We’re down to the last days of the summer! Have you squeezed in a beach trip to your schedule yet? Make sure that you’re keeping yourself protected from the sun by packing your summer skincare essentials, and update your makeup kit with beach-ready products to keep you looking good in vacation photos! If you’re looking for brows that can survive water activities and excessive sweating, I tested six brow products that claim to be long-wearing and waterproof so you don’t have to!

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade (P1,255, available in 11 shades)

The Anastasia Beverly Hills brand was built on brows, so I did expect a lot from this cult-favorite pomade. Creamy, richly pigmented, and easy to blend, I do agree that the hype around it is warranted. On a regular day, I can expect the Dipbrow to be on fleek with almost zero fading, even after a 9-hour work shift. However, you do need to be light-handed with your application because of the rich pigmentation. I also find that once you’ve touched the product, it becomes a lot less pigmented so I always have to dip into a fresh spot.

Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil (P1,660, available in 6 shades)

Liz lists the Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil as her favorite from the Benefit brow collection. Personally, I much prefer the Precisely, My Brow Pencil as I find it to be creamier and more natural-looking because of the slim round tip. I also find that the Goof Proof has a tendency to bunch up if you’re not careful. For daily wear, it lasts just fine but I do find that it’s pretty much non-existent after a few hours at the gym.

Project Vanity x Ellana Life-Proof Eyebrow Gel (P499, available in 3 shades)

All biases aside, the PV x Ellana Life-Proof Eyebrow Gel was my favorite makeup find from 2018. It has a harder, less creamy formula compared to ABH, which I think is a good thing as it allows for a more subdued brow that doesn’t overpower my everyday light makeup. It has just the right amount of pigmentation so it’s easy to control how natural or glam my brows look. Once it sets, it’s pretty much budge-proof even after an intense workout.

K-Palette Lasting Eyebrow Tint Pen (P845, available in 2 shades)

It’s no secret that we PV girls are fans of the K-Palette Eyebrow Pens. I first tried K-Palette some three years ago, and it’s still one of my go-to brow products until now (I’ve used up four tubes over the years). I adore how natural it looks - almost like you can grow brow hair with a quick flick of the pen. Longevity-wise, it stays on much like the Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil: good enough for daily wear but a little less reliable for more active days.

The Eyebrow Tint Pen is not the same as the normal Eyebrow Pen, however. This is meant to leave a stain on the brows when properly applied on bare skin, and left alone for a few hours! It definitely lasts longer than the Eyebrow Pen with the brush applicator, as it is a cross between their peel-off tint and the pen.

L.A. Girl Gel Liner (P319, available in 3 shades)

So hold up, we know this is actually meant to be used as an eyeliner! But word on the Internet is that this product works well for the brows - even better than the brow pomade from the same brand. Limited shade options aside, I find it to be a pretty good dupe for the ABH Dipbrow Pomade. It’s comparably just as creamy and richly pigmented. The main difference is that it takes longer to set and is more blendable. If you want more defined hair strokes, let it set a while before blending out with a spoolie so you retain more of the definition.

Maybelline Tattoo Brow Gel Tint (P599, available in 3 shades)

There’s a bit of a learning curve with Maybelline’s Gel Tint as with all peel-off tints. Leaving it on for 15 minutes as the packaging suggests works well for a heavier, intensely defined brow, but I reduce it to around the 12-minute mark for when I’m on light makeup days. If you’re a beginner who still hasn’t perfected your brow shaping skills, this might not be the best product for you. I personally enjoy using this tint, though! It lasts through Crossfit sessions and lingers for 2 to 3 days, depending on how active I am. I didn’t expect it to look natural, but it does! If you can find a good color match, it just looks like you’re naturally blessed with thick, bushy brows. Pro-tip: leave out some space in the beginning of your brows so you can avoid the Pentel Pen look!

All six products are great for daily wear, but we wanted to put them to the ultimate test! On my last beach trip, I swatched all six products on my arm a good 15 minutes after letting my sunscreen dry down. I waited 15 minutes before peeling off the brow tint, and let the products set another 45 minutes before I finally waded into the water. Here are the before and after photos after more than an hour of swimming, riding a banana boat, and other outdoor activities.

Before swimming

After swimming

The Project Vanity x Ellana Life-Proof Eyebrow Gel wins by leaps and bounds! Anastasia’s Dipbrow Pomade and its dupe L.A. Girl Gel Liner comes in second and third respectively. K-Palette and Benefit’s brow products did not last long after few minutes in the water; as mentioned above, however, K-Palette’s tint must be left on for a few hours for it to deliver the staining result. The Maybelline Gel Tint significantly faded as well, but props for at least fading evenly.

I scrubbed my arm after I got out of the water and the top three survivors did end up crumbling and fading off. If you decided to take a dip with these, just make sure to pat yourself dry and don’t swipe after swimming!