There’s one for every facial feature
Pencils have come a long way since just adding colour; the latest makeup pencils are formulated with colour-correcting, highlighting and blending powders to accentuate the face, eyes and lips effortlessly. Plus, they take up so little room in your makeup bag, there’s no reason not to add at least one of each pencil type to your makeup collection. Here are our favourites…
Best for: Face
From colour-correcting by hiding dark tones in your skin to concealing trouble spots, these pencils can give you a seriously flawless finish.
Toolkit:
Great for light skin tones, wear Scout Cosmetics Corrector Pencil in Yellow to conceal darkness under the eye area.
Smashbox Color Correcting Stick in Look Less Tired may look scarily orange, but it works well to neutralise purple and blue tones in olive to dark skin, usually found in dark circles.
Apply Bobbi Brown Retouching Face Pencil or shu uemura cover crayon on top of foundation to camouflage redness and hide blemishes.
Scout Cosmetics Corrector Pencil
Smashbox Color Correcting Stick
Bobbi Brown Retouching Face Pencil & shu uemura cover crayon
Best for: Contouring and highlighting
Use these creamy colours to bring your features to life; they’re more pigmented than powder shadows, and are a cinch to use.
Toolkit:
Nudestix Sculpting Pencil is a two-in-one pencil that’s designed with a darker shade on one end to emphasise cheekbones and a lighter shade to illuminate.
Rimmel London Brow This Way Highlighting Pencil in Pink Matte is a mini-sized pencil that is great at accentuating arches of the brow to give the face a lifted look.
Tarte The Sculptor Amazonian Clay Contouring Face Slenderizer in Park Ave Princess is a contouring product we keep reaching for as it melts into skin upon contact and can be easily blended on top of foundation.
Nudestix Sculpting Pencil
Rimmel London Brow This Way Highlighting Pencil
Tarte The Sculptor Amazonian Clay Contouring Face Slenderizer
Best for: Eyes
Whether you’re looking to make your eyes look more awake or want to darken them for a nighttime look to complement your LBD, there’s a pencil for every situation.
Want to brighten your eyes? Opt for a nude eyeliner like MAC Studio Chromagraphic Pencil; it’s a nude-coloured pencil that can be matched to your foundation for seamless results.
Estée Lauder Magic Smoky Powder Shadow Sticks make applying smoky eyes a breeze. Try the bronzed shade for a golden take on the classic look that’s perfect for the warmer season ahead.
For a smouldering look, smudge NARS Velvet Eyeliner in Mambo into your lash line to mimic thicker looking lashes.
MAC Studio Chromagraphic Pencil
Estée Lauder Magic Smoky Powder Shadow Stick
NARS Velvet Eyeliner
Best for: Lips
Lip pencils are giving your lipstick a run for their money this season as they can provide just as much pigment. Plus, if you’re loyal to your lipstick they’re essential for helping it stay put for longer.
Maybelline New York Color Drama in Nude Perfection is mattifying but not at all drying. Plus, its staying power is second to none.
Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pink Venus is a must-have this season: it’s universally flattering for all skin tones, waterproof and lasts for up to six hours.
Silicone-based L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Lip Liner Magique is a transparent product that can stop your lipstick from feathering.
Maybelline New York Color Drama
Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat
L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Lip Liner Magique
Complete the rest of your makeup with this guide to using colour-correctors and the newest set of makeup rules to follow.
Main image photography: Edward Urrutia
Iantha is BEAUTYcrew's Beauty Editor, and has been part of the team since the site launched in 2016. Besides pinky-nude nail polish and wispy false lashes, she has a healthy obsession with face masks and skin care ingredients. Her previous work can be found in Virgin Australia Voyeur, Women's Health, and SHOP Til You Drop.
