides long-lasting, extreme-hold – leaving you with full-bodied brows that last all day.

• Universal clear wax formula for all skin tones and brow colors
• Provides long-lasting, extreme hold that locks brows in place
• Instantly gives the look of lifted, feathered brows
• Easy-to-use and mess-free application (no water needed)
• Helps to tame unruly and coarse brow hair
• Sets in place without a stiff feel, residue or flaking
• Grips to skin and hair
• Ideal for medium-sparse to full brows
• Luxe, rose gold packaging
• This formula is: Vegan, Cruelty-Free, Water-Based, Alcohol-Free, Paraben-Free, Oil-Free

– Anastasia Beverly Hills Website

 

 

THE PACKAGING

This is definitely not the packaging I usually gravitate towards when it comes to brow gels or pomades (i.e. a simple mascara wand). The ABH Brow Freeze comes in a lightweight little compact with a twist-off cap, so you will need to either use your own applicator or buy the tool that ABH specifically created for this product. I certainly was not going to spend $17.00 on a separate tool, so I just use a simple spoolie with this product (and I’m happy to report that it works fine!)

THE APPLICATION

This takes a little getting used to in terms of finding the right amount of product that works for your brows, but I wouldn’t say it’s overly difficult. It just may take a little trial and error. I have moderately thick brows (see photos below for reference), so if you have similar-ish brows to mine you may find this particularly helpful. (You will likely need to customize your method depending on the thickness of your brows.)

I work in about three sections, starting at the front. I gently dip the top third of my spoolie into the gel pot – warning, a little goes a long way –  and work it through the section, brushing up the hairs and sculpting them into the shape I desire. Once that section is done, I dip my spoolie back in the gel pot for the next section, and so on. I find having the same amount of product through each section of the brow produces the best effect and hold throughout the day. When I first started using this, I tried just dipping my spoolie in once, gathering a lot of product and running it through the full length of my brow in one go. It wasn’t great. Within a hour or so the tails of my brows had drooped back down completely.

A final word of warning: I’d be careful of over-application. Use the least amount of product you can get away with. If you build this gel up on itself too much you will get that dreaded white cast to your brows as it dries down. To be honest, even without much building up this gel tends to go a bit white.

 

THE HOLD

Now that I have a handle on the application, the hold is absolutely amazing and it lasts very well throughout the day. There may be a tiny bit of drooping that occurs by the end of the day, but it’s nothing awful or unforgivable (for me). I’d say this is probably now the strongest hold brow product that I have in my collection, even beating out the Maybelline Brow Fast Sculpt.

FINAL VERDICT

After some trial and error, I’ve come to enjoy the ABH Brow Freeze and I really adore the effect it gives to my brows. Overall I’m glad that I bought it. It retails for $23.00, so it’s not exactly cheap but you get a full 8 grams of product in the compact. It’s going to take me A WHILE to get through the whole thing, or even through half.

But it’s not without its faults.

Is it the easiest brow product to use? Not exactly. It can be a bit fussy, especially for someone like me who normally spends no more than 1 to 2 minutes on their brows. It generally takes me about 3 to 4 minutes now when I use the Brow Freeze. I also don’t like having to dodge the white cast issue. None of my other clear brow gels have created a white cast ever, so that’s a bit of a bummer.

Have you tried the ABH Brow Freeze yet? Will you? I’d love to know!

xo, and be well, Erica

 

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