Having one of the best eyebrow pencils in your makeup stash makes it an absolute breeze to shape, fill and define your brows to perfection (no professional MUA experience required).
No matter how happy you are with your natural arches, there’s always room for a final touch-up – perhaps it’s the shape that needs a little work or some sparse areas you wish to add a touch more definition to. And while I’m a huge fan of a clear brow pomade or a brow gel for taming unruly brows, I don’t consider my beauty bag complete without a quality pencil formula.
Whether you prefer a power brow look (à la Dua Lipa, Cara Delevingne and Lily Collins) or if you’re into a more natural look, eyebrow pencils are versatile enough to help you recreate any shape with ease.
Need more convincing? We spoke with Meghan Markle’s favoured brow expert and founder of Nails & Brows Mayfair, Sherrille Riley, to discover why a brow pencil is such a must-have product. Below, you will also find our definitive edit of the best eyebrow pencils that are genuinely worth the fuss – tried and tested by the GLAMOUR team, ofc.
SKIP TO: Which eyebrow shape is the best? | An expert’s top brow shaping tips | How we tested the best eyebrow pencils | Our full reviews.
The best eyebrow pencils at a glance
Which eyebrow shape is the best?
“A great shape opens up the eyes, gives proportion to your cheekbones, lips and nose and brings modernity to the face,” says Sherrille. “It adds that last bit of polish to your makeup, too.”
However, it’s important to find exactly what works best for you and which brow look you prefer. “The biggest brow myth I’d like to bust is that one brow fits all. I believe every eyebrow should be personalised according to your bone structure and natural eyebrow shape.” says Hollywood’s favourite brow boss, Anastasia Soare.
Permanent and semi-permanent techniques have been finessed – powder brows, mist brows, ombre brows and feathered brows have gained momentum. Plus, there are more and more gels, powders, waxes, pomades re-formulated and released every single day.
And yet, the humble brow pencil remains one of the quickest and most effective ways to add ‘oomph’ to arches, give sparse patches the attention they need and coax stragglers into shape. Provided you have your technique down, of course. The key is to draw in short, hair-like strokes (rather than shading in one block of colour) and flick the pencil upwards, rather than scribbling in horizontal motions.
An expert’s top brow shaping tips
Here, Sherrille shares her expert tips for filling in brows with an eyebrow pencil, particularly if you have sparse brows or thin brows you want to define: