Best Eyebrow Pencils for Sparse Hair 2024 Buyers Guide

Best Eyebrow Pencil

Having a perfect brow does wonders when it comes to framing your face. Using an eyebrow pencil is a distinctive way of adding definition and emphasis without making a permanent change to your natural brows.

Eyebrow pencils are a tool you can use to switch up your look or enhance your natural features. That’s why using the right eyebrow pencil can be the differentiator that takes your look from 0 to 100. Using an eyebrow pencil adds a definition that leaves you looking natural and polished. 

Using an eyebrow pencil not only frames your face, but it can also be a real life-changer for people who suffer from alopecia or have battled with health problems that have caused them to lose their hair.

Having natural-looking eyebrows is more than just adding definition to hair, it restores confidence. With a growing number of options to choose from, it can be difficult to find the best eyebrow pencil for you. 

With the innovations in the eyebrow market and even more solutions on offer, there are so many eyebrow pencils available that cater to different customers with different skin types and hair shades. Finding exactly what works best for you can be an endless search if you let it. 

With the right tips on what to look for, you’ll find the perfect eyebrow pencil for you in no time. Whether your hair is sparse or you’re a beginner and don’t know where to start, don’t worry, there is something for everyone.

Below is a guide just for you, to help you narrow down which product is best for you. We have also included helpful tips and FAQs to point you in the right direction.


Best Eyebrow Pencils Reviews

Best Overall: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz

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The Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz has a waxy finish that mimics a natural brow. Ideal for oily skin, this pencil is designed to stay on all day so you can maintain a smooth polished finish. 

Its ultra-slim tip ensures professional quality precision on applying as well as ease of use. It allows for detailed outlining and coloring of sparse areas with a natural hair stroke appearance making it a great fit for every occasion. 

Anastasia Beverly Hills offers highly pigmented eyebrow pencils that require little pressure. Using less pressure ultimately means using less product. The product lasts longer enabling you to use it again and again for an effortless finish. 

With 12 shades of colors available there is a shade for everyone. Due to the high pigmentation, the color you choose will blend effortlessly with your eyebrow. This will create a natural finish.

The Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz includes a spoolie brow brush for multifunctional use. This feature ensures a seamlessly blended application for natural definition. 

Made from a cruelty-free and vegan formulation, this product is both kind to skin and nature. Not only are the ingredients ethically sourced, but they are also nourishing for both the skin and brows. 

Pros: 

  • Ultra-slim – professional quality precision. 
  • Retractable pencil – ideal for outlining and detailing sparse areas of the eyebrow.
  • Wax formula – mimics brow hair with a natural-looking texture that creates the appearance of a fuller brow.
  • 12 shades – perfect blend of eyebrow color to deliver high color payoff and sheerness.
  • Highly pigmented -little pressure required – application doesn’t use a lot of product and lasts longer.

Cons:

  • Dries up if the lid is not left on for a long period.

Best for Definition: NYX Micro Brow Pencil

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The NYX Micro Brow Pencil offers a super natural look. Create controlled strokes and seamless arches with this easy-to-use, ultra skinny micro brow pencil. With a skinny tip, this eyebrow pencil is ideal for those with little or no eyebrows. 

Its fine tip fills in sparse areas with great precision by coating fine hair with color, giving it a natural finish. Its super skinny tip creates extra fine lines for a natural hairline look, coating even the finest hairs. 

Made with a vegan formula, this ethically conscious product is certified and acknowledged by PETA ensuring that it is cruelty-free and suitable for vegans. Its ingredients are kind to both skin and nature. 

NYX offers 8 shade ranges to choose from, carefully crafted with a blend of a dry and waxy texture designed to grip the skin and avoid smudging. 

Pros:

  • Matte finish – natural, subtle look.
  • Ultra skinny micro brow pencil – easy to use and create controlled strokes. Precision coats fine hairs with color giving a natural finish. 
  • Super skinny tip – ideal for filling in sparse areas and creating extra fine lines for a natural hair look.
  • Cruelty-free, vegan formula – Certified and acknowledged by PETA.
  • 8 shade ranges – a blend of a dry and waxy texture to grip the skin to ensure it doesn’t smudge.

Cons: 

  • Too creamy.

Best for Long-lasting wear: Benefit Precisely My Brow Pencil

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The Benefit Precisely My Brow Pencil lasts up to 12 hours, offering longevity and a continually flawless look. This pencil is ideal for all long-lasting wear. 

With an ultra-fine tip, this eyebrow pencil is great for creating natural-looking hair-like strokes with no fuss. 

With a textured grip, this easy-to-use eyebrow pencil ensures a steady application to create a flawless and polished natural look. With a twist-up mechanism and smooth tip, brow application has never been easier. 

A built-in spoolie brush ensures effortless blending and shaping of your brow with your chosen color to fill and define your brows. 

With waterproof protection, the Precisely My Brow Pencil is the go-to for smudge-proof brows that don’t budge. 

Pros: 

  • Ultra-fine – to create natural-looking hair-like strokes with no fuss.
  • Textured grip – for stead application.
  • Lasting up to 12 hours – longevity. 
  • Waterproof – smudge-proof and guaranteed not to budge for the rest of the day.
  • Available in 12 colors – blendable color to fill and define brows.

Cons: 

  • Dry tip. 

Best for Beginners: Maybelline New York Total Temptation Eyebrow Definer Pencil

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The Maybelline Total Temptation Eyebrow Definer Pencil offers ultra definition and a soft natural look. This eyebrow pencil is ideal for beginners. 

Whether you’re going for a natural or dramatic look, the Total Temptation Eyebrow Definer Pencil’s teardrop tip gives a microblade look with chiselled hair by hair definition. The teardrop-shaped tip also makes for easy application ensuring seamless blending and natural definition. 

With waterproof protection, the Total Temptation Eyebrow Definer Pencil ensures a smudge-proof and long-lasting finish.

Its creamy consistency allows effortless application and a natural, healthy finish but is also easy to remove. 

Pros:

  • Teardrop tip – for ultra definition, a soft natural looking.
  • Mechanical pencil – chiselled, hair by hair definition.
  • Water-resistant – smudge-proof.
  • Long-lasting – good hold. 

Cons:

  • Very soft.

Best Drugstore Pencil: L’oreal Brow Stylist Definer Waterproof Eyebrow Pencil

 

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The L’oreal Brow Stylist Definer Waterproof Eyebrow Pencil offers 10 shades of highly buildable and pigmented pencils for a natural look. This best drugstore eyebrow pencil is ideal for beauty on a budget. 

With a 0.5mm tip, the L’oreal Brow Stylist Definer Waterproof Eyebrow Pencil ensures precision. Its self-sharpening application ensures a natural brow hair appearance again and again. This slim tip is ideal for filling in sparse areas and gaps for defining brow shape.

Ophthalmologist tested, this product is suitable for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers ensuring continual definition for all occasions without irritating your eyes.

Pros:

  • 0.5mm tip ultra-fine self-sharpening mechanical brow pencil – natural brow hair appearance ideal for filling sparse areas and gaps to define the brow shape 
  • Ophthalmologist tested – suitable for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers
  • 10 highly pigmented shades – for a buildable natural look 

Cons: 

  • Pressing too hard could lead the tip to snap

Eyebrow Pencil Buyer’s Guide

An eyebrow pencil is a simple beauty tool designed to enhance your brow and frame your face. Using this tool can bring back life and confidence in a way you never thought possible.

It can be used to create and sculpt your dream eyebrows. From a chiselled dramatic look to a simple natural look, the potential to get creative is endless.

Eyebrow pencils come with a multitude of features and benefits. Each is tailed for a specific look and finish. Making the right choice for your brows rests on taking a couple of things into consideration.

The following section will tell you all you need to know to go forward in your decision in choosing the perfect eyebrow pencil for your brows.

Eyebrow Pencil

 

Must-have Features 

Multifunctionality

Why buy multiple products when you can have one that does everything you need. When it comes to eyebrow pencils we look to enhance our features with as little effort as possible. Some eyebrow pencils, such as Benefit’s Precisely My Brow Pencil comes with a creamy tip and a spoolie attached on the other side, all capped to prevent smudging. This added feature saves both time and money. 

Many brands offer multifunctional eyebrow pencils for your convenience. Have a look around at what you can find and take advantage of the added benefits.  

Choosing the right color

Choosing the right color eyebrow pencil for your brows can be a difficult task. Too dark, and the look is too harsh and intimidating. The trick is to go one shade lighter than your natural brow color. This ensures a soft and natural look of hairline strokes.  

For dark-black hair, go for a brunette pencil rather than black and a mix of black and brunette for deeper skin tones. The trick is to gradually build up the color on each application. The gradual application makes for a more natural and realistic look. 

For brunette hair, go for a softer brown that complements your natural color. The tip is to stay between one or two shades from your natural hair color. Choose a pencil with a warm hue or a hint of red.

For blonde hair, go for a light brown shade with warm undertones, or for cooler blonde hair, taupe works well for a subtle complementary look. 

For red hair, go for a color with warm red undertones or golden hues for a polished look. 

Shape

There are no stringent rules on achieving the ‘right’ brow shape. All our brows are different and it is best to use your brows as a natural guide. But feel free to experiment with different shapes and see what works best for you. Here are a couple of guides if you need inspiration:

  • Line the pencil horizontally with the edge of your nostril. Just past the inner corner of your brow is where the brow should begin.
  • If you’re going for a symmetrical look, take your pencil and line it up with the edge of your nostril to the center of your eye. This is where your arch should be. Remember to raise your arch too much.
  • Line your pencil with the edge of your eye. This is where the tail of your arch should finish. 

Easy application 

Making sure your eyebrows look as flawless as possible can be helped by easy application. An essential feature to look for in an easy use eyebrow pencil is to look at its formulation.

Eyebrow pencils formulated with wax tend to be easier to use as the creamy texture makes blends easily on the face. A wax formulation with high pigmentation is a bonus as this ensures easy blending and little application as you need to apply too much product.

Another feature to look out for is the shape of the eyebrow pencil tip. A thin eyebrow pencil with a slanted tip helps with precision and ensures a neat brow. Thin tips are great for creating natural hair-like strokes. 

Kind to skin

Looking for an eyebrow pencil that is gentle on the skin is an important feature to consider. Products with organic ingredients or those using plant extracts are ideal for allergy-prone sensitive skin. Not only are these ingredients gentle on the skin, but they also nourish the skin and brows without irritating. 

How to use your eyebrow pencil

To achieve a natural look that mimics your eyebrow hairs follow these steps:

  1. Start by brushing your brows into position. Identify any gaps or sparse areas of your brow or areas that are finer. 
  2. Using a spoolie, get your brows ready and in position by brushing them upwards at the front and outwards toward the end. 
  3. Before starting to fill in your brow, make sure your eyebrow pencil has been sharpened if it needs it. A fine tip such as those in the products presented ensures fine hair strokes which are essential to achieving an authentic look, precise hair strokes, and defined brows. 
  4. Gently draw hair strokes into the gaps. Make sure to follow the direction of your eyebrow hairs. Filling in sparse areas will ensure a gradual build-up for an enhanced natural brow shape.
  5. If you suffer from a shaky hand, balance your elbow on a sturdy surface or rest your chin in the palm of your hands for steady application. 

Top tips

  • Avoid drawing straight lines or coloring in sparse areas.
  • Remember to be gentle and not too heavy-handed as this could lead to the tip of the pencil snapping or a harsh brow. 
  • Remember your eyebrows are ‘sisters’, not twins. There is no pressure to make them look identical. 
  • Don’t draw new eyebrows on, follow the existing shape of your eyebrow and enhance what is already there. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best eyebrow pencil that stays on?

If you’re looking for an eyebrow pencil that stays on and looking good for an extended length of time, look for a waterproof pencil. Not only are they waterproof, but they are also resistant to smudging and sweating and stay put throughout the day.

Maybelline’s Total Temptation Eyebrow Definer Pencil and Benefit’s Precisely My Brow Pencil are brilliant eyebrow pencils that hold for up to 12 hours. 

What is the best eyebrow pencil for sparse eyebrows?

If you have fair hair or sparse eyebrows, look for an eyebrow pencil that is highly pigmented with a thin tip. This will ensure immaculate blending and a defined brow.

The Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Brow Wiz is an excellent choice for defining sparse eyebrows and creating a natural look with delicate brush strokes. All of the products presented feature ultra-thin tips for creating realistic, natural, hair-like strokes. 

Final Thoughts

With sculpted brows highly on-trend and so many eyebrow products to choose from, it’s no wonder finding the right brow pencil can be so challenging. But, with this guide, we have given you an insider look at the best eyebrow pencils overall for all-purpose, definition, long-lasting wear, for beginners, and bargain buys. 

This comprehensive guide has answered all of your questions, from choosing the right color for your brows to spotting core features. Eyebrow pencils serve as a popular alternative to permanent eyebrow enhancing procedures. The products presented offer an array of benefits that will help you achieve your desired look. 

It has never been easier to achieve a naturally polished look with effortless application. The products reviewed all offer highly esteemed features that you should look out for, such as a thin tip and multifunctional features.