Benefit Gimme Brow Brow-volumizing Fiber Gel: Review and Swatches

Disclaimer: This product was provided for review.

Ever since I was a baby I was cursed with a pair of very sparse brows, my left brow, especially, is almost non-existant. So when it comes to doing makeup, my brows are a big focus. My go-to, must-have brow saver is the Shiseido Natural Eyebrow Pencil in GY901 but I am always on the look out for new and innovative brow products! So today I bring you a review of the relatively new release from Benefit called the Gimme Brow Brow-volumizing Fiber Gel ($26 CAD), a brush-on fiber gel that helps build thick and defined brows.
To see my review and how well it works, click......

What it is:
-Brush on pigmented brow gel infused with artificial brow fibers
-Product adheres to the skin to fill in sparse patches
-Water resistant, long lasting, and buildable

Packaging:
Gimme Brow comes in a small mascara tube and the applicator is a small tapered wand that allows precise application and shaping.

Formulation:
I have here Gimme Brow in "Medium/Deep", which I feared might be too light or brown for me but it's actually quite a nice shade of taupe-y dark gray. The fiber, to my surprise, were quite tiny, almost unnoticeable. You can spot a few specks in my swatch below. I know the size is probably perfect for creating a natural look but for hairless gals like me, I would have liked to see longer fibers being used. The gel sets to a matte finish that lasts all day.

Application: 
Here is where a little problem came in. On areas where I have a lot of hair (relatively speaking), the product applies nicely and the wand is not too hard to use. However, because the applicator didn't have a fine tip like that of a brow pencil, I was unable to create a nice arch. Also, in areas where there is no hair, it's hard to brush on the brow gel and make it look natural. Despite the already petite size of the applicator, I wish it was even smaller. A different kind of applicator, perhaps a small brush with bristles could may be better.
For the swatches below, the first half of my brow is filled in with the brow gel and the second half (especially the arch) I had to go in with my Shiseido brow pencil.

No brow products (left); filled in brow using both the Gimme Brow (first half of the brow)
and Shiseido eyebrow pencil (second half and arch of brow).

Pros:
-Medium/Deep is a great color match for people with black hair
-Will work very well for those with well defined brows that perhaps lack a little color intensity
-Long wearing, lasted all day

Cons:
-The fibers are too small to have an actual effect
-Not suitable for those that want to shape their brows as the applicator really doesn't allow any precision despite it being designed for that function

Overall:
I think this is a great product but it's simply not for me. I can see those with a good set of light colored brows benefitting immensely from Gimme Brow, but for those with unshapely or sparse brows, the product will not be enough on its own.

Availability:
The Gimme Brow Brow-volumizing Fiber Gel is also available in a "Light/Medium" shades online and in stores and Sephora and Benefit online.

So what do you think? Do you think this is the product for you? Let me know in the comments below! Thanks for reading.