HOLY GRAIL eyebrow pencils for blondes & redheads!

One of the definitive moments in my beauty-journey was discovering the eyebrow pencil. Foolishly, for years I was unaware that such a product existed! I thought there was just the one (eyeliner) pencil, and that was meant to multitask on both the lash line, water-line and brows, and based on my observation, those only came in very dark brown and black colours that wouldn't suit my brows anyway. Many years ago, on a freezing January morning, during a masterclass with a renowned makeup artist, my world was rocked. Not only was I introduced to the brow pencil, but I was also taught how to use it. She corrected my asymmetrical, choppy brows, and with next to no other makeup on my face, I looked at myself and felt completely beautiful. The next day I went on a hunt for the perfect brow pencil of my own, and as luck would have it, I struck gold with the first one I tried.

The first brow pencil I ever bought turned out to be a HG product and everything since has been ruthlessly compared to it. My first love was the Yves Saint Laurent Dessin Des Sourcils in nr 4 Ash. I have fair red hair, and brows, but this gorgeously cool, ashy pencil suited me like a charm. It would work great for blondes, as well as brunettes who want barely there, couture brows. Couture is a very appropriate term here. The look it gives me is... High-end, expensive. There's no doubt that there's product in my brows, because naturally they couldn't possibly be such a colour, plus there are delicate sparkles in the formula. While it isn't a “natural” look, it has an exquisite restraint about it, a polished sophistication that I'm just head over heels for. The only negative about this product is that it no longer exists. I was so enamored with it, so sure that this was it and I would never use anything else again, that when the pencil I bought was nearing its end about a year later, going to re-purchase it and finding it no longer available, shocked me. First it was just my colour, nr 4, that was gone, and eventually the entire line. By this point, doing my brows had become an essential step in my beauty regime, so I had no choice but to find a replacement.

YSL (old) nr 4 Ash

I was still bitter about YSL discontinuing yet another product I wanted to own forever, that when I opted for the Shiseido Natural Eybrow Pencil in BR704 Ash Blond as its replacement, it took me a while to fully appreciate it. While it says “ash” in the name of this pencil, it's much warmer and on me, gives a totally different look to the YSL. The Shiseido is dry and matte, while the YSL is rather waxy, which, while it helps hold brow hairs in place, also emphasizes the appearance of product.

Shiseido BR704 Ash Blond

The Shiseido feels the most ordinary in terms of product design and a sensory experience, but my gosh does it work! It is incredible value for money too, as its dry, hard formula means that even with daily use, one pencil lasts me over a year. The only negative about it is the phenomenally useless angled brush it comes with! I wish it came with a spoolie instead, however, the look it achieves doesn't necessarily require one.

Shiseido BR602 Deep Brown

You get very natural brows, and if you're really good at it, you can totally get away with someone thinking there's absolutely nothing in them. Because the formula is dry, there's no stark difference in product on areas with hair and others with just bare skin. It all sort of meshes together, and the few unruly, unbrushed hairs only add to the genius deception. I loved this pencil so much, I turned my mum on to using it in shade BR602 Deep Brown, which I've also used on myself on the rare occasion I want to look more like a brunette!

So, with Shiseido, I found another Holy Grail brow pencil, which, you guessed it, I was forced to replace. Shiseido haven't discontinued it, but after about three years of using this pencil, they decided to axe the colour cosmetics part of the brand in my region, and just focus on skin care. My beloved pencil was gone and I needed to replace it once again.

The brow pencil I bought next I did out of sheer panic (I can't be seen without my brows!). I'd been so lucky with my previous purchases, I never really thought a formula might not work for me, that there was more to merely finding a suitable shade. I got the Chanel Crayon Sourcils in 30 Brun Naturel, and spent the next couple of months trying to love it.

Chanel 30 Brun Naturel

The main reason the Chanel never worked for me was its greasy formula. I need to cheat the shape of my brows, draw on hairless skin, in order to achieve the look I want, and with this pencil, there is an unmistakable difference in texture and finish on the skin, on areas with brow hairs and without, that make every over-drawn line pop and look incredibly obvious and unnatural. It would look fine in the morning, but should I catch myself in the mirror a few hours later once my skin had become oilier, it looked like I'd drawn a line, with a prominent gap, directly above my brows. Using the spoolie was key if I wanted not to look like a fashion victim. I had to really brush the hairs down first, draw my lines, brush them through vigorously, and then finally brush the hairs back into place.

Also, while the “made in Italy” pencil felt the nicest and came with a sharpener, which none of the others did, it broke when I had about a quarter left to use! It left me stranded, brow-productless, in Milan, as I mentioned in a previous post. It kept breaking off when I attempted to sharpen it and finally fell out of the wooden part all together. I must have stared at that sight, jaw dropped, for a good minute! This is why it's not present in the group shot too.

During this whole Chanel debacle, a miracle happened. YSL re-released their eyebrow pencils, they were back in stock and I was giddy. Mind you, this was not the same pencil I had once fallen in love with and used to the point where it had fallen apart. The new pencil had a different design, gold caps, and different names and numbers. They didn't have a nr 4, so I got the nr 3, no name, which seemed to be my original pencil just without the sparkles. This pencil was made in Germany and came with slightly more product than the others (0.13g more). The quality of the pencil itself is not as good as it once was, the gold writing on it rubbed off almost completely after a week of use. Also, while I want to fib and say the added quantity makes it superior to the Chanel, it's about as soft and you can barely get away with two uses before you need to sharpen it, thus going through the product quite quickly. Having said that, the ashy colour looks as cool as it used to and I love having it in my makeup bag again.

YSL (new) nr 3

The only pencil I've tried that I wouldn't re-purchase is the Chanel. It's better suited for someone with dry skin and a good, natural brow shape, who's really looking to just fill in the gaps and not completely change the arch. The Shiseido is by far the best value, one pencil lasts me about 14-15 months, and provides the most demure, natural look. Finally, the YSL is my first love. I love the refined, grown-up look, and while I'm sad the pencil loses its luxurious appearance quite quickly and it wouldn't last a year if it were the only one I used, I still very much want it around.

For me, brows are very important. I'd sooner go out without mascara and foundation than without applying a brow pencil! On their own, my brows are very fair, choppy, straight and generally sad-looking. Doing my brows just adds more balance and refinement to my features, something I value greatly, and perhaps the reason I became a brow connoisseur. I'm frequently complimented on my brows by people who either think they naturally look like that, or professional makeup artists who want to commend my skill! Doing brows isn't easy, even many working makeup artists struggle with it, which is how I usually judge their work – brows and liquid liner. Artists who are good at drawing on brows, particularly with pencils and pens as those are trickier to work with than powders, are true gems. As for me- practice, practice and the help of these wonderful pencils I've mentioned, is how I achieve perfect eyebrows!