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- What to Look For in a Brow Pen
- The Best Brow Pens
- How to Use a Brow Pen
- Who Should Use a Brow Pen
- Meet the Experts
By Sophia Vilensky
published
When I was around ten years old—long before I discovered the best brow pens or eyebrow pencils—I went with a friend to have Glamour Shots taken at the mall. I will never forget the pride I felt when the makeup artist told me my brows were "perfect"—a compliment I carried with me for years until I had two major realizations. First, that compliment was granted in the early 2000s, when "pencil-thin" eyebrows were a reigning beauty trend. Second, that "perfect" is in the eye of the beholder, especially when it comes to brows. (And no, you can't see the photos.)
Don't get me wrong: I love my brows—even the half-blonde one that requires constant tinting appointments. They're manageable, they fit my face, and I've never once dealt with an evil eyebrow hair growing where it's not welcome. And yet! There's a part of me that craves caterpillar-level brows. Unless I spring for a transplant, this will never happen, so the best brow pens have become my saving grace.
"Brow pens are an easy way to create a natural, fluffy brow with little effort," celebrity makeup artist Judi Gabbay Braha tells Marie Claire. Specifically, they add more dimension by allowing you to target any sparse area with tiny, precise strokes of pigment. You see? Exactly what I'm looking for.
Ahead, I've consulted makeup experts to compile the very best brow pens—whether you have glamour shots coming up or not. I've also asked celebrity stylists to share the qualities defining brow pens that really work, and their tips for picture perfect application.
What to Look For in a Brow Pen
- Applicator: Brow pens typically have a unique applicator that's incredibly fine, delivering a hair-like effect. "A brow pen is essentially a felt tip pen that helps to create hair-like strokes in a sparse area of your brows," Braha explains. These thin applicators, along with lighter pigments, give brows a more natural finish.
- Ease of use: Brow pens are famously easy to use—an excellent choice if you're just diving into the world of brow care. With most versions, you can create fuller brows by flicking the pen in light, upward strokes along the natural direction of your hair's growth.
- Waterproof: Fuller brows look great until you accidentally wipe them off. Double check that the brow pen's formula is long-lasting and resistant to water, sweat, and other unpredictable elements. "If you have oily skin and want the appearance of fuller brows, opt for a brow pen that is waterproof," celebrity makeup artist Elaina Badro agrees.
The Best Brow Pens
- Best Brow Pen Overall:
- Best Superfine Brow Pen: Anastasia Beverly Hills Superfine Micro-Stroking Detail Brow Pen
- Best Brow Pen and Brow Pencil Combo: Urban Decay Brow Blade 2-in-1 Eyebrow Pen + Waterproof Pencil
- Best Budget Brow Pen:
- Best Waterproof Brow Pen: Maybelline Build-A-Brow 2-In-1 Brow Pen and Sealing Gel
KS&CO Microfeathering Brow Pen
My aesthetician turned me on to brow genius Kristie Streicher's brow pen, which must mean she really loves me—using this baby has considerably slowed down my need for tint appointments. The magic here lies in the pen's sheerness, which prohibits that fake, painted-on look you can get with too much pigment. It also includes biotin to support healthy hair and red clover extract to help prevent hair loss and stimulate growth.
"I always wanted to create a product that mimicked the appearance of actual natural brow hair, which is quite soft and sheer," Streicher says. "In line with my Nurtured Brow philosophy, the formula is designed to give you the soft and natural looking brow you've always wanted, while the ingredients nurture and support healthy hair growth."
Pros: Flexible tip; Skin-loving ingredients
Cons: Minimal color selection
Customer Review: None available
Anastasia Beverly Hills Superfine Micro-Stroking Detail Brow Pen
From Anastasia Soare (impressive) repertoire comes a hardworking brow pen with a specially-designed brush tip that won’t clog or skip. Instead, it keeps its shape while remaining flexible enough for easy application. "I love it for creating realistic hair-like strokes," Soare says. "Whether you have areas of sparseness, minimal brow hair, or just want to create added depth and dimension,Brow Penacts like an artist pen to deliver the thinnest strokes of hair yet, resulting in fuller, natural-looking brows."
Pros: Superfine tip for hair-like strokes; Fan-favorite; Long-lasting
Cons: None found
Customer Review: "I tried it and it's amazing! I've used many brow pens in the past, but I usually sweat them off (big no-no) or they turn blue/green on me as the day goes on. That hasn't happened with this one thankfully!! Highly recommend, and it looks super natural. I usually go for the medium brown/dark brown color in Anastasia brow products, but I went with ebony this time and I'm glad I did. So maybe go a few shades darker to get a super nice fluffy brow! It looks insanely natural btw. For reference, I have half of my eyebrows shaved off, and you cant even tell!" — Sephora
Urban Decay Brow Blade 2-in-1 Eyebrow Pen + Waterproof Pencil
With a pen on one side and waterproof pencil on the other, this product was created to meet all of your filling-in-your-brows needs at once. "Urban Decay's Brow Blade is great because it is two-sided," Badro agrees. "One side has a brow pen and the other a waterproof pencil. Use the pen tomimic thin, hair-like strokes. It's also resistant to sweating, smudging, and fading!" The dual-sided product is available in nine shades for your as-close-to-natural-as-possible brow hair mimicking pleasure.
Pros: Dual-sided; Available in a variety of shades
Cons: Pen and pencil are slightly different colors, which some people don't love
Customer Review: "I got the shade Dark Drapes which is the perfect shade for my skin tone. The felt tip on this is so pointy and pigmented that it allows me to get the perfect hair-like strokes on my brows. I love a natural brow look and this helps me achieve that so easily. Then I use the pencil side to fill. I also love that I can throw this in any purse!!" — Sephora
West Barn Co. The Brow Pen
West Barn Co. has the honor of creating Braha's favorite pen to date. What makes it an essential in her kit? "It comes in four cooler-toned shades that are undetectable and long-lasting both on skin and in the applicator," she shares. Just make sure you don’t press too hard during your application, as it can ruin the integrity of the pen’s tip.
Pros: Easy to use; Pigmented
Cons: None
Customer Review: "I recently got The Brow Pen, I couldn’t have been more impressed. It’s so simple to use. I have very fine brow hair and it mimics my hair perfectly to make them look fuller and more defined. Absolutely love the texture of the pen too because it blends seamlessly with the hair. Highly recommend for filling in your brows. Definitely my new go-to brow product!" — Look Fantastic
Maybelline Build-A-Brow 2-In-1 Brow Pen and Sealing Gel
A good brow pen plus a clear brow gel equals everything you need for picture-perfect brows. Maybelline's Build-A-Brow 2-In-1 pen includes both, with fans raving about its easy-to-use felt tip and sealing gel helping your (faux, but who would ever know) brows stay all day. And perhaps most importantly? It's also waterproof, sweat-resistant, and smudge-resistant for up to 24 hours.
Pros: Waterproof; Sweat-resistant
Cons: None found
Customer Review: "I love this product. It's super easy to use to make individual brush strokes with the tip and then the gel seals everything in place all day. I wasn't expecting it to be a liquid product, I was expecting a pencil, but I think this is even better and the tip stays sharp to make the fine lines!" — Ulta
Also Recommended
Kevyn Aucoin True Feather Brow Marker Gel Duo
Makeup legend Kevyn Aucoin was responsible for some truly memorable '90s makeup trends and even more iconic brows (see: Cindy Crawford). Today, his genius lives on through his namesake brand. The True Feather Brow Marker Gel Duo is a dual-sided product that features both a marker tip and clear gel to help shape, define, and set brows. It's everything you could ever want or need.
Pros: Skin-loving ingredients; Long-lasting
Cons: None found
Customer Review: "I love this brow pen and will be repurchasing. I have very light brown brows and this is the first product I've ever used that has truly buildable color that stays. I ordered the brunette and it goes on very light so you can build it to exactly the shade of brown you need. It's easy to use and the gel is also great. It holds my brows in place all day. Very impressed with this purchase!" — Dermstore
NYX Professional Makeup Lift & Snatch Brow Tint Pen Waterproof Eyebrow Pen
Braha also loves NYX's Lift & Snatch pen, featuring a waterproof and smudge-proof formula. "They also have a more extensive shade range and are budget friendly," the makeup artist says. This pen comes in a whopping ten color options and is heralded for its ability to create natural-looking hair strokes at a fraction of the price of some other options.
Pros: Affordable; Easy to use; Waterproof
Cons: Some report their pen drying out quickly
Customer Review: "This is the first eyebrow pen that I've ever used. Normally I just go straight in with a pencil. I have very fine and sparse eyebrows. For the longest time I thought that eyebrow pens were for those who had naturally fuller brows, but needed to fill a bald patch, or just sculpt them slightly. But with this I'm able to get perfect hair-like strokes that give me brows that have been mistaken for microblading! I've had people ask me who did my brows for me, and how much it cost. They are always so surprised when I tell them that it's a simple brow pen. I've had no issue with bleeding, leaking, drying out, staining, irritation, nothing! Honestly, this works like a high end product, but at drugstore prices." — Ulta
MAC Shape + Shade Brow Tint
MAC chose a different approach when it came time to create their two-in-one brow pen, deciding to add a powder to one end of the product. To apply, use the liquid liner to fill and define with hair-like strokes before adding the powder to shape and gently set your brows into place.
Pros: Easy to apply; Sweat- and humidity-resistant
Cons: Some customers report fading
Customer Review: "I switched to this product from brow powders and pomades and let me just say—this is a game changer. First, I love the brush end. It's an incredible tool and it lets me fill in the perfect brow while still allowing me to customize the brow to my look of the day. The product is pigmented but buildable, so if I fill in my brows but want certain spots to be darker I can fill in as needed to build in the spots. Second, the powder end is amazing for the chunky parts of the brow (it is a thick applicator, so not great for brow tails, but I think this is on purpose because the powder is much more pigmented than the brush). This really helps define and set the liquid makeup after I fill in my brows with the liquid brush applicator. Again, I don't know why more people don't know about this or why other brands haven't picked up on this amazing tool because I'm never going back to powder only for my brows!!!" — Ulta
How to Use a Brow Pen
A post shared by Kristie Streicher
A photo posted by kristiestreicher on
There can be a bit of a learning curve even with the best brow pens—it's all about the right amount of gentle pressure and the application angle. But once you get the hang of it, you'll wonder why you weren't always going full Brooke Shields.
Start with a clean face free of oil or makeup. Then, Braha explains, "Simply brush your brow hairs upwards and flick the pen lightly in the direction of the growth of the hairs to add fullness and volume to brows."
Soare, who Kim Kardashian trusts to perfect her brows (using ABH's Brow Pen, naturally), recommends shaking the product and wiping the tip on a clean piece of issue before getting started. "This makes sure you have the perfect amount of product," she explains. "Next, start applying hair-like strokes at the highest point of the brow and work toward the end. Use light pressure and apply in the direction of hair growth. Then, lightly etch throughout the brow for added detail and definition, focusing on sparse areas." For a natural finish, make sure you blend as you go with a spoolie brush.
Who Should Use a Brow Pen
Brow pens are best for someone who wants their brows to have a microbladed appearance, Braha says. Streicher agrees, adding that a brow pen is great for "anyone interested in filling in their brows."
While the final look is precise, you don't need a makeup artist's technique to master the art of brow pen application. "Because of the sheer nature and color range of these pens, even the most untrained hand can use it with ease, making it super user friendly and forgiving," Streicher tells Marie Claire. "Think of it as a soft fill that an eyebrow powder would achieve, but in a precise pen application."
Meet the Experts
Anastasia Soare
Anastasia Soare is the creative force behindAnastasia Beverly Hills.Anastasia’s groundbreaking Golden Ratio method creates the illusion offacial symmetry,balance and proportion, the secret to what makes us see a face as beautiful. You’ve seen her brows on the world’s most famous faces like the Kardashians, J.Lo, Kylie Jenner, Justin and Hailey Bieber, Victoria Beckham, and Michelle Obama.
Kristie Streicher
KristieStreicher is the founder ofKS&CO, a celebrity brow artist,andcreator ofThe Nurtured Browphilosophy.
Judi Gabbay Braha
Judi Gabbay Braha started her journey as a makeup artist at the young age of 13 years old. Working summers at a beauty store, she swept floors and did simple inventory all to be a part of the magic of makeup. Finding her passion at a young age enabled her to hone her talents through dedication and the desire to learn. Not so shortly after, Judi was being flown around the world for her talents. She has shot for brands such as BEBE,Catherine Malandrino, Buxom Cosmetics, and English Laundry. She's worked with networks such as Bravo, TLC, ABC, and more.Judi continues to create polished and flawless looks for all of her clientele.
Elaina Badro
With more than 15 years of working as a professional makeup artist with M-A-C and Gucci, Elaina Badro has extensive experience working with all skin tones and skin types. She has gained international recognition through her work as a celebrity/high fashion makeup artist who has worked with hundreds of A-list talent includingCarrie Underwood,Olivia Wilde, andKris Jenner. Elaina is also the creative force behind the prestigious Elaina Badro Luxury Brush Line, which is available onwww.ElainaBadro.comand at The Wynn Las Vegas.
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Sophia Vilensky
Freelance Writer
Sophia Vilensky is a freelance beauty writer at Marie Claire, where she writes about the latest and greatest skincare launches, hair colors, and Cardi B manicures. Her work can also be found at Byrdie, Bravo, and Us Weekly. You can find her on Instagram @sophiavilensky.
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