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In the quest for Olivia Culpo-level brow perfection, you’ll need a few things. First and foremost, flawless genetics. (We kid, we kid, but that certainly doesn’t hurt.) In all seriousness, for A+ arches, a professional shaping is always a good move. As is having the right products on hand, from pencils and powders to gels and pomades—or some combination of all of the above.
But you’ll need the right tool, too, namely a brow brush. “Brushes are used to blend makeup and keep eyebrow hairs in place," says Sabah Ferox, a brow expert at London's Blink Brow Bar. "They're necessary to creating the exact brow look you want. A brow brush helps to evenly blend product and make the eyebrows look more natural." Amen to that. Not all brushes are created equal though, and which one you pick largely depends on the product you’re pairing it with, as well as personal preference, obviously.
Ahead, the best eyebrow brushes that will fit every brow want and need.
Best Overall: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brush #20
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Courtesy of Anastasia Beverly Hills
Dual-ended
Can use to apply concealer under brows
Provides precise application
Some may prefer a narrower brush
Who else recommends it? Cosmopolitan and Women's Health Mag both picked the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brush #20.
Choosing a dual-ended tool makes it easy to create any variety of brow looks, and leave it to the eyebrow guru to the stars to come up with one of the best ones out there. Use the straight-cut, flat brush to outline and define a crisp, clean brow shape. (Top tip: it’s also great for applying concealer around your arches to make them pop even further.) And/or use the spoolie end to blend color throughout your brows and groom hairs in place.
Size: 6.5 x 1 x 0.1 in. | Material: Synthetic
Best Budget: e.l.f. Eyelash & Brow Wand
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Courtesy of Target
Affordable
Removes mascara clumps
Durable construction
May not work well for soap brows
Simple and to the point, this extremely affordable bargain buy gets the brow job done. The spoolie is surprisingly high-quality given its price tag, and it works equally well to brush through brows or comb through lashes post-mascara application.
Size: 6.2 x 0.5 in. | Material: Nylon
Best Splurge: Tom Ford Angled Brow Brush #16
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Courtesy of Nordstrom
Durable construction
Provides precise application
Great for cream and gel products
Pricey
A little pricey, but #worthit if brows are the mainstay of your daily makeup look. The synthetic bristles are super high-quality, making this a smart investment, and are choice for creating undetectable, completely natural, hair-like strokes. FYI, because the bristles are synthetic, this works especially well with cream or gel products, since they won’t absorb any of the product like natural hairs tend to. The angled shape is best for creating defined brows, since it makes it easy to create thin lines and fill in empty gaps, says Kristine Cruz, senior makeup artist at Antonio Prieto Salon.
Size: 6.4 in. | Material: Synthetic
Best for Pomades: BBB London Brow Sculpting Brush
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Courtesy of Net-A-Porter
Great for pomades and waxes
Provides precise application
Not scratchy
Not dual-ended
With short, dense bristles, this angled tool is choice for applying and keeping in place thicker pomades or wax-based products. It gives you perfect control for creating the short strokes of color that will help define and shape your brows. Worth noting: Wiping off any leftover product after each use helps maintain the integrity of the bristles.
Size: 7.9 x 1.4 x 0.8 in.
Best for Powders: BBB London Brow Tamer
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Courtesy of Nordstrom
Great for powders
Provides precise application
Not dual-ended
Powders are choice for adding natural-looking fullness to brows, creating that bushy appearance everyone and their mother wants. Blending in said powder to achieve said natural end results is key, though. Ferox recommends using a sponge applicator to first deposit the pigment, then combing through with this guy to blend, for a more natural look. We also appreciate the slim size, which gives you extra control.
Size: 6 x 2 x 2 in.
Best Spoolie: Benefit Cosmetics Angled Brow Brush & Spoolie
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Courtesy of Ulta
Firm bristles
Great for all types of brow products
Dual-ended
Can sometimes apply product too thick
Few brands know brows better than Benefit, as seen in both the products and tools they offer, like this one We heart this particular spoolie because it’s made of custom-blended fibers that seamlessly blend in color and tame even the unruliest of brows. It gets the job done on its own, though for the best brow results, use the angled brush on the other end first. With firm bristles, it deposits powders, creams, gels, and waxes equally well.
Size: 6.5 x 0.6 x 0.3 in. | Material: Custom-blended fibers
Best Multi-Tasker: Japonesque Brow & Lash Shaper
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Courtesy of Amazon
Affordable
Dual-ended
Reviewers note it can break easily
If you like to play around with different brow looks, but are also looking to minimize the amount of stuff in your makeup bag, pick up this multi-tasker. Start with the spoolie end: “I start every brow look by combing up the brows with the spiral to see exactly what I'm working with," says celebrity makeup artist Brittany Spyksma. Then, use the tight-packed brush on the other end to groom and shape arches, or add color. The fine comb is also great to use to knock out mascara clumps on lashes.
Size: 6.5 x 0.27 x 1.28 in. | Material: Natural fibers
Best for Gel: Lancôme Sourcils Gel Dual Ended Eyebrow Brush #27
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Courtesy of Ulta
Dual-ended
Great for gel products
Reviewers note the bristles are too stiff
Angled edges on the sides of this triangular-brush head are perfect for shaping brows with any type of thicker, gel-based product. You can then use the pointed tip to fill in any sparse areas, and intensify the color by dabbing through with the flat surface. The finishing touch? Brushing through everything with the built-in spoolie housed on the other end.
Size: 2 x 2 x 5.60 in.
Best Pencil: Chanel Crayon Sourcils Sculpting Eyebrow Pencil
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Courtesy of Nordstrom
Dual-ended
Glides on easy
Long-lasting
Reviewers note it can break easily
If we had to choose just one desert island must-have brow product to use for the rest of our lives, it would—hands down—be this pencil-spoolie combo. It’s hard to decide which end we like more, but used in tandem, it’s all you need when you want polished, but natural-looking brows. The creamy pencil (available in four shades) glides on easily, while the spoolie blends everything to perfection.
Size: 1.38 x 0.67 x 7.09 in.
Best Natural Bristles: Joey Healy Duo Brow Brush
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Courtesy of Joey Healy
Dual-ended
Not scratchy
Durable construction
Some may prefer something more stiff
Brushes with natural hairs are best for using brow powders (which also tend to be slightly more goof-proof and make for a more natural end-result than cream products). The other nice thing? They don’t have to be washed quite as frequently as their synthetic counterparts. Still, for many people, the animal factor can be a component, which is why we appreciate that the bristles on this tool are made of cruelty-free boar and badger hair. This one also has just the right level of stiffness and comes with a built-in spoolie for blending.
Size: 6.5 x 0.67 x 0.47 in. | Material: Vegan synthetic fibers
What to Look For in an Eyebrow Brush
Natural Hair Vs. Synthetic
Brow brushes are made with either synthetic hair or natural hair. Natural hair brushes pair better with powder, whereas synthetic brushes pair better with gel or cream products. If you’re going to go the natural route, we recommend opting for cruelty-free natural brushes, because on top of not testing on animals, you're also staying away from parabens, sulfates, and synthetic dyes.
Spoolie Brush
You’ll need a spoolie to brush through your eyebrows, so it all depends on whether or not you want to purchase more than one brow product. Dual-ended brushes/pencils are often the best bang for your buck, as they come with a built-in spoolie.
Brush Shape
The shape of the brush you purchase depends on the eyebrow look you’re going for. Generally speaking, straight-cut, flat brushes are for outlining, triangle brush heads are for shaping, and angled-shaped brushes are for definition.
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