This legacy post has received a facelift (or at least an invigorating facial massage). Content was tidied up; updates with new opinions/insights are in line with notation. April Favorites will run next week.

NYX Cosmetics has come out with a lot of new brow products – a gel, a mascara, a pomade (trying to take on Dipbrow?), new ultra-skinny pencils, etc. In spring of 2015, I picked up the NYX Tinted Brow Mascara in Brunette.

I was happy with Dipbrow (2018 Update – I did ultimately discontinue use of Dipbrow.) , but trying something new is fun every now and then. I picked this up when I returned the failed NYX Green CC Cream. While I was shopping, the first thing that struck me was the lack of variety in available shades. They have blonde (lighter, taupe-y), chocolate (warm brown), brunette (cool brown), espresso (dark brown), and black (brown-black)…that’s it!

Color Choice

I chose the (supposedly) cooler brown shade, Brunette. Although my hair is fairly warm, I don’t want my brows to be. Upon use, I found that despite perhaps being the cooler of the two, it is quite warm.

Consistency, Hold, and Application

The consistency of NYX Tinted Brow Mascara is very lightweight, but wet; when you swipe it through your brows, you definitely feel the moisture content. Personally, I found that weird in a brow product and did not care for it. Given that, you don’t have a whole lot of control even though the spoolie with which you apply it is small and stiff. I found myself getting blobs in my brows that were really awkward. Ultimately, I had to gently squeeze the spoolie with a tissue to remove the excess so I was applying the bare minimum – which means I was wasting product to be able to use it.

NYX Tinted Brow Mascara – Swatch

As far as hold goes? Meh. It’s better than nothing, but if your brows are unruly and you really want them to stay put you need something else. Without sounding like a shill, I’ve only ever tried Anastasia’s clear one, and I was happy with its strong hold (2018 Update – Anastasia Clear Brow Gel still takes the cake but full disclosure – my brows are not unruly). Happy enough to regularly shell out for it? Nope; I’m sure there are other good ones out there.

2018 Update – Simply put, the spoolie is too large for the intended purpose. This is more of a standard, eyelash-mascara applicator rather than one suited for brows. It is difficult to use for the intended purpose, but not impossible.

The Bottom Line

My verdict? This product would be okay as a finishing touch when paired with a powder or pencil. I wouldn’t use this on its own unless your brows are already nigh-flawless.

It is finicky to work with, and the shade range leaves some to be desired. I wouldn’t buy if you’re looking for a one-and-done product, or unless you’re SURE the shade will work for you; in my case, my brows were too warm with this, it was really awkward and obvious.