Key ingredients: soybean oil | Shades: 6
Best Micro-Tip: Merit Brow 1990
Why it’s worth it: Whether you have ultra-thick or ultra-skinny brows, we bet you’ll love the Merit Brow 1990 for its slender stature. This micro brow pencil’s gel-based formula has a smooth glide that leaves teensy, hair-thin strokes behind. This brow pencil’s formula contains a conditioning blend of sunflower oil, safflower extract, and hibiscus flower extract that makes its formula easy to blend, but once it settles, expect a budge-proof look that’ll last through the day.
Tester feedback: “I didn’t realize just how much the sparse areas of my brows needed a gel pencil,” says shopping director Shanna Shipin. “The teeny-tiny micro tip helps me fake a few hairs where I don’t have them, while the wax in the formula (it’s the third ingredient) makes it easy to fluff out with the spoolie end. I keep one in my bag because it’s so reliable and looks so natural: The pencil is retractable, has impressive staying power, and the cool undertones in the dark brown match my hairs perfectly.”
Key ingredients: sunflower oil, safflower extract, hibiscus flower extract | Shades: 4
Best for a Natural-Looking Brow: Victoria Beckham Beauty BabyBlade
Why it’s worth it: The whole reason why Victoria Beckham Beauty’s BabyBlade Brow Pencil exists is because Mrs. VB herself wants a goof-proof, minimal-effort brow pencil for her everyday looks. This angled fine-tip beauty subtly fills brows with its ever-so-slightly sheerer formula. Bye-bye, boxy brows.
Tester feedback: “The teeny-tiny, ultra-fine point on this pencil makes it easy to draw on hair-like strokes exactly where my brows are a bit sparse,” says senior beauty editor Paige Stables. “Once I’ve filled in my arches, I run the spoolie brush through both sides to soften the color. And that’s it! In under 60 seconds, I have fluffy, defined brows.”
Key ingredients: camellia japonica oil, rosehip seed oil | Shades: 6
Best Waterproof: Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Brow Pencil
Why it’s worth it: If you want brows that last from dusk ’til dawn, Tarte’s Amazonian Clay Waterproof Brow Pencil is your pick. Its sturdy gel-based tip fills patches with fine brow hair-mimicking strokes of waterproof, sweat-proof color. Tarte’s eyebrow pencil is spiked with Amazonian clay to provide a soft matte finish and minimize oiliness throughout the day. Use its accompanying spoolie brush to easily blend out its rich pigment.
Tester feedback: “I’d be lying if I said these brows were natural—I’ve been microblading them for around five years but that doesn’t mean I still don’t have sparse areas,” says shopping editor Angela Trakoshis. “This dual-ended product fills in with hair-like strokes and fluffs them up with a pigmented, never-crunchy gel.”