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The right brow pencil is a makeup bag and desert island essential. Eyebrows frame the face, so getting them filled in properly is a first step in enhancing facial features. A rule of thumb is that thin pencils create natural, hair-like strokes to fill in sparse brows and to define any brow shape, while those with a thicker, angled tip are a quicker fix to shade in smaller gaps, cover grays, or add a natural sweep of color.
Related: The 13 Best Hair Growth Products for Tresses, Lashes and Brows
We rounded up top picks and new kits from the beauty brands of Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez, Halsey and Rihanna as well as Hollywood eyebrow specialists and brands favored by stars and their makeup artists. Ahead, shop some of the best eyebrow pencils for sparse brows, waterproof and smudgeproof options, all-in-one sets and more.
1. Anastasia Beverly Hills Natural & Polished Deluxe Kit
BEST BROW KIT OVERALL
Beverly Hills brow guru Anastasia Soare has counted Michelle Obama, Jennifer Lopez Affleck, Oprah Winfrey and Amal Clooney as clients. Available in five shades, this new kit contains her two pro brow pencils to define and shade, plus clear brow gel to set the look. The two pencils can also be purchased individually in a dozen colors.
MORE BUYING OPTIONS: Anastasia Beverly Hills | Nordstrom
Anastasia Beverly Hills Natural & Polished Deluxe Kit
$39
2. Benefit Gimme Brow+ Volumizing Fiber Pencil
BEST VOLUMIZING PENCIL
Uniquely infused with tiny fibers that adhere to the brows to pump up volume, Benefit’s brand-new waterproof Gimme Brow+ volumizing pencil comes in 12 colors. Nina Dobrev, Natalia Dyer and Kehlani have spoken out about using Benefit brow products.
MORE BUYING OPTIONS: Benefit | Nordstrom | Sephora | Ulta
Benefit Gimme Brow+ Volumizing Pencil
$25
3. Charlotte Tilbury Brow Cheat Refillable Eyebrow Pencil
BEST PENCIL OVERALL
Long-time celeb makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury’s range of stellar brow products includes this waterproof Brow Cheat eyebrow pencil with a pointed tip in eight shades. It has been worn by Lizzo on the red carpet and is also a pick of Ashley Tisdale and Phoebe Dynevor.
MORE BUYING OPTIONS: Charlotte Tilbury | Nordstrom | Revolve | Sephora
Charlotte Tilbury Brow Cheat Eyebrow Pencil
$25
4. Fenty Beauty Brow MVP Ultra Fine Brow Pencil & Styler
BEST VARIETY OF SHADES
Rihanna’s hero MVP Ultra Fine Brow Pencil & Styler (available in 14 shades) has a unique paddle-style blending brush and is also waterproof. “I think brows are the MVP of the face,” she says on her Fenty Beauty site. “They really frame your look and make a huge difference. I wanted to make this pencil really easy to create any brow look.”
MORE BUYING OPTIONS: Fenty Beauty | Sephora | Ulta
Fenty Beauty Brow MVP Ultra Fine Brow Pencil & Styler
$22
5. Haus Labs by Lady Gaga The Edge Precision Brow Pencil
BEST AFFORDABLE FINE-TIP PENCIL
Lady Gaga’s beauty brand Haus Labs offers the Edge Precision brow pencil with a superfine tip; a clean, vegan, smudge-proof formulation with vitamin E and coco-glycerides to condition hair and skin; and 13 shades that span warm and cool tones.
MORE BUYING OPTIONS: Haus Labs | Amazon | Sephora
Haus Labs by Lady Gaga The Edge Precision Brow Pencil
$14.16
on Amazon.com
6. Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Brow Harmony Pencil & Gel
BEST BROW PENCIL AND GEL COMBO
Only Murders in the Building star and musician Selena Gomez’s beauty line Rare Beauty (which debuted in 2020) includes the no-fuss, triangular-shaped Brow Harmony pencil in eight creamy shades that enhances brows in a sweep, and comes with a bonus tinted brow gel. It’s also vegan, waterproof and paraben-free.
MORE BUYING OPTIONS: Rare Beauty | Sephora
Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Brow Harmony Pencil & Gel
$22
7. About-Face Brow Artist Longwear Eyebrow Pencil
BEST AFFORDABLE LONGWEAR BROW PENCIL
This Brow Artist longwear eyebrow pencil from the musician Halsey’s makeup line (launched last year) comes in a range of eight colors. A more affordable option, it is also vegan and waterproof.
MORE BUYING OPTIONS: About-Face | Ulta
About-Face Brow Artist Longwear Eyebrow Pencil
$16
8. Wunderbrow Dual Precision Brow Liner
BEST DOUBLE-SIDED PRECISION BROW PENCIL
Blending the best of both worlds, Wunderbrow’s Dual Precision Brow Liner has a micro-tip on one end and a thicker angled tip on the other. In three shades, it’s a perfect partner to the tinted brow gel, favored by Serena Williams and Hilary Duff.
MORE BUYING OPTIONS: Wunderbrow | Amazon | Verishop
Wunderbrow Dual Precision Brow Liner
$22
9. Sania’s Brow Bar Angled Mechanical Brow Pencil
BEST FOR NATURAL LOOKS
New York City-based brow pro Sania Vucetaj has been tending to the brows of clients such as Rihanna and Sarah Jessica Parker for over 25 years. Her angled mechanical brow pencil comes in three shades and the proprietary pencil-meets-powder formula achieves a natural look.
10. Deck of Scarlet Over-Arching Brow Kit
BEST BROW KIT WITH WAX
Available in five shades, clean vegan brand Deck of Scarlet’s new Over-Arching Brow kit contains a brow-perfecting pencil, plus a matching powder and a finishing wax inspired by Old Hollywood brow-setting.
Deck of Scarlet Over-Arching Brow Kit
$38
11. Makeup by Mario Master Blade Brow Pencil
BEST PACKAGING
The beauty brand by Mario Dedivanovic (known for his long-time work with Kim Kardashian) includes this vegan Master Blade brow pencil in eight shades with a slide-up pen design that dispenses the perfect amount of product.
MORE BUYING OPTIONS: Makeup by Mario | Sephora
Makeup by Mario Master Blade Brow Pencil
$22
12. Revitalash Hi-Def Brow Pencil
BEST BUILDABLE FINE-TIP BROW PENCIL
From the brand generally loved by Megan Markle, Revitalash’s Hi-Def brow pencil in three hues is waterproof — making it last even during sweaty summer days.
MORE BUYING OPTIONS: Revitalash | Amazon
Revitalash Hi-Def Brow Pencil
$30
13. Thrive Causemetics Infinity Waterproof Eyebrow Liner
BEST VEGAN WATERPROOF
Julianna Margulies and Kelly Clarkson are fans of vegan beauty brand Thrive Causemetics’ Infinity eyebrow liner, which comes in five shades and is waterproof to stay in place while sweating or swimming.
Thrive Causemetics Infinity Waterproof Eyebrow Liner
$23
14. Tom Ford Brow Sculptor
BEST CREAM PENCIL
A unique creamy consistency and “calligraphy tip” make Tom Ford’s Brow Sculptor eyebrow pencil in five shades a go-to for many celeb makeup artists. It comes with a refill, so the price can be divided by two.
MORE BUYING OPTIONS: Tom Ford | Nordstrom | Sephora
Tom Ford Brow Sculptor
$54
15. Naturally By Detailed Eyebrow Definer
BEST FOR HAIR-LIKE DETAILING
Another pro brow artist, Stevi Christine, known for her “undone-done brow,” opened a Beverly Hills boutique last year. Her slim, water-resistant Detailed Eyebrow Definer brow pencil (from her cosmetics brand, Naturally By Stevi Christine) has been lauded by the beauty industry for its precise, hair-like effects.
MORE BUYING OPTIONS: Naturally By | Amazon
Naturally By Detailed Eyebrow Definer