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If you are a makeup junkie you know you never feel done without your brows. While some people have been blessed with thick, bushy eyebrows that are all the rage, others may need a little help in that department. No matter what type of brows you have or want to achieve, there is a brow pencil to help.
Below are some great micro eyebrow pencils that are dedicated to giving you the full, sculpted, or more natural brows of your dreams, quickly and easily. All of our options include dual-ended pencils with a micro-fine, oval or even tear-drop shaped tip on one end, and spoolie, comb or brush on the other. Use of these two together will provide you with the most natural-looking, softly defined brows.
Some of these pencils also have technologically-enhanced formulas to ensure they last all day and won’t smudge or smear. One of our finds also includes a brow pencil with one universal taupe color option that transforms to all hair colors based on the pressure you use to apply the color! Genius.
Compare the Top Micro Brow Pencil of 2024
Maybelline Total Temptation Brow Definer — Best Overall
Maybelline’s latest brow product is their Total Temptation eyebrow pencil featuring a teardrop-shaped applicator. This easy-to-apply, creamy eyebrow definer has a dual-ended applicator that is ideal for outlining and filling in brows for a softly defined look while the fluffy spoolie end softly blends the color out for your most natural-looking brows. Use this product alone or apply your favorite brow gel to set your brows for a look that will last all day long.
Pros
- This is a mechanical pencil and will not require sharpening
Cons
- This pencil is not waterproof
L'Oreal Paris Brow Stylist Definer — Runner Up
L’Oreal’s Brow Stylist Definer helps shape your brows within an inch of their life with its ultra-fine pencil tip. This dual-ended pencil is the perfect tool to mimic and draw those tiny brow hairs and then shape them for a well-defined, au natural look. Once you have defined the hairs, use the spoolie end to comb and blend. This self-sharpening pencil will also help fill in any sparse areas or gaps for a perfectly filled-in brow.
Pros
- The Brow Definer is waterproof, ophthalmologist tested and safe for sensitive eyes
Cons
- If you are looking to fill your brows on a larger scale, a thicker pencil may be better
NYX Professional Makeup Micro Brow Eyebrow Pencil — Honorable Mention
The Micro Brow Pencil by NYX is their newest brow pencil that is so precise, it will coat even the finest hairs with color for the most natural-looking finish. The super skinny tip is made to draw very fine, pigmented lines that help to create the look of natural brow hairs. This pencil is mechanical so no sharpening is required and comes in eight natural colors from taupe to black to ensure the perfect color match.
Pros
- For its pricepoint, this is a great pencil that rivals ones twice its price
Cons
- Such a super skinny tip might take a longer time to fill in brows
Maybelline New York Define-A-Brow Eyebrow Pencil — Contender
Maybelline’s Define-a-Brow eyebrow pencil delivers precise application for evenly defined brows with its micro-mechanical pencil. This all-one-pencil does not require any sharpening and features a convenient built-in comb on the other end to seamlessly blend color for your most natural brow look. The formula is also waterproof, smear-proof and wears all day.
Pros
- This pencil is safe for sensitive eyes, contact lens wearers and is ophthalmologist tested
Cons
- This pencil is delicate and should be used with care
It Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Brow Pencil — Also Consider
The Brow Power Universal Pencil by It Cosmetics is unique in that it only has one taupe shade that adjusts to your brow color based on pressure. Apply softer strokes for lighter eyebrow hair colors and press harder for darker hair including brown and black. This pencil is also infused with cutting-edge brow enhancing ingredients and technology to give you the most natural-looking brows, an exclusive oval tip that works on both thin and thick brows and a built-in spoolie brush for a naturally polished look.
Pros
- Unique formula that is budge-proof and delivers natural results
Cons
- If you need more color selection, another option might be better
Lintec Fine Sketch Liquid Eyebrow Pen — Another Option
For those who are eyebrow pros or need something to last all day, the Liquid Eyebrow Pen by Lintec is a long-lasting formula that ensures your makeup will last all day. This is essentially a tattoo eyebrow pen with a multi-pronged, fork tip that works to create hair-like strokes with ease for the most natural-looking eyebrows. This product is waterproof and will not smudge or fade and is easily removable with your favorite makeup oil or cleanser.
Pros
- This eyebrow pencil comes with a money-back guarantee for any reason you are not satisfied and no questions asked
Cons
- This is available in only one color
Buying Guide: Micro Brow Pencils
Any experienced makeup artist will be able to make use of a good micro brow pencil, but in case you’re a beginner, worry not! We’ll go over why this brow product is a great investment.
Eyebrow Pencils vs. Micro Brow Pencils
Eyebrow pencils are fairly common in people’s makeup collections. They’re used to give volume and shape to eyebrows and are very handy if you want to make your eyebrows look a certain way with minimal effort. These pencils are available in a variety of sizes, and one such size is the micro brow pencil.
Micro brow pencils are a more precise version of your typical brow pencil. This particular pencil has a smaller and thinner tip, and this makes it easy to create more precise strokes. Having smaller strokes can be very beneficial if you want to only cover certain parts of your brow, make very fine curves, and other applications.
When to Use a Micro Brow Pencil
Filling in empty areas
We’ve all been there. Maybe you shaved a bit too much off one side, or you realized that tweezing that area may not have been such a good idea. Any mistake in removing eyebrow hair results in semi-permanent consequences, as you’d have to wait for the hair to grow back before it returns to its normal state.
There are multiple ways to mitigate the “damage”, but one common way of doing so is by using an eyebrow pencil. You can fill in the empty area to create an illusion of hair and at the very least be able to hide your mistake.
Making precise shapes
Eyebrow pencils are used to shape the brow in certain ways. For example, a common technique is to have the eyebrow slowly taper off towards the sides. This gives the eyebrow a sleek look and finish. However, it can be pretty difficult to make it taper off sharply with a regular eyebrow pencil as the natural thickness of regular pencils can prove to be a challenge.
Thanks to the small size of a micro brow pencil, all you have to do is gently run the pencil across the edge of your brow. It’s a lot easier to control, and you can make incredibly thin lines with ease.
Micro Brow Pencils Aren’t Perfect
Though they may be pretty useful in adding a touch of precision to your work, micro brow pencils are far from the end-all-be-all of eyebrow grooming. They have clear limitations that make other alternatives better choices.
For one, the size of the micro brow pencil may work to its advantage in some aspects, but it can be a detriment in other ways. These pencils are so small that, if you want to shade your entire brow evenly, it’d take a good while to get the job done. With larger pencils, you’d take only a fraction of the time required.
Micro brow pencils can also be a little trickier to use. Since they’re so small, even the slightest of mistakes can result in crooked or bent lines, which will force you to start from scratch. It is something that you can work on with time, but until you get used to them, it’ll be quite an inconvenience.
How to Maintain Your Micro Brow Pencil
Keep it capped when not in use
Depending on the type of pencil, it may be a good idea to keep your micro brow pencil capped when you’re not using them. This may seem like an obvious point, but you’d be surprised by how many people just leave their makeup products uncapped hours after using them.
By keeping the eyebrow pencils and pens capped, you can preserve the status of the pencil. For pens, in particular, it minimizes the chances of the tip drying out, which can cause some complications down the line. In general, it’s good to always keep your micro brow pencil or tool capped from a hygiene perspective too.
Have the tip face down
This next point applies mainly to ink-based eyebrow tools like eyebrow pens. The “ink” formula in these pens obeys the laws of gravity, and if you rest your pen with the tip facing up, you end up causing the formula to drip to the bottom of the pen. Then, when you do use the pen, you’ll find that barely anything comes out, if at all.
The best way to remedy this is by having the pen’s tip face-down. If this is not possible, at least have the pen rest on its side, so that the ink won’t completely flow to the back end of the pen.
