Frequently Asked Questions
What should you look for in an eyebrow pencil?
A good eyebrow pencil comes down to your individual needs, but New York City-based makeup artist Tommy Napoli always recommends a wax-based formula that has a spoolie on the other end. “Pencils can be better than shadow or pomade for enhancing the look of brow hairs,” he says, adding that spoolies are great for brushing up hair and blending out product.
If you have sparse brows and like a natural look, a brow pencil with a thin or pointed skinny tip will help you create hair-like strokes to fill in gaps, says Los Angeles-based makeup artist Robin Black. “On the other hand, if you have thick brows and want to fill in a few gaps or emphasize their ’80s look, a wide slanted tip is your best brow friend,” she notes.
How do you apply an eyebrow pencil?
Good news: If you want full, feathery brows, we already have an entire guide on that. But, if you just want the TL;DR on eyebrow pencils, we’ve got you. Before you even reach for your pencil, New York City-based makeup artist Yuui Vision told Allure that powdering your brows before application will create a more long-wearing result. “The point of the powder is to take out moisture from the brow hair,” she said. “Moisturizer might prevent you from smooth brow application.” After applying powder, New York City-based makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes told Allure to use your pencil to lightly outline your preferred general shape, filling in spare spots in the process. For a photo-ready, feathery effect, Hughes also recommends combining a brow pen or pomade to add more definition.
Meet the experts
How we test and review products
Before reviewing any makeup, we ask questions about a number of factors: What ingredients are in it? Does the brand offer a wide shade range inclusive of consumers with all skin tones and undertones? Is it safe for readers who have sensitive skin or wear contact lenses? Is it on the affordable side or more of a splurge? Is its packaging consciously designed or needlessly wasteful?
For our review of the best eyebrow pencils, we enlisted the help of multiple editors, writers, contributors, and professional makeup artists to review the products. This ensures our testing base spans different skin tones, genders, and dermatological conditions. We considered each product’s performance across four primary categories: ingredients, wear and longevity, packaging, and inclusivity. For more on what’s involved in our reporting, check out our complete reviews process and methodology page.
Our staff and testers
A beauty product is a personal purchase. You might be searching for a face cream to address persistent dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine; you may simply be browsing around for the latest launches to hit the hair market. No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, Allure wants to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors—in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon—is essential to reaching that goal.
