Unless you’ve got super thick natural brows, one of the best eyebrow pencils is a must in most make-up bags. A good one will fill in any sparse areas and add definition to all eyebrow shapes. A great one will do both of the above and stay in place all day long. They must also be easy to apply—no harsh or unnatural-looking lines—and come in wearable, lifelike shades.
Because my natural eyebrows are a bit sparse in places, brow pencils, along with one of the best brow gels, are one of my everyday staples and I’ve tried dozens of them in my time. Ahead is a roundup of new and long-standing favourites, from the super affordable to higher-end buys—plus some before and afters of my natural brows so you can see what a difference a brow pencil alone can make.
My brows before using the best eyebrow pencil
Lucy's natural brows without pencil
Lucy's brows after applying pencil
The best eyebrow pencils according to a beauty editor
1. Kosas Brow Pop Dual-Action Defining Pencil
This is the brow pencil that’s in my current everyday make-up bag. It blends like a dream and there’s a built-in spoolie to help you shape your brows and brush the product through. Worth noting is that I’m usually somewhere between mid- and a darker brown, but here Dark Brown is my perfect shade, so you may want to opt for a darker colour to your normal choice (there are two darker options). Said shade range is strong, including the not always standard auburn and grey options. There are cheaper brow pencils out there, but I’ve returned to it day after day for a reason.
2. e.l.f. Ultra Precise Brow Pencil
e.l.f.’s brow products are nothing short of brilliant, especially when you consider the price tags; you could pick up this pencil and Wow Brow Gel (another of my favourite brow products) for the very reasonable price of £12. As is more of an industry standard now, the pencil itself is nice and precise as well as retractable, meaning you don’t have to fuss with a separate sharpener. And, of course, there’s a built-in spoolie, too.
3. Fenty Beauty Brow MVP Ultra Fine Brow Pencil
Brow MVP really could be your Most Valuable Player in your make-up kit. It's as great as you’d expect from Fenty. Like all products from the brand, the shade range is brilliant and accessible—there are 14 to choose from, including auburn and grey options, so you are very likely to find your perfect match. It’s precise and it blends well, staying put through the day. Instead of a spoolie there’s an oval-shaped brush built in, which may not appeal to all. Don't let that put you off, take it from me this really is one of the best brow pencils.
4. Nyx Professional Makeup Micro Brow Pencil
Another high street gem, I absolutely love Nyx Professional Makeup’s products. Like e.l.f., the brow products are some of the best if you're looking for something in the more affordable price bracket. This pencil is one I’d happily use every day. At £12 it’s a little more of an investment, but still purse-friendly, and the shade range is great. It also lasts well through the day, so it’s very hard to fault.
5. Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz Pencil
An authority on brow products, one of Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Brow Wiz pencils sells every 30 seconds, so it’s a real icon of the brow pencil world. With a good shade range, it’s also very precise and therefore a particularly great choice if, like me, you like to fill your brows in with hair-like strokes.
6. Benefit Precisely My Brow Pencil
Another go-to brand for brows and an iconic brow pencil, Benefit’s Precisely My Brow is a very reliable choice when it comes to the best brow pencils. It’s long-wearing, promising to last for as long as 12 hours, and the shade range is particularly good for blondes as well as auburn and grey options. It's not as waxy as some of the others on the list, so if you have dry skin you might find that this doesn't blend as well over your skin.
7. NARS Brow Perfector
NARS is a legendary brand with a reputation that precedes it. A staple backstage at fashion weeks thanks to the best NARS foundations, iconic blushers and excellent make-up brushes—and the brow pencil is great, too. There are definitely more extensive shade ranges available, but it defines my brows without leaving them looking overly “done”.
8. Too Faced Pomade in a Pencil
Particularly good for sparse brows that need “filling in” is Too Faced’s pomade-style pencil. Featuring a decent shade range, while I can’t say I’ve put the 36-hour claim to the test - does anyone actually need to wear any make-up product for longer than a day?! - it does a great job of defining one’s brows and the waterproof formula lasts well.
9. Makeup by Mario Master Blade Brow Pencil
When a make-up artist is at the helm of a make-up brand, I think it’s always reflected in the products. That’s certainly the case with Makeup by Mario, whose brow pencil is fantastic. Unlike many brow pencils, it’s adjusted with a satisfying click rather than a twist, but crucially the formula looks great and wears well. I really like the angled shape of the pencil, as it's easier to mimic the shape of your brow when applying.
10. BBB London Ultra Slim Brow Definer 2.0
One of the UK’s best destinations for brow treatments like threading and brow lamination, Blink Brow Bar also has a line of great brow products. The Ultra Slim Brow Definer 2.0 is really great with the added bonus of being waterproof, so it really will stay in place once applied. So if you're going away and will be in the heat and swimming a lot, you can feel happy that your brows will look throughout.
11. Victoria Beckham Beauty BabyBlade Brow Pencil
Easily one of the best Victoria Beckham Beauty products, this great brow pencil is ultra-precise and creates soft and natural-looking defined arches that last. With the very chic packaging that you’d expect from as standard VB, it’s got that all-important built-in spoolie, too. I think the colour payoff is good, but it isn't too intense so once I've filled my brows in they look elevated, not "done".
12. Valentino Brow Trio 3 in 1 Brow Filler
Whilst this rather clever Valentino product is expensive, you do essentially get two products for the price of one. And everyone loves a BOGOF don't they? I really liked using this as I could create hair-like strokes with the pen and fill in with the pencil. However, whilst I really loved the pencil’s formula, the shade range is incredibly limited with just three brown shades to choose from.
13. Jones Road Beauty The Brow Pencil
I’m making quite a big exception here because this pencil doesn’t include a built-in spoolie, so it’s not as good value as others but, as I’ve come to expect from the best Jones Road products, it’s a really nice one. I find that I don’t need a lot of it to fill in my brows. Because it’s a traditional pencil, you’ll need to sharpen it to keep it precise.
14. Revlon Colorstay Brow Fantasy Pencil Gel
This is a brilliant brow product at an even more brilliant price considering you get both a pencil and a gel in one. The pencil needs to be sharp to create fine hair-like strokes, but it's great at filling in sparse areas and taming wayward hairs. Be gentle when drawing the colour on, the formula is creamy so a little goes a long way. The gel won't keep your brows in place long, but it grooms them nicely.
