Eyebrows are a defining feature, framing the face and enhancing overall appearance. Achieving perfectly defined or naturally fluffy brows doesn't require expensive products. This article explores the best drugstore eyebrow liners, offering affordable options to achieve various brow looks.
Drugstore eyebrow liners provide a cost-effective way to experiment with different brow styles and find products that suit individual needs. With numerous options available, it's possible to achieve professional-looking results without breaking the bank. Makeup artists often recommend drugstore brow products for their quality and affordability.
This ultra-slender waterproof eyebrow pencil is available for less than $15. The pencil point is super slim, so you can recreate the look of brow hair, and the formula is truly sweatproof.
e.l.f. offers a variety of brow products, including:
ColourPop's Brow Boss pencils have a small rounded tip. Once warmed up, a light hand can be used with the feathering technique.
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The shade is fairly close to CP’s Brow boss in dark brown.
This creamy and precise pencil allows for light-handed feathering.
This pencil has a cool undertone, and it fits fine.
Waterproof eyebrow pencils are essential for those seeking long-lasting definition that withstands sweat, humidity, and water exposure. These pencils are formulated to stay in place throughout the day, ensuring brows remain perfectly shaped and filled.
The Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer is a modern classic. This formula’s max-strength staying power is paired with rich, buttery pigments and a unique, triangle-shaped tip, which provides the precision you need to create a natural-looking brow. The shade range is fantastic, and they don't budge once you put them on. It's a triangular-shaped retractable pencil that mimics hairs and defines sparse brows with ease.
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The texture of the Sania’s Brow Bar The Brow Pencil feels barely-there on skin and creates a feathered, powdery effect ideal for anyone who wants a fluffy look that doesn’t look densely filled. The creamy, gel pencil-to-powder formula has an angled tip that can effortlessly fill patchy areas and create precise, slender hair-like strokes alike. It has insane lasting power and a natural-looking finish. This powder-in-a-pencil formula is groundbreaking.
Rare Beauty’s Brow Harmony Precision Eyebrow Pencil is tough enough to handle water, sweat, and oil with ease, but its blendable formula gives you a minute or so to feather it out before it sets in place-which makes it especially great if you have a larger area to fill in (or are just a bit of a perfectionist). This beginner-friendly formula allows you to layer and apply as needed without looking over-drawn or too opaque, as long as you remember to blend with its attached brow brush. This pencil is so freaking creamy.
The Benefit Cosmetics Precisely, My Brow Pencil Waterproof Eyebrow Definer is here to provide the utmost precision. This 12-hour-wear brow pencil creates teensy-weensy lines to mimic your brow’s natural hair color and thickness without creating a boxy look to them. Benefit’s Precisely Brow Pencil always has my back (and brows). It’s not too pigmented, which I think is a positive, and it’s nicely buildable.
Dresher is also a fan of the It Cosmetics Universal Brow Power Pencil for its universal shade and truly sweat-proof formulation. I love how the color really does match almost all brow shades; it’s very easy to blend out and can withstand even the sweatiest of workouts. The beauty of its angled tip is that you can use the slender angle to create hair-like strokes, while its thicker edges can easily fill in sparser spots.
Valentino’s Brow Trio Eyebrow Liner, which is decked out with an angle-tipped pencil, dense spoolie brush, and an ultra-fine-tipped eyebrow pen, which allows you to create the illusion of fine, natural-looking hairs and more pigmented definition for a fuller look. I love this and always have this pencil in my professional makeup kit because of its amazing ability to create hair-like strokes.
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Treat yourself and your brows to the luxuriously creamy, blendable formula featured in Chanel’s Stylo Sourcils Waterproof Eyebrow Pencil. Its unique, angular tip that features different-sized beveled edges, which allow you to customize how thick or thin you want each stroke to be, fully allowing you to sculpt your brows with ease. Its buildable formula also means that it’s easy to intensify the definition and thickness of your brows without making them look too filled-in.
Going out for the day (or night)? Don’t forget to apply Make Up For Ever’s Aqua Resist Waterproof Eyebrow Definer, a slim retractable brow pencil with a formula that’s guaranteed to last through rain, sweat, and humidity for 24 full hours. This micro-thin precision pencil can fill large patches, small spots, and everything in between for a naturally fuller-looking effect that’ll get through the day without a single smear.
Brow pens feature felt-tip applicators designed to mimic real hair strokes. They are suitable for both thick and thin brows, allowing for the creation of fullness without a drawn-on look.
This formula is top-tier. The magic here lies in the pen's sheerness, which prohibits that fake, painted-on look you can get with too much pigment. It also includes biotin to support healthy hair and red clover extract, which may help prevent hair loss and stimulate growth. This was the first brow pen I have ever used, and even after testing all the others, it ultimately remained my all-time favorite. The formula is just sheer enough to apply the perfect amount of pigmentation, and it never looks fake. This brow pen is your end-all-be-all solution for filling in your brows.
"Urban Decay's Brow Blade is great because it is two-sided," makeup artist Elaina Badro tells me. "One side has a brow pen and the other a waterproof pencil. Use the pen to mimic thin, hair-like strokes. It's also resistant to sweating, smudging, and fading!" The dual-sided product is available in nine shades to achieve a brow hair-mimicking look as close to natural as possible. I specifically use this brow pen to define my brow tails. It has the most precise point I have ever used, so it really is easy to mimic the thin hairs.
Celebrity makeup artist Judi Gabbay Braha loves NYX's Lift & Snatch pen, which features a waterproof and smudge-proof formula. "They also have a more extensive shade range and are budget-friendly," the makeup artist says. This pen comes in a whopping ten color options and is regularly praised for its ability to create natural-looking hair strokes at a fraction of the price of some other options.
Glossier's Brow Flick is great for beginners or anyone who doesn't have the steady hand (or hours of practice) that a makeup artist might. What sets it apart from a lot of the brow pens on this list is its slightly thicker felt-tip applicator. While it's still slim enough to create realistic, hair-like strokes, you get a bit more control. The pen also delivers a smooth, even flow that doesn't skip or smudge. When I'm in a rush, I always grab this formula. It's super easy to use (even when I'm half-awake!), and somehow still makes my brows look put together.
If you're working with sparse, thin brows (a little over-plucking in the early aughts, maybe?), one little applicator will take a long time. That's where Benefit's Mighty Fine Brow Pen comes in. It has a three-prong comb-like applicator, which ensures the pigment applies quickly, evenly, and with hair-like precision. Pair that with its incredibly long-wear formula, and no one will ever know it's not actually your brow hair. If you want a brow pen that doesn't budge, pop this baby in your cart. Not only is it one of the easiest and most realistic options on this list, but you can count on the fact that it won't fade or disappear. Whenever I do my mom's makeup, I use this for her super sparse brows.
A good brow pen plus a clear brow gel equals everything you need for picture-perfect brows. Maybelline's Build-A-Brow 2-In-1 pen includes both, with fans (like myself) raving about its easy-to-use felt tip and sealing gel, which help your brows stay all day. Perhaps most importantly, it's also waterproof, sweat-resistant, and smudge-resistant for up to 24 hours. As someone who’s had naturally thick brows since birth (truly, since day one), I keep my brow routine simple. This product has become a favorite because it makes filling in those tiny sparse spots at the front of my brows quick and easy, thanks to the precise felt-tip side.
From Anastasia Soare's (impressive) repertoire comes a hardworking brow pen with a specially designed brush tip that won't clog or skip. Instead, it keeps its shape while remaining flexible enough for easy application. "I love it for creating realistic hair-like strokes," Soare exclusively tells Marie Claire. "Whether you have areas of sparseness, minimal brow hair, or just want to create added depth and dimension, Brow Pen acts like an artist's pen to deliver the thinnest strokes of hair yet, resulting in fuller, natural-looking brows." I tried it and it's amazing! I've used many brow pens in the past, but I usually sweat them off (big no-no) or they turn blue/green on me as the day goes on. That hasn't happened with this one thankfully!! Highly recommend, and it looks super natural.
As someone who’s always looking to save space in my already overflowing makeup bag, this luxury brow pen has become a personal favorite. It’s basically three tools in one: a precision brow pen for hair-like strokes, an eyebrow pencil for shading, and a hidden brow brush to blend or groom before filling in. The marker side makes such realistic-looking hair strokes, and it’s so easy to use.
To find the right eyebrow pencil shade, try to find a hue that looks similar to the roots of your natural hair color. Look at the color and tone of your natural hair growth and the root of your hair and match your brow pencil to that. For a more dramatic, defined look and to fill larger areas (or draw an entirely new brow), you can go a shade deeper than your natural color.
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