CHEAP THRILLS

The 17 Best Drugstore Products for Your Eyebrows

Because you don't have to spend the big bucks for flawless brows.
17 Best Drugstore Eyebrow Pencils Gels and Powders of 2020 Expert Reviews
Courtesy of brands; Illustration by Clara Hendler

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To define and fill in your brows, you don't have to splurge on a trip to the salon to get microblading, lamination, or brow-tinting. Hell, you don't even need to reach for an expensive, high-end brow product if you don't want to. Your local drugstore offers plenty of affordable brow-grooming options — no matter what state your brows may be in. It's got everything, whether you need an amazing clear gel because you're blessed with perfect arches or a pencil to will fill in even the thinnest, sparest brows.

To prove it, we asked professional makeup artists and beauty editors to share the drugstore brow-grooming products they swear by. In fact, their gel, pencil, and powder picks range from $6 to $16. Want to know what they are now?

Keep scrolling to discover 17 drugstore eyebrow products beauty experts always keep in their kits, including one editor's must-have gel for dark brow hairs and several picks from a self-professed brow product snob who usually reaches for high-end options.

All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

  • Maybelline New York Brow Fast Sculpt Brow Mascara on white background
    Courtesy of brand
    1/17

    Maybelline New York Brow Fast Sculpt Brow Mascara

    Filling in super-dark brows can get messy without the right products, and that's why Allure beauty editor Devon Abelman sticks to Maybelline New York Brow Fast Sculpt Brow Mascara. Its deep and widely spaced bristles coat every single brow hair, and its hardening formula holds them in place all day.

    $8 (Shop Now)

  • Courtesy of brand
    2/17

    Revolution Beauty Soap Styler

    If you like fluffy, pushed-up brows, look to Revolution Beauty's Soap Styler, a sticky formula that's perfect for achieving the soap brow trend. It looks white in its pan but glides on clear, so someone of any skin tone or hair color can use it. 

    $8 (Shop Now)

  • Courtesy of brand
    3/17

    Hard Candy Brows Now! Precision Tip Brow Ink

    The tiny, pointed tip on Hard Candy's Brows Now! ink pen makes it a go-to for Allure staff writer Nicola Dall'Asen. Its dark, fluid pigment makes drawing on brow hairs one by one super quick and easy. 

    $6 (Shop Now)

  • Courtesy of brand
    4/17

    CoverGirl Easy Breezy Brow Powder Kit

    The trio of shades in CoverGirl Easy Breezy Brow Powder Kit add extra depth and dimension, creating the illusion of fullness — and never the reality of smudginess, which is why it took home a 2018 Allure Best of Beauty Award for best brow powder.

    $7 (Shop Now)

  • Courtesy of brand
    5/17

    L’Oréal Paris Brow Stylist Boost & Set Brow Mascara

    The angled brush on the L’Oréal Paris Brow Stylist Boost & Set Brow Mascara perfectly fluffs and arranges arches to give them perfect definition. The 2018 Best of Beauty winner for best clear brow gel holds hairs in place but also comes in three other shades (blonde, light brunette, dark brunette) to fill in any gaps.

    $11 (Shop Now)

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    6/17

    Nyx Eyebrow Cake Powder

    For those who have natural brows that are hard shade to match, New York City-based makeup artist Stevie Huynh suggests the Nyx Eyebrow Cake Powder. "It comes with a wax that you could use before to intensify the powder and to groom the brow to shape," he explains.

    $6 (Shop Now)

  • Courtesy of brand
    7/17

    Maybelline New York Brow Precise Fiber Volumizer

    Thanks to fibers in the formula that cling to individual brow hairs, this Best of Beauty winner helps thicken and elongate your natural brow hairs. The Maybelline New York Brow Precise Fiber Volumizer is also a favorite of New York City-based makeup artist Ashleigh Ciucci because its formula has a "slight reflective quality which mimics the natural highlights in our brows." 

    If you want a sharper tail, she has a quick tip for you. "Dip into the applicator tip with an angled brush and paint the gel on for precision," Ciucci recommends.

    $10 (Shop Now)

  • Courtesy of brand
    8/17

    L'Oréal Paris Brow Stylist Definer

    Allan Avendaño, a Los Angeles-based makeup artist, has several drugstore brow product picks, but he calls the L'Oréal Paris Brow Stylist Definer his go-to. "It has a fine point that you can use to draw fine lines to mimic hair," he says. "The end has a brush that you can use to blend those lines in and comb brows into place."

    $9 (Shop Now)

  • Courtesy of brand
    9/17

    Revlon Brow Fantasy Pencil and Gel

    "For those who are all about all-in-one products, I love the Revlon Brow Fantasy Pencil and Gel," Avendaño says. On one end, you'll find a traditional brow pencil formula that fills in the gaps along your brows. Then, you can comb it before locking it into place with the brow gel on the other end.

    $10 (Shop Now)

  • Courtesy of brand
    10/17

    CoverGirl Easy Breezy Brow Fill + Shape + Define Powder Eyebrow Makeup

    Allure editorial director Sam Escobar likes to refer to the CoverGirl Easy Breezy Brow Fill + Shape + Define Powder Eyebrow Makeup as the ultimate lazy-day brow definer. The Best of Beauty Award winner is that easy to use. All you have to do is sweep the spongey applicator over your arches, and the powder fills in gaps while defining their shape.

    $12 (Shop Now)

  • Courtesy of brand
    11/17

    Joah Brow Down To Me Precision Brow Pencil

    New York City-based makeup artists Vincent Oquendo and Nina Park are fans of the Joah Brow Down To Me Precision Brow Pencil, a super fine-tipped pencil inspired by K-beauty. "The colors it comes in are spot-on," Oquendo says. "I find it very hard to get a good ashy brow pencil with depth beyond the makeup counter, let alone the drugstore. So when I stumbled upon this pencil, I was like, 'Sign me up.'"

    $9 (Shop Now)

  • Courtesy of brand
    12/17

    Maybelline New York Brow Drama Sculpting Eyebrow Mascara

    Los Angeles-based makeup artist Fiona Stiles prefers this brow mascara option from Maybelline because of its the curved spooley. "I find it gives more control than a mini, straight one," she explains. Plus, the Brow Drama Sculpting Eyebrow Mascara's formula isn't too thick or too thin, Stiles adds, and the color selection covers all the bases.

    Maybelline New York makes several brow products that professional makeup artists swear by, though. If you prefer a pencil, Carissa Ferreri, who works with Gina Rodriguez, recommends the Total Temptation Eyebrow Definer Pencil. "This mechanical pencil with its unique diamond shape allows for defined strokes of hair that look very natural," she explains. "It's perfect for subtly filling in or adding a bold, bushy brow. It’s also my favorite because it has a short round spooley brush on the other end, which is essential when shaping brows."

    $13 (Shop Now)

  • Courtesy of brand
    13/17

    L'Oréal Paris Havana x Camila Cabello Gotta Give Liquid Brow

    The L'Oréal Paris Havana x Camila Cabello Gotta Give Liquid Brow could easily be mistaken for a liquid eyeliner in your makeup bag. It has a similar formula, but touts an angled applicator that helps you outline and fill in your brows. Avendaño says the unique way to fill in brows may be weird to use at first, but it's easy to get the hang of. "I like to put the product on a brow comb or spooley brush to blend it and create a full brow," he says. "It's actually quite an easy way to do your brows."

    $12 (Shop Now)

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  • Courtesy of brand
    14/17

    Maybelline New York Great Lash Clear Mascara for Lash and Brow

    If you don't need any added color and just want to tame your brow hairs, the Maybelline New York Great Lash Clear Mascara for Lash and Brow is a great option. "It's invisible but helps keep the brows in place," Quinn Murphy, a makeup artists who has worked with celebrities like Lily Aldridge, Dakota Fanning, and Isla Fisher, explains. You can seal in powders or pencil with it, too. "It's a great grooming product or final touch to the brows," he adds.

    $7 (Shop Now)

  • Courtesy of brand
    15/17

    Nyx Micro Brow Pencil

    Robin Black, founder of Beauty Is Boring, is a self-professed brow product snob who generally gravitates towards higher-end picks. However, she finds the Nyx Micro Brow Pencil "surprisingly good." Reason being? "The thin tip allows for precise application," she explains. "And I love that it comes in eight shades, including deeper cool tones."

    $7 (Shop Now)

  • Courtesy of brand
    16/17

    Revlon ColorStay Brow Pencil

    Another one of Black's drugstore exceptions to her high-brow product taste is the Revlon ColorStay Brow Pencil. "[Revlon has] revamped this classic with an angled tip that makes filling in your brows easy and quick," she explains. It comes in five shades, but Black wishes it came in a medium taupe and a cool dark brown. Let's put that into the universe.

    $9 (Shop Now)

  • Courtesy of brand
    17/17

    Wet n Wild Ultimate Brow Mascara

    When Avendaño needs a basic tinted brow gel, he reaches for the Wet n Wild Ultimate Brow Mascara. "Sometimes you don't even need to fill in your brows with a pencil," he says. "This tinted brow gel does all the work with a couple of simple swipes." He loves how it comes in three shades, which he considers to be great universal hues that suit most brow colors.

    $16 (Shop Now)

Keywordsbrowseyebrowsdrugstore makeupcheap makeupbrow productsMaybellineL'OrealNYXHard CandyrevlonCoverGirlWet n Wild