Boost Your Brow Game With 12 Eyebrow Pencils, Powders, and Gels Our Editors Love (2024)

Our Top Picks

Type: Pencil | Shades: 12 | Size: 0.007 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Anastasia Soare—the genius founder and brow artist behind Anastasia Beverly Hills—is a celebrity brow stylist beloved by the stars, so it’s no wonder her namesake beauty line measures up. The Brow Definer, in particular, is a soft, easy-to-use crayon that fills in gaps and thickens up fine brows while the spoolie buffs it through for a seamless finish. Our editors agree that the triangular shape makes it easy to outline and fill in gaps quickly, and the shade range is extensive, meaning it’s a great choice for pretty much any skin tone, too.

Type: Pencil | Shades: 5 | Size: 0.006 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes

For brilliant brows on a budget, it’s got to be e.l.f. This dual-end crayon and spoolie can be used to define and fill each brow, either subtly or for a more glam effect. It also contains grapeseed oil and vitamin E for added nourishment, and at just a few dollars, it gets the job done beautifully.

Type: Pencil | Shades: 6 | Size: 0.04 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes

What’s amazing about this product from Gucci is that it’s like a pigmented powder in pencil form, so you get a soft, diffused finish without the need to fiddle around with brushes. Create a full but natural brow with light strokes, or build out the intensity for a more dramatic finish.

Type: Pomade | Shades: 11 | Size: 0.14 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes

For thin, uneven brows, Brown loves a waxy pomade like Anastasia Beverly Hills’ famous Dip Brow. Unlike soft pencils and gels, this will adhere to the skin and last all day. It’s incredibly pigmented, so the small pot should last you quite a long time. It definitely takes some practice and skill to learn how to master your brow shape with this one, but once you do, you'll be hooked. Our editors love how well it works to shape and fill in the brows, and they're even more impressed by how well it wears during hot and humid weather.

Type: Powder | Shades: 11 | Size: 0.03 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes

If you prefer a soft finish that's a bit more forgiving for beginners, powder brow products are a great entry point, and Anastasia Beverly Hills did it again with this one. It comes in 11 colorways, each one containing a lighter color to bulk up the front of the brow and a deeper shade to define the arch and tail. All you need is a small angled brush and a few dips into the powder before you can get to work crafting your brows. We love how it can create natural looks and be built up for a bolder brow, making it a versatile option that certainly has our stamp of approval.

Type: Wax | Shades: 1 | Size: 0.28 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes

We told you: Anastasia Soare is really the queen of brows—she creates some incredible eyebrow products in all different formats. This one is a clear, universal wax that works for everyone. All you do is dip a spoolie into the pot to pick up some product and comb it through your brows. It has a workable texture that you can use to mold your brow shape to your liking before it dries down and keeps the hairs in place all day. "I have extremely thick eyebrow hairs, and this is one of the only formulas that keeps them in place," says Alyssa Kaplan, Byrdie commerce writer. "I also love that it adds a bit of volume and texture to my brows without weighing them down or making them look or feel too crunchy."

Type: Gel | Shades: 5 | Size: 0.17 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Another favorite of Kaplan is this affordable brow glue, which is pretty much magic for those with thick, unruly brow hairs. "I know it sounds dramatic, but this brow gel completely changed my makeup game," she says. "I used to spend so much time trying to shape my brows and keep the hairs from moving around, but with this gel, I can lock them in place in 10 seconds tops." We love that it's affordable, comes in clear and tinted options, has a precise spoolie for easy application, and sets the brows sans a crunchy finish.

Type: Pen | Shades: 3 | Size: 0.02 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Want to be able to dip into the ocean or pool without your brows fading? Then you’ll appreciate this waterproof pen from Stila. With a marker-like felt tip, it enables you to draw in tiny, hair-like strokes for a full finish that will not budge (even in the face of humidity or sweat). It's great for people who have sparse brow hairs and are looking to achieve a more fluffy finish.

Type: Pencil | Shades: 12 | Size: 0.002 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes

If you have thin brows or you're looking to achieve really fine, precise brow strokes, we recommend trying this pencil from Benefit. Available in 12 shades, the waterproof formula is contained in a super fine pencil that allows you to draw on hair-like strokes with ease. Though the formula is quite pigmented, which can make it a bit challenging to achieve a natural look right off the bat, the attached spoolie does an excellent job of blending and softening the stokes for a more natural appearance. We've found that our editors with different skin tones and brow colors are able to find a shade match in this range, and we're really impressed with how long-wearing it is.

Type: Pencil | Shades: 10 | Size: 0.003 ounces | Cruelty-Free: No

For lighter brows, this filler is a top choice—it comes in light blond, blond, or dark blond (as well as other options for different hair colors). If you have blonde hair, you know how tricky it can be to find brow fillers that look natural on you—especially at the drugstore. That's why we appreciate that this one has multiple shades and undertones for blondes. It also has an incredibly fine mechanical tip that can fill in the tiniest of gaps. Just use a light hand, and then buff the product through with the accompanying spoolie.

Type: Pencil | Shades: 14 | Size: 0.002 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes

As for the most diverse shade range, Brown can’t go past Fenty's MVP Ultra Fine Brow Pencil & Styler: “Available in 14 shades, you really can’t go wrong with this fine-tipped mechanical crayon.” It’s quite creamy as far as the texture is concerned, ensuring a smooth, sculpted brow. On the opposite end, you’ll find a tiny little brush almost resembling a bristle hairbrush—it’s softer than a spoolie, so it won’t buff away quite as much product. We love that the range boats multiple options with varying depths and undertones for those with dark brown hair—this allows you to get your precise match for the ultimate natural look.

Type: Gel, pomade, and pencil | Shades: 3 | Size: 0.28 ounces (gel), 0.05 ounces (pomade), 0.002 ounces (pencil) | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Refy is a brand by influencer-turned-beauty-entrepreneur Jess Hunt that’s built a loyal following—all of which are obsessed with full, laminated brows. The 3.0 Stage Brow Collection contains everything you need to create your dream brows. This might sound intimidating, but we promise you when used together, the finished result is pretty spectacular. The idea is to use the sculpting gel first to lift and set before filling in with both the pomade and pencil for an exaggerated, long-lasting finish.

FAQ

• How do you use an eyebrow filler?

  This is really up to you and the formula you choose! Use your eyebrow filler whenever you want to add volume or definition to your natural brows—with or without a face of makeup otherwise.

• How do you select the right shade of eyebrow filler?

  Brown says that when it comes to brow fillers, a cool-toned hue that is one shade lighter than your natural brow coloring usually yields the best results. If you can’t test products out in real life, look for those with a slightly gray, taupe, or ashy undertone.