The Best Eyebrow Pencils For Sparse Eyebrows in 2023
Eyebrows- a topic close to my heart! It’s not really quite so dramatic, but if you have sparse eyebrows, you’ll know what I mean!
The last time I got my eyebrows threaded, the beautician asked me what I did to my eyebrows to make them so thin and sparse. My reaction was, huh?! I told her to talk to the one who created them! I was born with sparse eyebrows and that’s the way they’ve always been!
There are far worse things in life than sparse eyebrows and for those of us with little to no eyebrows, we really have a lot to be grateful for. Back in the day of my teenage years, eyebrow pencils just weren’t a thing, in fact, the trend was the thinner the better. Thankfully, we’ve moved on.
Today we’re inundated with eyebrow pencils in all shades of colours and budgets, but sometimes too many options can be overwhelming. I’ve put together the best eyebrow pencils for sparse eyebrows in 2023.
Included is a full range of luxury-to-budget eyebrow pencils for every shade of skin and hair!
Our Top Picks
Best Overall: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz
Best Drugstore: Nyx Professional Makeup Micro Brow Pencil
Best Luxury: Diorshow Brow Styler
Best Smudge-Proof: Maybelline Brow Ultra-Slim Defining Pencil
Best For No Brows: Trish Mcevoy Precision Shaper Eyebrow Pencil
Best Shade Range: Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil
Best For Sensitive Skin: Jane Iredale Retractable Brow Pencil
Best For Blondes: Maybelline Total Temptation Eyebrow Definer
Best For Mature Skin: It Cosmetics Brow Power Eyebrow Pencil
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Best Overall: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz
IN A NUTSHELL
- Shades: 12
- Price: ££
- Key Features: Thin nib, dual-ended, retractable pencil, dermatologist tested, non-comedogenic
- Cruelty-free: Yes
Is it for you?
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz is the best overall eyebrow pencil for all eyebrows, especially sparse ones. Easy to use with a large range of shades, it’s ideal for sparse to thick brows of all shades!
Starting off with a bang, we have my all-time favourite eyebrow pencil- Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz, which I buy on repeat, it also features in my morning makeup routine post. It’s not just my personal favourite, it’s a bestseller too, and it’s easy to see why!
If you have sparse eyebrows, the brow wiz is one of the best eyebrow pencils on the market. One of the main reasons for that is its amazingly thin nib. A thin nib allows for much more realistic hair strokes than a thicker nib.
This is essential for thin eyebrows because thick strokes simply put, look wrong. Thick strokes look like someone has drawn on your brows, which is not the aim!
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz gives you natural-looking filled and defined brows. It comes in 12 shades ranging from, very dark brown to light blonde.
Easy to use, long-lasting, and realistic looking, the Brow Wiz really is a dream eyebrow pencil! Like most brow pencils, the Brow Wiz is dual-ended, with a pencil on one end and a brush on the other.
Read my full review of the ABH Brow Wiz.
Best Drugstore: Nyx Professional Makeup Micro Brow Pencil
IN A NUTSHELL
- Shades: 8
- Price: £
- Key Features: Thin nib, dual-ended, retractable pencil, long-lasting
- Cruelty-free: Yes
Is it for you?
NYX Professional Makeup Micro Brow Pencil is the best drugstore eyebrow pencil that fills in sparse brows and doesn’t break the bank!
Another winning eyebrow pencil is the NYX Professional Makeup Micro Brow Pencil. Similar to the ABH Brow Wiz, the NYX Professional Makeup Micro Brow Pencil also has a super fine nib, making the application easy and realistic.
Easy to use and long-lasting, the Micro Brow Pencil is a great solution for a more affordable brow pencil. The pencil strokes are thin enough that they look like hair and no one will know you are using a brow pencil. Perfect for sparse eyebrows where each individual hair is noticeable!
NYX Professional Makeup Micro Brow Pencil comes in 8 shades ranging from black to blonde. It is dual-ended with a pencil on one end and a brush on the other.
Best Luxury: Diorshow Brow Styler
IN A NUTSHELL
- Shades: 4
- Price: ££
- Key Features: Thin nib, dual-ended, retractable pencil, blends in
- Cruelty-free: No
Is it for you?
Diorshow Brow Styler is the best luxury eyebrow pencil for thin eyebrows. It allows for easy filling in and defining.
The Diorshow Brow Styler is another bestselling brow pencil. With a thin nib and high pigmentation, you can easily achieve the precision and detail needed for thin and sparse brows. Easy to blend and easy to use, you can’t really go wrong with the Brow Styler.
The obvious downside to the Diorshow Brow Styler is that it only comes in 4 shades which is quite limiting. The shades are greyish brown, dark brown, auburn and dark blonde.
So yep, not a huge selection, but if one of these shades matches your hair colour, you may just have found your perfect eyebrow pencil! Also, many say that the shade closest to your hair colour magically blends right into your brows. Call it magic or just good makeup, Diorshow Brow Styler is a brow pencil you will love!
Best Smudge-Proof: Maybelline Brow Ultra-Slim Defining Eyebrow Pencil
IN A NUTSHELL
- Shades: 7
- Price: £
- Key Features: Smudge-proof, break-resistant tip, all-day wear
- Cruelty-free: No
Is it for you?
Maybelline Brow Ultra-Slim Defining Eyebrow Pencil is the best smudge-proof pencil for brows that stay intact all day!
Affordable and with a smooth application, the Maybelline Brow Ultra-Slim Defining Eyebrow Pencil is the answer to your thin eyebrows. The pencil has a smooth tip which helps to create more realistic hair, what’s also nice is that the pencil doesn’t smudge.
Smudging is a common problem with eyebrow pencils, especially with some of the cheaper ones. That’s not a problem, in this case, it may be a drugstore eyebrow pencil, but its quality is top-notch!
Maybelline Brow Ultra-Slim Defining Eyebrow Pencil is long-lasting, long-wearing and comes in a decent amount of shades. In my opinion, that’s a pencil worth trying out! Your brows will look filled in and shaped and your pockets will barely notice!
Best For No Brows: Trish Mcevoy Precision Shaper Eyebrow Pencil
IN A NUTSHELL
- Shades: 2
- Price: ££
- Key Features: Precise nib, dual-ended, natural-looking results
- Cruelty-free: Yes
Is it for you?
Trish Mcevoy Precision Shaper Eyebrow Pencil is the best eyebrow pencil for those with no eyebrows. With an extra precise nib, getting realistic hair strokes couldn’t be easier!
Trish Mcevoy makeup is all about making makeup easy and joyful and that’s exactly what they’ve done with the Precision Brow Shaper Eyebrow Pencil. It’s long-wearing, easy to use and the quality is top stuff!
Yep, this is another eyebrow pencil that has a thin nib, but guess what? Thin nibs are simply the best for sparse eyebrows. You won’t be able to create the same realistic thin hair stroke with a pencil that has a thick tip.
The obvious downside to this pencil is that it’s only available in 2 shades, which does limit it a lot. However, they are universal shades of blonde and brown so match many hair colours.
Trish Mcevoy Precision Brow Shaper Eyebrow Pencil is paraben-free, sulphate-free and vegan.
Best Shade Range: Benefit Cosmetics Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil
IN A NUTSHELL
- Shades: 12
- Price: ££
- Key Features: Thin nib, 12 hours of wear, dual-ended
- Cruelty-free: No
Is it for you?
Struggling to find a brow pencil with your shade? Look no further than Benefit Cosmetics Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil. With 12 shades, it’s one of the best eyebrow pencils for gray hair and has something for all thin and sparse eyebrows!
Benefit Cosmetics is known for its eyebrow products. Why? Because they’re that good and more often than not affordable too! With a big range of colours from light blonde to gray and many shades of blondes and browns in between, there’s something for everyone!
It’s one of the only eyebrow pencils that’s made it on the list that has a grey shade. It’s a nice touch, especially since grey hair is making a comeback big time!
Benefit Cosmetics Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil has everything you need for an eyebrow pencil that delivers. It has a thin nib for easy application, the pencil glides on smoothly, blends effortlessly and lasts for up to 12 hours!
Best For Sensitive Skin: Jane Iredale Retractable Brow Pencil
IN A NUTSHELL
- Shades: 5
- Price: ££
- Key Features: ‘Clean’ ingredients, long-wearing, smudge and crease-resistant, waterproof
- Cruelty-free: Yes
Is it for you?
Jane Iredale Retractable Brow Pencil is the best brow pencil for sensitive skin as it’s made with only non-harmful and non-toxic ingredients. It’s also one of the best waterproof eyebrow pencils!
Jane Iredale is one of the best brands for sensitive skin and eyes. They sell themselves as a ‘clean’ brand. Whilst I am not particularly fond of the term ‘clean’, I find it’s very overused. However, in the case of Jane Iredale, all it means is that they are very conscious of the ingredients they use. They use only non-harmful, non-toxic ingredients so that even those with the most sensitive skin can enjoy wearing makeup.
Not only is this brow pencil ideal for sensitive eyes, but it also is long-wearing and smudge and crease-resistant. The pencil has a small tip for easy application and realistic hairs.
It has a medium coverage which makes it easier to apply than some of the other pencils mentioned. The spoolie at the other end of the pencil gives the brows a perfectly natural-looking, realistic blend.
Best For Blondes: Maybelline Total Temptation Eyebrow Definer Pencil
IN A NUTSHELL
- Shades: 4
- Price: £
- Key Features: Teardrop tip, long-lasting, smooth application
- Cruelty-free: No
Is it for you?
Maybelline Total Temptation Eyebrow Definer Pencil is the best eyebrow pencil for blondes that aren’t white blonde, but rather somewhere in the middle. It gives just enough coverage to be seen, without being overpowering.
Maybelline sure knows how to do makeup and this eyebrow pencil is proof of that. This is the only eyebrow pencil included in this review that has a teardrop tip- thick at one end and thin at the other. Usually the thinner the tip, the better precision you can get, especially when it comes to thin brows.
And I’m not contradicting myself, but in this case, the tip is chiselled and has a thick end and a thin one. This gives you the option of filling in more like a brush effect and filling in with precision too. Use the thicker end in areas that aren’t so sparse and the thinner end in the sparse areas.
The main reason why the Maybelline Total Temptation Eyebrow Definer Pencil has to be included in this review is that the quality vs price makes it an amazing option for all eyebrow lovers! It has a drugstore price, yet the quality is that of a high-end makeup product.
The pencil applies smoothly and easily, it looks natural and lasts beautifully throughout the day without smudging.
Best For Mature Skin: It Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Eyebrow Pencil
IN A NUTSHELL
- Shades: 4
- Price: ££
- Key Features: Oval-shaped tip, long-lasting, transfer-proof
- Cruelty-free: Yes
Is it for you?
It Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Eyebrow Pencil is best for dry thin brows, aging and mature skin due to its hydrating ingredients that nourish the skin.
A favourite by many, the It Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Eyebrow Pencil features a unique thin oval-shaped tip. This is to mimic the shape of your hair making your job all that bit easier, especially on eyebrows for older women.
Easy to use it’s not its only claim to fame. The pencil has impressive ingredients like biotin and antioxidants to help protect and nourish your brows throughout the day.
It doesn’t get much better than that, a product that helps you look beautiful and helps your brows at the same time! Another impressive feature of this eyebrow pencil is how well it stays on. You can run around in the heat and your eyebrows will still be intact!
Common FAQs
Which eyebrow styling product is for you?
There are 2 ways to give you more defined brows, one is with an eyebrow pencil, or an equivalent and the other is with a brow gel. The difference between the two is that an eyebrow pencil fills in and shapes the brows, whereas, a brow gel colours your eyebrow hairs.
A brow gel is mainly used to give more colour to your brows, like with blonde and grey hair. But, you can also use a clear brow gel to help the eyebrow hairs stay in place.
Not so necessary for us sparse-eyebrow people, but for those with thick bushy eyebrows, it’s a lifesaver. A brow gel helps their brows stay in place and neat throughout the day.
How to define and fill in thin brows?
Defining and filling in your brows becomes second nature after doing it a few times. Draw small lines along your natural hairlines and then use the brush on the other end and lightly brush the strokes. This blends the lines in with the rest of your eyebrows.
Obviously filling in your brows doesn’t take away the job of shaping them first. You always need to make sure you’ve shaped them before filling them in. It’s easier to fill in brows that are neat, all you need to do is follow the natural shape of the brow.
There are many ways to shape your brows, from using tweezers to waxing and threading. If you are looking for a more permanent way to get your brows filled in check out my post on microblading. Microblading is where you get semi-permanent hair drawn on your eyebrows, it’s great for sparse eyebrows.
My Thoughts
As you can see, there are plenty of amazing eyebrow pencils for sparse eyebrows! There’s something for every budget and hair colour included here. From designer brands like Dior to drugstore brands like Maybelline, there’s an eyebrow pencil for all!
UP NEXT: The Best Mascaras for Sensitive Eyes in 2023
Hollie xx
Why Trust Beauty With Hollie
As someone who has had to deal with sparse eyebrows my whole life, my years of experience along with professional advice have taught me a lot about eyebrow pencils and how to fill in sparse brows. I, Hollie, also extensively dug into key features—like formula, finish, nib size and shade range to bring you the best of the best. In addition, I researched reviews from customers and other trusted sources.
About Hollie
Hi, I’m Hollie, and I own BeautywithHollie.com. I love everything to do with beauty and love sharing my knowledge, advice, and beauty finds! Makeup and beauty are here to enjoy, and Beauty With Hollie is here to take the stress out of it!
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