Benefit Gimme Brow and Essence Make Me Brow-Is It A Dupe?

Hey Everyone!

In a Birchbox months and months ago, I got a deluxe sample size of the Benefit Cosmetics Gimme Brow, and fell in love. Then a few months ago, I saw the Essence Make Me Brow at Target and snatched it up to compare. Keep in mind with my pictures that the Benefit is a deluxe sample size, not full size, and they have recently changed packaging. The Essence is full sized, though.

 Gimme Brow is described as a "Volumizing Fiber Gel" and Make Me Brow is described as an "Eyebrow Gel Mascara". However, the Essence packaging itself lists it as having fibers as well. The Benefit will cost you $24 for .1 oz and Essence will only set you back $2.99 for .13 oz. Gimme Brow comes in three shades (1 Light, 3 Medium, and 5 Deep), while Make Me Brow only has two colors (Blondy Brows and Browny Brows). Since I have the older Benefit version, I have the shade "Medium/Deep" which I think is closest to the new shade 5 Deep. I have the shade Browny Brows in Essence.

While the wands of each are similar, they're not exactly the same. The Essence version is the same width from the top to the bottom of the wand, and the Benefit one tapers to a smaller point at the top. While that doesn't seem like a big deal, it is huge when it comes to application.

Even though my Gimme Brow is a small size, I believe the applicator size is the same as the full size. Gimme Brow goes on a lot easier and cleaner with the tapered tip, while Make Me Brow is messier. These two colors look like they would be identical by looking at them, but the Essence one is darker. I can still make both of them work for me, though, since my natural brow hairs are pretty dark. If you read my brow tutorial post (here) that I did last year, you know I have sparse, patchy brows. While they have grown in a little more since then, they still need some help. These type of brow products have been a life saver on days when I have no time to do a full routine.

For these photos, the only makeup I have on is the Gimme Brow or Make Me Brow. I apologize for the fright. As you can see above, this is the Gimme Brow side. It does a great job of making my brow look fuller, and it fills in the baldish spot towards the tail extremely well. The tapered tip is amazing for getting right in the front of the brow and not making a mess.

This is the Make Me Brow side, and it doesn't quite look as nice. While it did make the existing hairs look fuller, it didn't do the best job of creating fullness where there were sparse areas. This one still looks a little patchy. The applicator of the Essence one makes a mess, even when you're careful. I didn't photograph it, but I had to go in with a cotton swab and clean up around the edges. Make Me Brow deposits a lot of product when you first lay the wand down, so I suggest you first apply to the thickest part of your brow, and not to the front. You'll need to get the excess off before you apply to any sparse areas. The formula of this one is a little thinner, so that contributes to the messiness of the application.

If you have naturally full brows, and are only looking for a tinted brow gel, or just a little bit of brow help, you could use the Essence one and be completely happy. If you have sparser brows, which need a lot of help, and you don't want to use any other brow product, then the Benefit one might be best for you. If you want to use a pencil/powder/or gel first and then just set your brows, the Essence one will be great. I don't experience any fading or flaking with either one. They both last the same amount of time on my brows. I really do enjoy both of these, but I don't think they are complete dupes. for a $21 difference, though, you can definitely make it work!

Have you tried either one of these? What did you think?

Thanks for stopping by!

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*All products mentioned were purchased by me and all opinions are my own.