Eyebrow pencils comparison (Lancome, Essence, MAC, Rimmel)

I have tried a few products for eyebrows in the last 6/7 months, and among these are eyebrow pencils. I have pretty decent brows that only need some filling here and there, but pencils are a great tool for those who need to draw and reshape their brows as well. I am going to compare the ones I currently have and rank them from favourite to least favourite. 

NOTES: *I'm giving the prices in UK pounds for convenience. **Keep in mind that I have blonde hair, so my review of the products is also based on their ability to match my natural hairs, so if you are a brunette/Asian/WOC you might want to adapt my criteria to your colouring. 

Left to right: Lancome Le Crayon Sourcils Pro, Essence Eyebrow Designer, MAC Eyebrows and Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil

Lancome Le Crayon Sourcils Pro: this is the most expensive of the bunch, at £14.80 and also the first one I purchased, as you can see from the picture above. 01 Blonde is a light warm brown that doesn't match my brows heavenly. It has strong reddish undertones that show up when I apply it with a heavy hand. However, if I am only filling lightly it will be OK. Another con of this pencil is that it is packaged with a clear wax tip on the other end, which I find completely uselesss (it didn't keep my brows in shape at all, it just felt too waxy and messed with the colour on top). Also, it is hard to apply! I have to press quite hard to get the colour to show up, so it can actually end up irritating my skin around the area. Not. Cool. The pros: it lasts, and the tiny brush on the cap works well to blend the colour with a natural finish.

Essence Eyebrow Designer in 03 Light Brown: this is incredible value for money! Essence is a German drugstore brand with really unbelievable prices. I bought it when I had the chance to visit a dear friend in Bonn and it cost me the equivalent of £0.90! I was a bit sceptical but I figured that, for the price, I might as well take the risk. As you can see from the swatches below, the colour is still on the brownish side, but it has more yellow than red in it. The finish is much more natural than the Lancome one! It is long lasting and easy to work with, very soft. If you're broke but really need an eyebrow pencil, I would recommend this one. 

MAC Eyebrows in Fling: this is an automatic pencil, meaning that you don't waste any product by sharpening it (and it also lasts longer than regular pencils!). The colour is a gorgeous light greyish taupe which reminds me of MAC eyeshadow in Omega: that would most likely work as a brow filler too. Because it has no hint of yellow or red in it, it's the one that looks most natural of all the four pencils! It is the ultimate ashy taupe shade which is exactly what blonde brows need! Seriously, nothing can beat the colour of this one. The consistency is creamy but it stays put. It's £11.50, in line with MAC products!

 

Left to right: Lancome, Essence, MAC, Rimmel

Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in Hazel: I am on the fence about this one. It is a great eyebrow pencil, but the colour is WAY to dark for me, and also pretty reddish. What really bummed me is the poor colour selection: it is only available in two shades, of which one is intended for black-haired gals, and the other (the one I have) would definitely suit most brunettes, but in no way it gets close to my natural brow colour. I might still use it when I do other people's make-up, because it DOES work well, but Rimmel should really work on the shade range. If it matches you, it's great bargain at £2.99!

Final thoughts: the two pencils I would most definitely not repurchase are the Lancome and the Rimmel one; the former because of the steep price that does not equal quality, the latter because of the bad colour match. Essence is still a good choice, but the most flawless and natural result was achieved by the MAC one! 

So this is my final ranking!

1. MAC

2. Essence

3. Rimmel

4. Lancome

What's your favourite brow pencil?
And what pencil would you never recommend to anyone?
Feel free to leave a comment!