If your eyes are the windows to your soul, then what does that make your eyebrows? A good awning? A nice shutter?
Perhaps, but with the exploding trend in recent years of the young kids wanting gray hair. And us oldies, well, letting our grays show, there is much debate about exactly how to define our beloved brows.
So what is the best shade to use to define your brows? And what can you do about sparse eyebrows, or those wild rogues that seem to be non-existent one day, and 3 inches long the next?
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Why Are Your Eyebrows Important?
Your eyebrows are important because they provide your eyes with a frame. A definition.
Wild metaphors aside, they really do help create definition on your face. And best of all, if you do a great job of defining them as you get older, they can help you look younger!
Well-defined eyebrows also go a long way in helping you to communicate. To really express your feelings to your family, friends, loved ones, and co-workers.
When you think about it, they’re actually really important to your face.
And having said that, your trusty eyebrow pencil may just become one of your most important beauty products!
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Should I Have Gray Eyebrows if I Have Gray Hair?
The million-dollar question. The thing is that it’s not uncommon to naturally have eyebrows that are a different color from the hair on your head.
And because of this, it certainly won’t look out of place to define your eyebrows in a shade that is slightly darker, lighter, warmer, or cooler than the head on your head.
Good news, right?
Absolutely. Because this gives you complete freedom to create the brow look that suits you best and makes you feel great, too.
So, in answer to the question asked, I say no. Not necessarily.
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What Eyebrow Pencil Shade Should I Use?
While you want to create some definition, if this is all very new to you, it’s easier than you think to go too dark.
So take a look at your hair, and if you approach it with a similar shade of eyebrow pencil to your hair or slightly darker for added definition, that’s a good jumping-off point.
Unless you have a deep skin tone, I would steer clear of black pencils for your brows. No one wants to recreate Bette Davis from Whatever Happened to Baby Jane!
A good blonde pencil or taupe pencil for lighter skin tones is a good place to start.
If you have a darker skin tone, start off with a neutral charcoal or cool brown pencil.
And as is the case with your makeup, don’t be afraid to experiment.
You might just discover a new product or shade that suits you perfectly that becomes your signature eyebrow shade. And when that day comes, stick to it!
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Don’t Be Put Off By Going Gray
These days, there are ample options for trying gray eyebrow pencils as well.
These are also fantastic starting points if you have gray or silver hair because they are quite neutral in tone.
What I mean by neutral is that a shade is neither too warm nor too cool. It’s just right.
Ah, nothing like a good Three Little Bears reference in your eyebrow education!
If this still sounds like gobbledegook, you might learn a few basics about undertones and color theory here.
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Undertones
You should be aware of your skin’s natural undertone at some point in life.
Knowing this will help you guide your decision-making about eyebrow colors as well.
And what I mean by this is that a warm brown pencil may not look good on someone that has a lot of natural flush in their skin.
Yet it may be perfect on someone who has a cool skin tone and soft strawberry blonde tones in their hair.
It’s all about finding what works for you. And what doesn’t work.
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What Eyebrow Colors Work Best for White Hair?
Again, there are no hard and fast rules to answer this question. It all comes down to your own personal preference, the color of your complexion, and how you want to present yourself. And your brows.
I suggest starting with a soft blonde or light ash or taupe pencil. These are great starting points because they are light in tone, and you can always build on them, try different shades, and even go darker as you get more comfortable applying your eyebrow makeup.
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The 30 Best Eyebrow Pencils for Gray Hair
Best Taupe Eyebrow Pencils
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer in Taupe
ABH may be the queen of eyebrow products, and the exceptional Brow Definer sits up high in the castle. Brow definer is the perfect taupe, and with a wedge-shaped pencil top, it is easy to create a natural look with your brows in an instant with this retractable pencil.
- triangular tip
- double-ended with spoolie
- wax and pigment base for perfect definition
Find Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer in Taupe here.
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IT Cosmetic Brow Power Eyebrow Pencil in Universal Taupe
Despite being synonymous with complexion products, IT Cosmetics Brow Power is definitely worth a look in. A neutral taupe shade that will fill those sparse areas and help define your brows naturally.
- oval-shaped tip
- budge-proof
- biotin-infused to help promote healthy brows
- spoolie included for brushing
Find IT Cosmetics Brow Power Eyebrow Pencil in Universal Taupe here.
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Laura Geller’s Sculpt’n’Stay Waterproof Eyebrow Pencil in Taupe
Laura Geller’s Sculpt’n’Stay is a two-in-one eyebrow product. If your brows need extra taming, this may be a good option for you. First, define your brows with the angled brow pencil, and then next step, use the gel spoolie to hold everything in place.
- angled pencil tip
- clear gel
- waterproof
Find the Laura Geller Sculpt’n’Stay Eyebrow Pencil in Taupe here.
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Anastasia Beverly Hills Perfect Brow Pencil in Taupe
The words “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” may never be truer words than this classic wooden brow pencil from Anastasia Beverly Hills. Sometimes you need to go back to basics, and if that’s the case for you, definitely try this perfectly titled Perfect Brow Pencil.
- full, powder-like pigment
- spoolie included
- classic wood pencil formulation
Find the Anastasia Beverly Hills Perfect Brow Pencil in Taupe here.
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NYX Micro Brow Pencil in Taupe
As far as taupe pencil tones go, NYX Micro Brow Pencil is quite a warm-toned taupe. This would be suitable if your hair is naturally warm in its undertone. Even if you now sport silver, white, or grey hair, if your underlying tones are warm-based and you’re looking to start off with a natural shade, this may be a good starting place.
- ultra-slim retractable tip
- cruelty-free
- spoolie included
- vegan
Find the NYX Micro Brow Pencil in Taupe here.
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Wet’n’Wild Ultimate Eyebrow Retractable Eyebrow Pencil in Taupe
While this pencil from Wet’n’Wild is called Taupe, it’s really light in shade. Perfect if you are looking for a taupe and you have a fair complexion or hair shade naturally.
- triangular tip
- spoolie included
- vegan
- cruelty-free
Find the Wet’n’Wild Ultimate Brow Retractable Eyebrow Pencil in Taupe here.
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Brett Freedman Brett Brow Laser Brow Pencil
The Laser Brow from Brett Freedman is an old-school pencil with a super-fine tip. It comes with it’s own pencil so you can be re-assured to maintain that thin tip as you use it.
The shade is a neutral, cool taupe tone and hence gives the universal label.
I recommend this pencil for light to medium-skin folks. If you have darker skin tones, you might be looking for a darker shade for added dimension and definition in your brows.
- long-lasting
- low-wax, high-pigment formula
- paraben-free
- gluten-free
- cruelty-free
Find the Brett Freedman Brett Brow Laser Brow Pencil here.
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Best Gray Eyebrow Pencils
Eye Embrace Eyebrow Pencil in Warm Betty
Eye Embrace has cornered the silver-set market. And this is the perfect product fo you to begin with if your hair is true silver or gray, and you’d like to start defining your brows.
Warm Betty is a true gray pencil, with very subtle warm undertones. What that means is that it’s perfect for you to use to define and fill your brows if you want to keep your brow tones close to your hair color, and still add extra definition to them.
- chisel, precision tip
- waterproof and smudge-proof
- spoolie brush included
- vegan
- cruelty-free
- talc-free
Find Eye Embrace Warm Betty Light Grey Eyebrow Pencil here.
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Etude Drawing Eyebrow in Gray
A true gray eyebrow pencil from one of my favorite Korean beauty brands, Etude. Another perfect selection for gray and silver hair wearers.
Etude always delivers high-quality products at ridiculously low prices.
- long-lasting color
- triangle-shape tip
- smooth, even, clump-free finish
Find Etude Drawing Eyebrow in Gray here.
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Senna Sketch-a-Brow Pencil in Ash Brown
Despite being called Ash Brown, Senna’s Sketch A Brow is included in the Gray section because, well, the shade is a gray shade, in my opinion. This pencil will give you a perfect natural definition if you want to keep your brows subtle but understated.
- precision tip
- smudge-proof
- precision spoolie included
Find the Senna Sketch-A-Brow Pencil in Ash Brown here.
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Eye Embrace Classic Eyebrow Pencil in Warm Betty
If you love Warm Betty but prefer a traditional eyebrow pencil, then Eye Embrace have you covered. Here’s the same true gray tone as the retractable one, presented as a classic wooden eyebrow pencil.
Perfect to create natural-looking brows that complement your gray hair.
- classic wood pencil
- waterproof
- smudge proof
- spoolie brush included
- cruelty-free
- gluten-free
- paraben-free
- talc-free
Find Eye Embrace Warm Betty Classic here.
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Eye Embrace Eyebrow Pencil in Liz
Eye Embrace Liz gives you the perfect solution if you’re looking for a deeper definition in your brows than the standard Taupes and Grays provide.
- diamond-wedged applicator
- waterproof
- smudge-proof
- spoolie brush
- cruelty-free
- gluten-free
- talc-free
Find Eye Embrace Liz in Medium Gray here.
Best Brown Eyebrow Pencils
Makeup Atelier Eyebrow Pencil in Brunette
A true brown if you’re looking for definition and just a hint of color in your brows.
- retractable tip
- spoolie
- waterproof formula
- Vitamin C and Vitamin E enriched formula
Find the Makeup Atelier Eyebrow Pencil in Brunette here.
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Makeup Forever Aqua Resist Brow Definer in Medium Brown
The perfect brown eyebrow definer if you have gray hair. This shade will give you the definition you are looking for without being too brown in color. If you used to have strong definition with your brows and they have since disappeared, perhaps with your hair going gray, this pencil might just be what you’re looking for. Depth, dimension, in a soft medium brown tone.
- 24hr wear
- transfer-proof
- sweatproof
- waterproof
- slanted tip
- natural, hairlike finish
Find the Makeup Forever Aqua Resist Brow Definer in Medium Brown here.
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Haus Laboratories The Edge Precision Brow Pencil in Soft Brown
With a neutral-warm undertone, Lady Gaga brings another great brow solution to silver-haired folk. Soft brown is a great choice for your sparse brows, or if you need more than a little filling in, this is a great choice.
- precision tip
- easy-glide formula
- micronized pigment for extra definition
- cruelty-free
- vegan formula
Find Haus Laboratories The Edge Precision Brow Pencil in Soft Brown here.
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NYX Eyebrow Powder Pencil in espresso
A great, low-cost offering from NYX to give you soft, yet strong definition in the brow department. I particularly like the powder-finish to this classic style brow pencil from NYX.
- cruelty-free
- spoolie included
- matte finish
- vegan
Find the NYX Eyebrow Powder Pencil in Espresso here.
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Maybelline Brow Define and Fill Duo 2-in-1 Defining Pencil in Deep Brown
If you have dark skin and silver, gray hair or highlights, this Maybelline Brow Define in Deep Brown is a great choice.
Best of all, you can define the brows and hair textures with the fine-tip pencil end, then quickly fill in your sparse brows with the dual-ended filling powder tip.
- dual-ended
- strong pigment
Find the Maybelline Express Brow 2-in-1 here.
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e.l.f. Ultra Precise Brow Pencil in Neutral Brown
An ultra-affordable offering from a drugstore fave of mine, e.l.f. This is a great shade for medium to dark skin tones looking to add natural oomph to your brows.
- micro-slim liner
- cruelty-free
- vegan
- paraben-free
Find the e.l.f. Ultra Precise Brow Pencil here in Neutral Brown.
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Best Charcoal Eyebrow Pencils
Anastasia Beverly Hills Perfect Brow Pencil in granite
It’s no secret I love Anastasia Beverly Hills brow products. The granite Perfect Brow Pencil is a great choice for creating your darker brows if you have a medium to dark complexion. It will work wonders if your hair used to be black or dark and is now in the silver-to-gray realm. I love this pencil – its the perfect neutral dark gray.
- spoolie
- classic wood pencil
- sharpen to a fine point
Find Anastasia Beverly Hills Perfect Brow Pencil in Granite here.
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Winky Lux Uni Brow Universal Eyebrow Pencil
Winky Lux presents a neutral soft charcoal/taupe combo (if such things exist) as a universal shades. This may well be true, except, I suspect, for the extremely dark and fair complexion wearers among us.
It is, however, a great neutral shade to try for those in between.
- plastic neutral
- cruelty-free
- wedge-shaped tip
- spoolie included
Find the Winky Lux Uni Brow Universal Eyebrow Pencil here.
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Bodermincer Longlasting Waterproof Eyebrow Pencil in Gray Black
A true gray eyebrow pencil from Bodermincer. If you want to match your gray, silver or blue-toned hair, look no further.
This pencil may also work well if your skin has natural cool undertones.
- waterproof
- wedge-shaped anged tip
- spoolie included
Find the Bodermincer Longlasting Waterproof Eyebrow Pencil in Gray Black here.
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L’Oreal Stylist Definer Ultra Fine Tip Shaping Pencil in Soft Black
Even though this is a black pencil, the ultra-fine tip makes it a choice worth considering if you’re looking in the charcoal color field for your brows. You can create beautiful, defined dark brows with ease.
The tip is definitely fine enough to feather on brow shapes and fill in your eyebrows easily.
- self-sharpening
- ultra-fine tip
- waterproof
- ophthalmologist-tested
Find L’Oreal Stylist Definer Ultra Fine Tip Shaping Pencil in Soft Black here.
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NYX Lift and Snatch Eyebrow Tint Pen in Gray Black
Another fantastic option for giving your brows that extra pizazz. From NYX, the Lift and Snatch Eyebrow Tint Pen is a quick and easy way to give your face a frame. And the Gray Black shade is an absolute must-have for deeper complexions.
Find NYX Lift and Snatch Eyebrow Tint Pen here.
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Arches and Halos Micro Defining Brow Pencil in Charcoal
This soft, smudge-proof pencil from Arches and Halos in Charcoal will easily fill in your brows, sparse or sparser.
- long-lasting
- smudge-proof
- dual-ended with spoolie
- vegan
- cruelty-free
Find the Arches and Halos Micro Defining Brow Pencil in Charcoal here.
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Revlon Colorstay Eyebrow Pencil in Soft Black
Another 2-in-1 pencil option here from Revlon. This pencil is sneakily designed so the powder option is inside the cartridge. So you get a fine-tip pencil at one end, a spoolie at the other end, and a powder applicator in the center to fill in sparse patches within your brows.
I love the Soft Black for extra drama from Revlon.
- up to 16 hours of wear
- water-proof
- smudge-proof
Find Revlon Colorstay Eyebrow Pencil in Soft Black here.
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Best Blonde Eyebrow Pencils
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Whiz in Blonde
This is the lightest shade in the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Whiz range. And if you have a fair complexion with olive undertones and fair natural hair, then this may just be what you’re looking for.
It does have quite a bit of yellow warmth to it, so if you’re looking for definition with less color, then you might be better off sticking with a taupe or gray shade.
Otherwise, Blonde will definitely be worth considering.
- fine-tip
- perfect wax and color blend
- custom spoolie included
- cruelty-free
- vegan
Find the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Whiz in Blonde here.
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Makeup Forever Aqua Resist Eyebrow Pencil in Soft Blonde
I’d call this more of a medium/warm blonde. Perhaps that’s where the soft comes in? This is a lovely pencil from Makeup Forever. While it may be much darker in shade than some of the other blondes we are looking at today, it’s definitely worth considering if you are fair-skinned.
- multi-use slant-tipped pencil
- smudge-proof
- long-lasting
Find the Makeup Forever Aqua Resist Brow Filler in Soft Blonde here.
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Kevyn Aucoin True Feather Brow Marker Gel Duo in Ash Blonde
This is like the perfect neutral blonde. This Kevyn Aucoin brow gel pen will precisely create individual brow hairs with short, hair-like strokes in your application.
A great option for medium to fair skin, and natural hair shades.
- dual-ended
- sleek size for easy application
- paraben-free
- mineral-oil free
- phthalate-free
- fragrance-free
Find the Kevyn Aucoin True Feather Brow Marker Duo in Ash Blonde here.
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Maybelline Total Temptation Eyebrow Definer in Blonde
A soft, light finish pencil to give your brows an understated emphasis. Perfect for you if your complexion if fair and your hair is silver or very light naturally.
- teardrop definer
- fluffy rounded spoolie
- light finish
Find Maybelline Total Temptation Eyebrow Pencil here.
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Maybelline Brow Extension Fiber Pomade in Blonde
While this is a much thicker-tipped pencil, the results you can get with the Maybelline Brow Extension Fiber Pomade are quite interesting. The crayon will instantly thicken your brows and provide a soft definition in Blonde. It contains tiny fibers that also help give the illusion of hairs where there is none.
- natural matte finish
- infused with hair-like fibers
- ophthalmologist tested
Find the Maybelline Brow Extensions Fiber Brow Pomade.
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Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Brow Color in Light
This marker-inspired brush will help you create your brows where they’re not. You can literally feather in individual hairs and with this shade, Light, you can create a soft, yet still there definition. This shade has a little warmth to it is perfect if you have a lighter complexion and lighter natural hair color.
- long-wearing
- waterproof
- contains honey, aloe leaf, and chamomile extracts to nurture your skin and hai
Find Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Brow Color in Light here.
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How To Use a Gray Eyebrow Pencil Properly?
Okay, so you’ve got your brand spanking new, fab eyebrow pencil.
And you’re asking, “what do I do with it?” Well, don’t panic – I hope that my skills as a makeup artist can put you at ease, and help get you started to find a good eyebrow pencil, and a technique you can master.
Let’s walk through how to quickly and easily create definition on your eyebrows right here.
- Give your eyebrows a brush in the direction of the hair growth.
- While you are doing this, take a look at the shape of your eyebrows. Pay attention to any sparse areas, any unevenness, and where you think you want to fill in to create an even, attractive brow shape.
- From the center of your eyebrow, lightly draw the pencil on your brow from where the hairs start growing out of your skin. Use short, feathery strokes to draw on your very own brow hairs with your eyebrow pencil.
- Work your way out to the outer edge of your eyebrow.
- You can use an angled brush to brush through the hairs, blending your eyebrow pencil at the same time. Or, as most pencils seem to come with a spoolie as well, use that. The choice is yours.
- You do not have to fill in your entire brow if you don’t have to.
- Repeat on the other side.
Remember this: Your eyebrows do NOT have to be perfectly symmetrical.
Balance and symmetry are not the same, so if your left and right eyebrows are not perfectly symmetrical, it’s okay!
Aim for balance, not perfection.
I hope that inside this guide you find the right eyebrow pencil for you. And continue to celebrate your beautiful brows for years to come.
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Featured image by Deagreez
