Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz Review: The 1mm Brow Pencil, Full Ingredients & Honest Drawbacks
· Amazed by MN
The Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz is the ultra-slim, retractable brow pencil that most drugstore micro pencils are measured against. Its 1mm tip is designed to draw fine, hair-like detail, and it comes in more shades than almost any competitor. Here is what is inside, who it suits, and whether it is worth the higher price.
How we put this guide together: this review is based on Anastasia Beverly Hills product information as published by its authorized retailers, the complete ingredient list, and public customer ratings. No brand paid for this placement.
Quick Verdict
A precise, well-pigmented pencil with a wide, well-thought-out shade range and a spoolie on the other end. It is a strong pick if shade match and fine detail matter most to you. It is a weaker pick if you are on a budget, since you get very little product, or if you need a waterproof formula.
What It Is
- Format: ultra-slim, retractable mechanical pencil with a spoolie brush on the opposite end.
- Tip: 1mm.
- Size: 0.003 oz (0.085 g). A smaller mini size is also sold.
- Shades: 12. Blonde, Taupe, Caramel, Strawburn, Auburn, Soft Brown, Ash Brown, Medium Brown, Chocolate, Dark Brown, Granite, and Ebony.
- Formula: a blend of wax and color that the brand says delivers high color payoff and a hair-like texture.
- Labels: listed by retailers as vegan and cruelty-free.
- Price: around $26 for the full size at US department stores at the time of writing, with the mini from about $16.
The Full Ingredient List
Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Zinc Stearate, Carnauba Wax, Stearic Acid, Polyglyceryl-2 Triisostearate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Hexylene Glycol. May contain: Mica, Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide.
Some retailer listings also include talc and ferric ferrocyanide, so check your own packaging. Here is what the key ingredients do:
- Hydrogenated soybean oil and hydrogenated coco-glycerides: plant-derived waxy emollients that let the pencil glide without dragging.
- Carnauba wax and stearic acid: these give the pencil the firmness a 1mm tip needs. Carnauba is a plant wax, which fits the vegan label.
- Tocopheryl acetate: a form of vitamin E.
- Iron oxides: the mineral pigments that create the shades.
It is worth noticing how similar this base is to the ingredient lists of much cheaper micro pencils. The differences you pay for are mainly the tip, the shade range, and the finish of the pencil itself.
What Users Say
At Walmart, the Soft Brown shade holds a 4.7 out of 5 average across more than 4,400 ratings. Buyers most often praise the natural-looking hair strokes and the number of shades. The criticism is consistent too: some reviewers at department stores report spoolie brushes that arrived defective, one was disappointed to find it is not waterproof at this price, and one says they found a cheaper alternative for less than half the price. Reviews are individual experiences, so your results may differ.
How to Use It
- Choose the shade closest to your natural brow hair color.
- Use short, upward strokes in the direction of hair growth to fill gaps and extend the tail where needed.
- Add extra detail only where the brow looks sparse.
- Blend with the spoolie to soften the strokes for a natural look.
For very sparse brows, the brand suggests filling in first with a thicker pencil and using Brow Wiz for the detail.
Who It’s Best For
- People who cannot find their shade at the drugstore, especially red-toned, ashy, or gray brows
- Anyone who wants the finest possible hair-like strokes
- All brow types, from sparse to full, according to the brand
- Shoppers who want a vegan, cruelty-free prestige pencil
Honest Drawbacks
- Expensive for the amount. You get 0.085 g of product, so daily users will need to repurchase regularly.
- Not waterproof. It is not sold as a waterproof pencil, and at least one buyer review points this out.
- The fine tip can break. As with any ultra-fine mechanical pencil, extend only a little product at a time.
- Quality complaints about the spoolie. Not common, but they appear in reviews.
- Cheaper pencils have a very similar base formula. See the comparison below.
How It Compares
The drugstore pencils most often named as alternatives are the NYX Micro Brow Pencil, which also comes in 12 shades and is described by NYX as waterproof, the Maybelline Brow Ultra Slim, and the waterproof L’Oreal Paris Brow Stylist Definer with its 0.5mm tip. If price is your priority, start with one of those. If shade match is your priority, Brow Wiz still has one of the most complete ranges.
The Bottom Line
Brow Wiz earns its reputation on precision and shade range. Whether it is worth roughly double or triple the price of a drugstore pencil depends on how hard your brow color is to match.
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