With all the lofty marketing claims attached to new products these days, it's so refreshing to find something that wows you even though you have rather low expectations of it.

I recently came into possession of a tube of Anastasia Brow Gel in Clear, and my first reaction was "ehhhh. Repackaged clear mascara for several times the price. Pass!"

But when getting ready for a wedding last month, I wanted to make sure my brows -- sparse as they are -- stayed in place all night, so I decided to take the Anastasia gel out for a spin. I really wasn't expecting anything more than the results I used to get with a tube of Cover Girl clear mascara.

Wrong! Wrong! I love being wrong in situations like these; it makes something mundane seem like a groundbreaking discovery.

The Brow Gel felt like absolutely nothing going on, but my brows did not even budge all night. Like I said, they're pretty sparse, but they have a tendency to get out of place pretty easily -- especially the right one. Three reasons: (1) the long, sideswept bangs that fall on the right side of my face are a brow disturbance hazard, (2) I end up pushing them out of my face pretty frequently, therefore touching the brow and disturbing it further, and (3) that right brow has an old scar running through it, which tends to act like a brow cowlick (browlick?).

So when I say they didn't move all night, this is pretty impressive. In addition, they were SHINY. As in, healthy-looking. Healthy-looking brows. Who knew such a thing could be possible!

And finally, the formula didn't flake, dry out or get sticky over the course of the evening. Winner! I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but yes, it really is worth the $21. It's really not that high a price to pay for peace-of-brow!