The NYX Lift & Snatch Brow Tint Pen is a brush-tip brow product that comes in 10 shades and retails for $12. The product inside is a semi-sheer liquid, similar to an eyeliner but not as pigmented and the brush tip is very fine and offers a high level of control. I have used maybe 5 or 6 products like this over the past several years. The one I’m currently most familiar with is the ABH Brow Pen (links to my review) and I’ll share my thoughts on how they compare later on.
I use this like I would use an eyeliner or a pen and I draw individual hairlike strokes where I feel that my brows look a bit sparse. If what I draw comes out too harsh, I will take a clean spoolie and lightly brush through where I applied it after it has had a minute to dry down. This will soften the effect. If I have over-softened it, I will simply redraw over the area again until I get it how I want it.
I can use this by itself or together with other types of brow products. My favorite way to use it is for small detail work at the very front part of the brow and then fill in the rest with a brow powder or micro pencil (like ABH Brow Wiz, for example). If I use it by itself for the entire brow, I can create a very natural and perfected look but this can be time consuming and I don’t always get a consistent result. How well I apply it is highly dependent on how relaxed/patient I feel in the moment. Being calm and having plenty of time helps with having a steady hand.
It takes a little bit of practice to get used to a brush tip brow product and even after getting the hang of it, if I skip a week or two of using it, I can become out of practice. I will say if I’m in a rush or feeling extra stressed or tired, this is not the product I want to reach for in the morning. But after having a brush tip brow product like this, I would never want to be without one. It’s a great addition to have if brows are important to you.
How It Compares To The ABH Brow Pen
I have used both of these pens side by side and there isn’t that much of a noticeable difference between them. The slight difference in color is hard to tell unless I’m really inspecting and looking for it. The NYX brush looks finer and sharper but the lines I get aren’t that different. The ABH Brow Pen draws very slightly finer lines and I feel like I can control the ABH pen a bit more. The NYX one seems a little easier to wiggle. Maybe the thicker base of the ABH brush helps give it some stability? For the way I apply this type of product, the difference really isn’t noticeable unless I’m looking way up close.
The NYX pen is a way better value. You get .5 mL of product for $22 with ABH and 1mL for $11 with NYX. For reference, I have had my ABH Brow Pen for about a year and a half. It is a little more dried out now than when I first got it but it doesn’t seem to be running out of product yet.
I have the shade Ash Brown in the NYX pen which is similar to Medium Brown from ABH, just a bit lighter and warmer. The color payoff from my NYX pen is a little sheerer and more transparent than ABH. I have at times gone over an area once or twice more to build up the color if it didn’t come out as dark as I wanted. The depth of the shade is more noticeable if I do a thick swatch on the back of my hand. Using these pens the way I do in my brows, drawing very fine lines, the difference is much less visible.
The lighter shade of the NYX pen makes it more forgiving if I do a wonky job of filling in my brows and it’s light enough that I often skip brushing through with a spoolie to soften it.
If you’re deciding between these two, they are so very similar that I don’t think you can go wrong either way. Go with the brand that has the best shade match for you or that has the price you feel most comfortable with.