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Culinary

How Do I Choose the Best Waterproof Eyebrow Pencil?

Lainie Petersen
By Lainie Petersen
Updated May 17, 2024
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When choosing a waterproof eyebrow pencil or eyebrow pen, you should focus on finding a shade that coordinates well with your hair and skin color. In addition, you want to find a pencil or pen that is truly waterproof but that can also be removed easily with makeup remover. Be aware of any skin sensitivities that you might have, as you don’t want to trigger an allergy with the use of a waterproof eye pencil. If possible, visit a store that sells these pencils so that you can sample them to test whether they will meet your needs.

Whether you plan to use a waterproof eyebrow pencil to draw on your brows entirely or just fill them in, you should take care to ensure that the pigments in the pencil give you a natural look. While it is possible to use eyeliner to fill in your brows, you may find that the colors used in the eyeliner are not as natural looking as those used in pencils designed specifically for use on eyebrows. Request a sample pencil so that you can test the color for yourself. If samples are not available, find out if your cosmetics retailer offers a refund or exchange on products that aren't suitable for you.

If you will be using a waterproof eyebrow pencil to draw on all or most of your brows, the waterproof aspect of the pencil becomes extremely important. This is particularly true if you swim or live in a hot area that causes you to perspire. Again, getting a sample size of a waterproof eyebrow pencil can be very helpful in allowing you to test its waterproof capabilities, particularly before a major event at which you want to look your best.

Pay attention to the ingredients label on a waterproof eyebrow pencil or any other cosmetic that you buy. If you know that you are sensitive to certain cosmetic ingredients, it's important that you choose a product that does not contain sensitizers or allergy triggers. If you have recently lost your eyebrows because of medications that you are taking, you may wish to be extra careful when choosing cosmetics, as your skin may become more sensitive.

A final concern is the design of the eyebrow pencil. Some need to be sharpened, just like writing pencils, while others are self-sharpening. Another consideration is whether the pencil has a brush attached to it for blending the pencil color into your brows. Neither of these features may be important to you, but if they are, they should factor into your buying decisions.

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Discussion Comments

By StarJo — On Apr 27, 2012

I love my waterproof eyebrow pencil, because it really stands up to moisture in all forms. I paid a little bit more money for it than I usually spend on cosmetics, but it was worth it. Sometimes, the more expensive brands really do perform better than their cheaper cousins.

I go swimming in a lake often in the summer, and I couldn't afford to risk using a cheap eyebrow pencil. I bought the best I could find, and I haven't been disappointed.

While it lasts all day as I swim around, it comes off with just a swipe of makeup remover on a cotton pad. I don't have to rub hard at all. This is crazy, because even if I were to rub my eyebrows in the lake, nothing would happen.

By shell4life — On Apr 27, 2012

I have never used an eyebrow pencil, but if they are anything like eyeliner pencils, then I would prefer a soft one with a large tip. The sharper ones hurt a little while I'm running them across my skin, and I have to go over the area several times to get a decent amount of product on my eyelid.

I may be wrong, but I would think that with eyebrow pencils, softer lead would be easier to blend and would look more natural. If you are using a really sharp tip, I would imagine it would tend to look more harsh and cartoonish.

There have been times when I overplucked my eyebrows and I used a little bit of eyeliner pencil to fill in the gaps. The soft pencil disguised the blank spot nicely, and it was waterproof, so I didn't have to worry about the fact that this was a rainy day.

By kylee07drg — On Apr 26, 2012

@Perdido – I know what you mean. I think that natural hair is best, but there are some people who have no choice.

My aunt has cancer, and her chemotherapy has caused all her hair to fall out. For awhile there, she didn't do anything about it, because she felt too sick to care about how she looked. Lately, she has been doing things to improve her appearance, and using an eyebrow pencil is one of them.

She uses a waterproof one, because even a little bit of heat makes her sweat, and she would hate to see her eyebrows go running down her face. Since she has a couple of different colored wigs, she has a couple of different eyebrow pencils in shades to match them.

By Perdido — On Apr 26, 2012

My best friend had soft, light brown eyebrows, but for some reason, she thought it would look better to pluck out all the hair and then draw fake ones on her skin. I don't understand this at all, but I think she could have chosen a better eyebrow pencil than the one she uses.

It is waterproof, but it doesn't look natural at all. For one thing, it is darker than her hair color. Also, it didn't come with a brush, so she doesn't bother to blend it in at all. Her eyebrows literally look as if she drew them on with a pencil.

I am against painted on eyebrows, but if I had to choose an eyebrow pencil, I would go with one that either matched or was a shade lighter than my hair color. I also would definitely want a brush to blend it in with, because just drawing a solid line on makes you look like a clown.

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