It’s only recently that I discovered that eyebrows can make or break your entire look. In my teen years I was a victim of the early 2000s trend of plucking your eyebrows within an inch of their life. Instead of full, natural brows I had two razor-thin commas floating above my eyes. Finally, I came to my senses and let my brows grow naturally. Later, I experimented with different brow pencils to fill in and define my brows. But once I discovered Benefit’s Gimme Brow Tinted Eyebrow Gel ($26), I never looked back.

Benefit Cosmetics, Gimme Brow — $26.00

My honest review of the Benefit Gimme Brow Gel

Benefit is the first grownup, non-CVS beauty brand I ever used, so it holds a special place in my heart. In my opinion, they do the whole “goof-proof” thing better than a lot of other beauty brands. What I love most about this brow gel is that it’s so easy and fast to apply. I think a misconception about brow products is that they require precision, but that’s not at all the case with Benefit’s tinted brow gel. You can put it on in a few swipes practically the same way you would a lipstick. The first time I used it, I had too much coffee and I had shaky caffeine hands—and I still was able to apply it flawlessly.

Before trying brow gels, I’d been using brow pencils exclusively—which are great for adding fine, hair-like strokes. But what I love about gels is that they set your brows and hold them in place for a more defined look. There are clear gels on the market that you can use after a pencil, but I find those formulas a bit stickier than Benefit’s tinted gel. This is a perfect pick if you’re like me and prefer fewer steps and faster results. I’m not trying to spend hours in front of my bathroom mirror just to get cute brows.

The application process is easy as Key lime pie (my favorite pie). You just swipe the spoolie applicator across your brow line for instantly bolder, better brows. What I love about the formula is that it’s volumizing–so it doesn’t just make your brows darker, but it makes them appear fuller. It also stays put and lasts way longer than brow pencils or powders I’ve used. I don’t even put it in my makeup bag to reapply throughout the day. It’s an easy “one and done” situation–I just swipe it on in the morning.

Bottom line? This tinted gel makes my brows look like I got them done by a professional makeup artist, when in reality I just did them myself in less than 60 seconds.