The 20 Best Drugstore Eyebrow Pencils For Fuller-Looking Brows
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Eyebrow trends come and go, but there's one beauty tool that stands the test of time: the trusty eyebrow pencil. Eyebrow pencils can be used to create the pencil-thin brows of the '90s, the fluffy laminated brows of today, or a timeless little oomph to your natural brows. This makeup bag essential has a simple job — filling in sparse spots and adding definition to brows — but the right one can make a big impact.
There's no need to spend too much money on an eyebrow pencil either. There are plenty of affordable drugstore eyebrow pencils that create the look of fuller eyebrows on a budget. They come in a variety of shades to match your natural eyebrows and can have waterproof and smudge-proof formulas to last all day. Some come with accessories like spoolies and smudgers to get that effortlessly natural look. We've rounded up the best drugstore eyebrow pencils for enhancing your eyebrows. There's an option on this list for creating almost any brow look, all without breaking the bank.
How we selected the products
Makeup products are incredibly personal, as one person's holy grail might be a big fail for someone else. To make sure there's an eyebrow pencil on this list for pretty much anyone, we prioritized variety. We included a range of eyebrow pencils and product types, from thin-tipped brow markers to thicker brow crayons to brow-defining pomades. However, regardless of the product type, we only chose highly-rated products from reputable brands. Coming from trusted makeup brands, the eyebrow products on our list have good formulas and good reviews to back them up.
There's a lot that goes into a perfectly put-together eyebrow. We chose eyebrow pencils that come in a range of shades so you could find your perfect match. We also included waterproof and smudge-proof options, in case your eyebrows need to make it through a long day. Accessories add even more value to an eyebrow pencil, and we included plenty of options with spoolies, brushes, or smudgers to help with the application. We even included a few dual products (like a combination eyebrow pencil and brow gel) to make doing your eyebrows even easier.
Best overall drugstore eyebrow pencil
Beautifully-defined eyebrows are a few strokes away with this eyebrow pencil from Covergirl. This eyebrow pencil has a micro-fine tip, perfect for making small strokes to create natural-looking filled-in brows. As one Target reviewer notes, "It glides smoothly and [is] not waxy... the pencil is so small and precise that you can easily fill in the sparse areas." In fact, the tip of this pencil is so fine that it never needs to be sharpened.
To brush eyebrows into place and soften any sharp lines, this pencil has a spoolie on the other end. It comes in four shades and is suitable for sensitive skin, as it has a hypoallergenic formula.
Purchase the Covergirl Easy Breezy Brow Micro Fine Fill + Define Eyebrow Pencil at Target for $6.99.
Best budget pencil
A triangular pencil tip helps the Wet n Wild Ultimate Eyebrow Retractable Definer Pencil brow pencil create enviable brows. The thicker end can be used to fill in brows while the thinner point helps create small hair-like strokes for a sharper brow look. A spoolie on the end helps blend and brush brows. Even more convenient, this product is a retractable pencil, so it doesn't need sharpening. This product comes in four shades to suit different hair colors, and each one uses rub-resistant pigments to help your eyebrows stay solidly in place.
Purchase the Wet n Wild Ultimate Eyebrow Retractable Definer Pencil on Amazon for $4.79.
Best micro brow pencil
A micro brow pencil is the right choice for a truly natural-looking brow look. With a bit of patience and finesse, the Maybelline Express Brow Ultra Slim Defining Eyebrow Pencil is thin enough to draw realistic hair-like strokes that last all day. As one Amazon reviewer says, "I like the slimness of the pencil. It's precise, easy to control, and stays put."
Speaking of natural, this pencil comes in seven shades so you're more likely to find one that matches your eyebrow color. It has a smooth formula that glides on evenly, and if you need to do a bit of blending, it has a built-in spoolie as well.
Purchase the Maybelline Express Brow Ultra Slim Defining Eyebrow Pencil at Target for $9.99.
Best brow crayon
Micro fine brow pencils sound great in theory, but it can take a fair bit of time and patience to draw on hair-like strokes. If you're looking for a thicker brow pencil that you can just swipe on and go, the Revlon ColorStay Brow Crayon is a good pick. This product promises done-up brows in one stroke, and it delivers with its thicker crayon design. One Amazon reviewer says this pencil is "so easy to use. Not a pencil but a soft crayon that adheres to the brow hairs for a natural look."
This crayon comes in four shades and creates a natural look thanks to its wax-to-powder formula, which is soft enough to blend into brows (not to mention buildable) but has a longer-lasting powder finish.
Purchase the Revlon ColorStay Brow Crayon on Amazon for $17.99.
Best brow pomade
Brow pomades are excellent for carving out bold eyebrows, and the Maybelline TattooStudio Brow Pomade gives you all the tools you need for an affordable price. This pomade formula is highly-pigmented and buildable. To make sure your Insta-worthy brows stay in place all day, it's long-lasting and waterproof as well. As one Walmart reviewer raves, "I'm hooked on the way it fills in and makes my brows look their best and stays on even on the hottest of days."
This pomade is great for first-time and experienced users. Eight shades are available so you can find your color with ease. It comes with a precise angled brush with a spoolie, so no extra tools are needed.
Purchase the Maybelline TattooStudio Brow Pomade at Walmart for $12.99.
Best brow pen
If you prefer liquid formulas, a brow pen might be right up your alley. The L'Oréal Micro Ink Brow Pen looks a bit like a liquid eyeliner pen, but it's for doing up your brows instead. To help with creating defined but natural-looking brows, it has a comb-tip applicator that creates several hair-like strokes at once. One Ulta reviewer shares, "This was so easy to use and provided the perfect brow. [The] tip has a special edge that makes my brow line look so natural."
For long-lasting brows, this product offers a bit of a tint effect that lasts for up to 48 hours of wear. It accomplishes this feat with a waterproof and smudge-resistant formula that comes in five shades.
Purchase the L'Oréal Micro Ink Brow Pen at Ulta for $11.99.
Best creamy formula
A creamy formula makes the e.l.f. Cosmetics Instant Lift Brow Pencil a dream to apply and blend, and brushing up your brows or softening the look is easy since this pencil comes with a spoolie on its end. Despite its creamy texture, it's smudge-proof, and it has some nourishing benefits as well. It contains grapeseed oil and vitamin E to help to condition eyebrows. As one Target reviewer notes, this pencil has "great pigmentation, lasts all day and blends so [easily] on the eye brows. It's not dry and not too creamy." This eyebrow pencil comes in five shades, and best of all? It's super affordable.
Purchase the e.l.f. Cosmetics Instant Lift Brow Pencil at Target for $3.
Best pencil and powder
This two-in-one brow product from Maybelline combines an eyebrow pencil and a powder to help create fuller-looking brows. First, use the pencil end to define eyebrows. Then, fill any sparse spots with the brow powder, which is dispensed using a powder sponge. This sponge applicator helps smudge the powder out to create a more natural look. It works, as one Amazon reviewer raves, "[I] absolutely love this product, [it] fills in all the parts where I do not have any eyebrows, makes them look super natural." To help even more with the natural look, this dual product comes in six shades.
Purchase the Maybelline Express Brow 2-In-1 Pencil and Powder Eyebrow Makeup on Amazon for $9.99.
Best pencil and brow gel
The Revlon Brow Fantasy Eyebrow Gel and Pencil has two essential eyebrow products in one little stick: one side is a pencil, and the other is an eyebrow-setting gel. This product is made to create a natural-looking brow, with a soft pencil that blends easily. The brow gel is just lightly tinted, designed to give your eyebrows just enough color to enhance them. It's compact and convenient, so it's a great choice to throw in your travel makeup bag. As one Amazon reviewer notes, "It's easy to use and pretty compact, meaning I can use it quickly and on the go. It holds up very well and is easily buildable."
Purchase the Revlon Brow Fantasy Eyebrow Gel and Pencil on Amazon for $7.48.
Best two-toned pencil
Perfect for dramatic brows, the Revlon Colorstay Browlights Eyebrow Pomade Pencil is another two-in-one product. This eyebrow pencil blends an eyebrow pomade (in pencil form) and a brow highlighter into one two-toned product. The pencil is split down the middle, with one half a matte eyebrow color and the other half an illuminating highlight color. Six brow-enhancing shades are available. To make the look a little more natural, the end of this pencil has a soft kabuki brush to blend brows out. As a bonus, this product is waterproof, fade-proof, and smudge-proof to make sure your highlighted brows stay in place.
Purchase the Revlon Colorstay Browlights Eyebrow Pomade Pencil at Amazon for $9.99.
Best for all-day wear
Whether you're doing your eyebrows for work or for a night out, you want your look to last. This mechanical brow pencil from L'Oréal is waterproof and long-lasting; plus, it's ophthalmologist tested, so it won't bother sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers when worn all day. It's another pick with a micro-fine tip, ideal for creating a feathery-looking brow. It also has a spoolie at the end for brushing and blending brows. As one Target reviewer raves, "You can draw in your hairs on your brow precisely and it lasts literally all day. It's amazing!"
Purchase the L'Oréal Brow Stylist Definer Mechanical Eyebrow Pencil at Target for $4.89.
Best for natural-looking brows
A creamy, jojoba seed-infused formula makes the Honest Eyebrow Pencil the best pick for done-up but natural-looking brows. The pencil goes on smoothly and blends beautifully (with the help of the attached spoolie) to create an enhanced look without harsh lines. Five shades are available.
Besides giving this pencil a smooth texture, jojoba seed oil also helps to condition and moisturize brows. The rest of this pencil's ingredients list is also dermatologist tested, cruelty-free, and free of parabens, petrochemicals, polyethylene, and silicones. As one reviewer sums up, "This is the most natural-looking eyebrow pencil I've used! It's buildable and bonus: clean beauty."
Purchase the Honest Eyebrow Pencil at Honest for $12.99.
Best for sparse eyebrows
Sparse brows can get a boost from the Maybelline Brow Extensions Fiber Pomade Crayon. This brow pomade comes in an easy-to-use crayon form, but it does more than just define brows. This product has tiny little fibers in its formula that adhere to your eyebrow hairs to create fuller-looking brows. One Amazon reviewer loves this product for thin brows, noting, "This is easy to use [and] looks so natural! [The] little fibers make it easy to fill in where my eyebrows are thin!" Six shades are available to give your brows a little more oomph.
Purchase the Maybelline Brow Extensions Fiber Pomade Crayon on Amazon for $10.99.
Best for full eyebrows
Do your eyebrows need a little taming? If you're blessed with full eyebrows, the NYX Fill & Fluff Eyebrow Pomade Pencil is the perfect tool to keep them in place. To define, this pencil has a pomade formula, shaped into a tear-drop-shaped tip for shading in brows and creating fine hair-like strokes.
Eight matte shades are available and the product has a slightly waxy texture to coat hairs and create that bushy brow look. Instead of a spoolie, this pencil has a micro paddle brush to fluff and brush brows into place. One Ulta reviewer shares, "The brush is my favorite, [it] helps blend color and cover a lot of area. Also, the pencil side is highly pigmented, a little definitely goes a long way."
Purchase the Fill & Fluff Eyebrow Pomade Pencil at NYX Professional Makeup for $12.
Best natural formula
If you prefer natural products, the Burt's Bees Natural Brow Pencil is the brow pencil for you. This eyebrow pencil has a 99.9% natural ingredients list packed into a responsibly-sourced cedar wood pencil. It's made sans parabens, phthalates, SLS, petrolatum ingredients, or synthetic fragrances. Instead, it uses conditioning jojoba oil, shea butter, and other natural ingredients to create a brow pencil with a creamy texture that applies oh-so-smoothly. Two shades are available, and the pencil comes with a spoolie on its end.
Purchase the Burt's Bees Natural Brow Pencil at Ulta for $9.99.
Best waterproof formula
A day at the beach or a sweaty workout is no match for the Revlon ColorStay Eyebrow Pencil. This retractable eyebrow pencil has a long-lasting waterproof formula that's made to last up to 24 hours. One Amazon reviewer really put it through its paces, sharing, "This eyebrow pencil definitely stayed on well. I wore it at a late Spring, hot, humid music festival in Florida last year and I melted but my eyebrows didn't!" This pencil has an angled tip to define brows beautifully and the formula is blendable to brush through brows using the attached spoolie.
Purchase the Revlon ColorStay Eyebrow Pencil on Amazon for $8.99.
Best shade range
One of the secrets to a natural-looking brow look is to find the right eyebrow pencil shade. With 12 shade options ranging from blond to black (and including gray), the NYX Micro Brow Pencil makes it possible to find your perfect color match. One NYX reviewer has done just that, noting that "This pencil is affordable and gets the job done! It glides nicely and the color is a perfect match." Each shade is highly pigmented and comes in a retractable pencil with an ultra-precise thin tip and a spoolie on the other end.
Purchase the Micro Brow Pencil at NYX Professional Makeup for $11.
Best for beginners
Simple, affordable, and with an included pencil sharpener, this product from Covergirl is ideal if you're new to doing your eyebrows. This set includes two easy-to-use eyebrow pencils with a soft and blendable formula that makes it easy to fix mistakes. The formula is also long-lasting, resisting fading for up to 12 hours. One happy Amazon reviewer shares that it "stays true to color, [is] easy to use, and stays on all day until you remove it." Once the pencil gets a bit dull, just sharpen it up with the included sharpener.
Purchase the Covergirl Easy Breezy Brow Fill + Define Pencils on Amazon for $4.47.
Best for soft definition
If you're after a more soft and romantic eyebrow look, the Maybelline Total Temptation Eyebrow Definer Pencil should be your pencil of choice. This mechanical brow pencil has a teardrop-shaped tip, which allows you to fill in brows with the larger end and create little brush strokes with the narrow end for a blended, natural look with a defined edge. A rounded spoolie helps to blend your work out. As one Amazon reviewer notes, it can help soften the look, saying, "The blending brush at the end is round rather than long... This makes it easy to precisely brush through the product without dragging it anywhere you didn't mean to."
Purchase the Maybelline Total Temptation Eyebrow Definer Pencil on Amazon for $8.99.
Best for sharply-defined brows
Designed for precision (it's in the name, after all), the e.l.f Cosmetics Ultra Precise Brow Pencil is made to create that snatched eyebrow look. This eyebrow pencil has an ultra-fine tip, which means better accuracy when drawing in eyebrow hairs. One Target reviewer loves this feature, explaining "It is so precise [and] firm enough to create actual shape and structure to your brows. It's thin and easy to use." Like many of the other pencils on this list, this one has a spoolie to brush brows into place. This pencil is retractable and never needs sharpening, but it keeps a nice edge for drawing on defined brows.
Purchase the e.l.f Cosmetics Ultra Precise Brow Pencil at Target for $7.