This ABH Brow Pencil Stopped Me From Booking My Tint Appointment

I’ve always thought I had relatively thick brows — until a brow appointment a couple of weeks ago proved otherwise. Halfway through, my threader asked if I wanted to do a tint. “It’ll look really good on you,” she said. “Your eyebrow tails are a little sparse.”

“Excuse me?” I thought — I mean, I know they’re not on Brooke Shields’ level or anything, but I just assumed this was a classic upsell moment and politely declined. Then I looked closer in the mirror and, unfortunately, she was right. My brows do start to peter out around the arches, especially on my left side.

Just when I was about to circle back and take her up on that offer, I got my hands on the new Anastasia Beverly Hills ArchiBrow Pencil — designed with an ultra-thin, blade-like tip that creates fine, hair-like strokes instead of the blocky, filled-in look (one of my biggest makeup icks). Admittedly, that’s a pretty standard promise right now, but when ABH talks brows, I’m inclined to listen. So, I put the tint on hold and decided to see if I could fix the situation myself. Ahead, my honest review of the brand’s latest launch.

Fast Facts

• Price: $30
• Best for: Filling in sparse areas
• Rating: 4/5
• What I like: It’s precise like a pen, but with softer pigment
• What I don’t like: The price feels high for this amount of product

Anastasia Beverly Hills’ ArchiBrow Pencil

Everyone knows Anastasia Beverly Hills does brows *exceptionally* well — so much so that, when they drop a new product, it usually says a lot about where the category’s trends are headed. (Think back to the pomade era and how quickly that turned into a block-brow takeover.) You can immediately tell with this latest launch that we’re moving toward something fluffy, soft, and natural.

The tip, of course, is the main attraction. It’s tiny (only half a millimeter wide) and sharply slanted, designed for sketching in individual hairs instead of filling your brows in all at once. One end of the pencil twists up to reveal the product — which is reinforced with a plastic casing to keep it from breaking — while on the other, there’s a spoolie for blending out harsh lines.

The formula itself is surprisingly creamy for something this precise. It glides on easily without skipping, but still promises 12-hour wear. It’s also available in nine shades total, with a variety of undertones: blonde, taupe, soft brown, caramel, chocolate, medium brown, dark brown, ebony, and granite.

My Review

First things first: There’s definitely a learning curve. I struggled with the angle at first, but found it easier to hold the pencil slightly off to the side rather than going in head-on. Once you get the hang of it, though, it does what it promises.

I used the sharp edge to sketch in super-fine strokes in areas where I need a little extra density. My brows looked fuller and more even — and, most importantly, they still looked like hair. That said, it’s not really a full tail-builder. It works better for enhancing what’s already there rather than creating something from scratch.

The formula being on the creamier side feels like both a pro and a con. On one hand, it doesn’t drag when you’re trying to create sharp lines, and you don’t have to use as much pressure to get the pigment payoff. Plus, it lasted all day without sliding off.

However, the creamy texture also meant the tip went dull after the first use. Once that happened, the strokes started looking slightly thicker and more powdery — especially on bare skin. (The only way to sharpen the tip again is to break off the exposed product, which feels wasteful at this price point.) It’s not a dealbreaker, IMO, but it does take away from that super realistic effect.

The Verdict

My usual problem with brow products is, I like the precision of a pen with the softer pigment of a pencil — and the ArchiBrow Pencil is one of the few that gives me the best of both worlds. It’s sharp enough to add detail where I need it, but not so intense that my arches look drawn on.

Is it perfect? Not exactly. If your brows are super sparse or you’re trying to fully draw on a tail, it might not carry the whole look on its own. The packaging, too, feels a little off. There’s no cap on the end where the product is (it twists up and down), so if you’re particular about dust and dirt, that might be something to consider.

Still, this did enough that I forgot why I was considering a brow tint in the first place. It delivers exactly what I want from a modern brow pencil: natural-looking definition that still reads as hair. I just wish the tip stayed sharp a little longer.