When it comes to doing makeup, if there is one facial feature that makes or breaks a look, it’s eyebrows. As if it wasn’t enough to notice how awake, sad or vampy we look when we fill them out in certain ways, we now have scientific proof that our face is perceived quite differently based on, you guessed it, the color and shape of our brows.
Thanks to this study, we now know that having light, sparse or shapeless brows makes us look older in the eyes of others. It’s all about facial contrast and makeup artists know this all too well. This is why most beauty experts agree that brows are also the most challenging feature to get right.
Add eyebrow trends to this equation (90s thin, 00s defined and angled and, lately, full and natural) and it seems that we are bound to be on the wrong side of beautiful at one point or another. Even celebrities have sported some questionable eyebrows over the years.
However, not all who wander are lost, and we do admit that wandering through the brow makeup aisles can be overwhelming sometimes, so to make things a bit easier, we’ve put together a list of the best eyebrow powders you can dip your brush in. Brow powders are also the perfect product to experiment with if you are just starting out with makeup, as they give the most natural look and the formulas are quite forgiving if you make a mistake (of course, your hand is going to shake now that you know how important brows are).
How to choose the best eyebrow powder for you
When selecting a shade, the key is to match it to your hair color but to make sure it works on your skin tone too. One tip that may be the perfect starting point is to choose a color that is one to two shades lighter than your hair color. This will leave you enough room to build the color up as you fill out and shape your brows, without making them too dark.
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You’ll get the most out of your eyebrow powder if you apply it with an angled brow brush, using light, short strokes. You can correct any flyaway hairs with a spoolie, eyebrow pomade or eyebrow wax – we’ve included some brow kits containing all of these in our list.
Whatever style you like, be it soft and smudgeable or precise and thick, you can accomplish it with the right brow product. Click through the slideshow above to discover some of the best eyebrow powders out there.
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best brow powders
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best brow powders #1
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo, $23 at Ulta
A cult brow powder and Holy Grail product for many, this best eyebrow powder is smudge-proof and comes in a two-shade compact. The huge color selection (11 variations), along with the formula, ensure perfect, professional results. The powder is meant to be applied in short, light strokes for a defined look with natural highlights and lowlights.
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best brow powders #2
bareMinerals Brow Powder, $12 at Ulta
Available in four shades, this natural-looking loose mineral formula has a creamy texture for easy application and blendability. It is long-lasting, provides a seamless finish and the texture is velvety smooth.
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best brow powders #3
LASHFOOD BROWFOOD Aqua Brow Powder + Pencil Duo, $25 at Ulta
This powder-to-cream and pencil duo is great if you want to effortlessly fill in and define brows. It lasts all day without fading. As the powder turns to cream during application, it releases supercharged conditioning serums essential for achieving healthy-looking brows. Upon absorption, a flexible matrix of enhanced color pigments fastens onto skin. The coverage is buildable, which means you can achieve any look, from natural to bold brows.
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best brow powders #4
Guerlain Eyebrow Kit, $53 at Sephora
This kit contains three powders, a highlighter and a double applicator. It allows you to achieve a sculpted, yet natural look. The formula works both wet and dry, depending on what look you are going for: intense or natural eyes.
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best brow powders #5
Benefit Cosmetics Foolproof Brow Powder, $24 at Sephora
This velvety smooth, long-lasting formula instantly adheres to hair and skin giving you that coveted brow fullness. But don't let that scare you – it is super easy to apply and blend so you get no harsh lines. The kit includes a blending sponge and a spoolie brush.
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best brow powders #6
Julep Don't Leave Your Brows At Home, $24 at Amazon
Perfect to use on the go, this two-in-one tool contains brow powder and an angled brush to fill in and define your brows with precision. This long-lasting formula glides on like a gel, dries to a powder, and holds like a wax.
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best brow powders #7
Maybelline Brow Drama Pro Palette, $12.99 at Ulta
This palette is all your brow sculpting needs in one: containing powders in two shades, along with a sculpting wax and dual ended brow brushes, it's perfect for when you're on the go, need to touch up while travelling or to carry in your purse day to day.
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best brow powders #8
Mally Beauty Believable Brows, $26 at Ulta
This brow kit comes with a tinted wax, which is for filling in and shaping brows, and a color-coordinated powder which thickens and sets brows in place for long-lasting wear. Included in the kit is a double-ended slanted brush for the most that necessary precise application. The advice for applying this product is to use short strokes when applying brow wax with the stiff end of the brush to fill in any sparse areas or missing hairs. Follow up with the softer end of the brush – apply powder to the entire brow for a perfectly groomed and polished look that lasts.
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best brow powders #9
NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder, $5.99 at Ulta
One of top-selling eyebrow powders, this kit comes with two powders, a wax, a slanted brush and a spoolie. There are six color combinations available. You can use the powders that come in the kit separately or mix them together to create your own, unique shade. Aside from blending well, boasting good pigmentation and gliding on smoothly, this product also has good lasting power.
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best brow powders #10
Sigma Brow Powder Duo, $14 at Nordstrom
This duo comes in a compact containing two shades of eyebrow powder to let you create your perfect shade. The formula's finish is matte and can be built for further definition and intensity of eyebrows, especially when layered on top of a brow pencil. It works best when applied with an angled brush. There is also a bonus: they can be used as eyeshadows too.
