101 on brow mascara, sort of. 

It's no a surprise that brow mascaras or brow gels have taken up residency on almost everyone's makeup stash. They weren't popular products years back but when tinted ones came into the picture, they became the talk of the town, just like strobing, baking, and Kylie Lip Kits. Not gonna lie, I was a bit puzzled at first as to why they were must-haves. I mean, filling the brows can't be that complicated, right? I fully understood how essential they are when I tried them myself. I have two, a tinted and a clear. And they both work differently.

So this is what this post is all about. When to use clear gel and when to use tinted. I've seven points here, the ones I can think off the top of my head. Hopefully this guide will help you which kind of brow mascara to use in case you're having a dilemma.

Use a CLEAR brow gel if...

...you just want to tame your brow strands. Not fill, not color whatsoever. Just to keep them in place.

...it's for setting filled brows. If you don't want to make your brows darker or fuller, a clear brow gel will tame the brows without adding tint to them.

...you want to further blend out the product on the brows. Clear gels help blend product like powders or waxes so you have softer but defined arches.

...you're just beginning with makeup. It's easy to mess up brows, believe me, and clear mascaras are foolproof and easy to find in makeup counters.

Use a TINTED brow gel if...

...you want to quickly fill in the brows. If you can't be bothered with filling your brows with pencil, powder, or pomade, tinted gels do the job considerably quicker and the end result is softer. Plus, not only will you have soft tinted brows, your brow stands are also set in place.

...you want your brows to be fluffier and volumized. I noticed that when I use a tinted brow gel, it makes my brows look fluffy. I don't get the same result with a clear one so I guess the color of a brow mascara help in giving dimension and additional depth to the brows. 

...you want to lighten/darken brow strands. Depending on the brow mascara shade you have, of course. If your mascara is lighter than your brows, it will help soften the look of your arches, especially if you've filled them quite heavily. If you have a dark mascara, it will of course make your brows darker and look stronger.

Again, it's all about personal experience but hopefully this list will help you out. Some people, especially those who are new to makeup (welcome to this wonderful world, folks!), can get confused easily and use one instead of the other or both at the same time or not at all. I suggest you try and experiment with them and see which one gives you a stronger, fleeker brow game. ;)

(Mascaras used in this post are NARS Piraeus and The Body Shop Brow & Lash Gel)