I don’t usually repeat reviews (I first reviewed this back in 2007) but I’m making an exception for this product, because its withstood the test of time and because I’ve had quite a few requests asking me what I use for my brows and when I say its the Shu Uemura Hard Formula Brow Pencil, I’ve had reviews requested. After much procrastination, here it is 🙂
This product is one of Shu Uemura’s iconic products – their Top 5 alongside their cleansing oil, deep sea water mist and eyelash curler. I can also vouch for the last which I also use daily.
So, what is so special about this pencil? I attribute it to the lead used, and the shape.
The lead is quite hard, and if you try drawing a line on the back of your hand, you get little to nothing. Its easy to say “Ah crap! What a waste of money!” But the beauty really is that it doesn’t mark your skin but the colour grabs onto hair and colours it quite easily and naturally. We want natural looking brows, not brows that look stenciled on (You can get a tattoo for that 😛 ) and this pencil is great for that.
Of course, the special shape plays a part in making this one easy to use too 🙂
When you buy the Shu Uemura Hard Formula 9 Brow Pencil, it comes looking just like a normal round pencil with a sharp tip. You can ask the SA at the Shu boutiques or counters to sharpen it for you into the Niigata (sword) shape. Over here, most boutiques and counters have them ready sharpened so you don’t have to wait.
So what’s so special about this Niigata shape? The pencil lead is sharpened flat so it resembles a sword. At the top, it is tapered to a flat angled tip (1). This shape actually makes it easier to draw or colour in your brows, and gets it at the correct angle.
The body of the pencil (2) is of hard wood and so is the pencil lead which is also hard. This allows the pencil to hold its shape in this design. You can try sharpening your other pencils into this shape but if the lead is too soft, it will not hold and will break easily. I’ve never had a problem with my Shu pencils breaking but don’t go dropping them from great heights either!
If you look at it from the front, the wood is sharpened into a U shape, with one side higher than the other. The higher part is to protect and support the pencil so it doesn’t break. The other side is lower and will dip as you use it.
I find that the angle is quite perfect for use in penciling in my brows. I’ve realised that I do have quite thick, if a little unruly brows. So, I don’t really draw in my brows per se, but merely darken the hairs and define the shape for everyday. The thin flat tip allows me to draw a fine tail to taper off the end of my brows, and the shape is easily angled to colour your brow hair in short strokes.
For most Asians, Seal Brown 02 or Stone Grey 05 work quite well. It would be advisable to match your brows to your hair, so if you have lightened your hair, you might want to think about a lighter pencil. I use both Seal Brown and Stone Grey interchangeably.
In a nutshell
A brow pencil I find hard to do without. I have been using this for over 5 years and I keep coming back even after trying other brow products. In all that time, I have only repurchased once. Yes, one pencil does last quite a while even with daily use. I think this lives up to its hype and I will further fan the fires of this hype because it deserves it!
Pros: The shape makes it easy to use, You can take it back to any Shu Uemura counter or boutique to have it sharpened complimentary, It gives a very natural look to the brows as it mostly colours the hair and does not deposit too much colour on the skin
Cons: Initial investment can be pricey, Maybe inconvenient to sharpen if you do not have a Shu Uemura counter nearby
After using it often, you will find that the pencil will wear down until a point when it just becomes impossible to continue using. I notice this most when my brows start looking thick and weird. That’s when I know its time to gather up my pencils and head to a Shu Uemura counter or boutique to have them sharpened, gratis! I have 2 so I can stretch out the sharpening time, but if you just have one pencil and use it daily, expect to have to sharpen it at least once in 2 months or thereabouts! 🙂 One pencil can last you a long time so I won’t say its a pricey product – just initially.
You could sharpen it yourself. I’ve tried it, butchered my pencil and will never do it again 😛
I’ve tried using a lot of other brow stuff – cream, gel, powder and recently, liquid (!) but I come back to this pencil because I find it gives the best and most natural result for me and I get the job done in the shortest possible time too!
Do you use the Shu Uemura Hard 9 Brow Pencil too? Do you find it as indispensible as I do? 🙂
Paris B
The Shu Uemura Hard Formula 9 Brow Pencil retails at RM65 (I think) at all Shu Uemura counters and boutiques. Resharpening is complimentary.
I have not tried this but Empro saved my brows lol Using sharp tipped pencils justturned out disastrous! I’m not good at drawing the shape and all but I immediately got the hang of it after using it.
just bought it and the price is now RM70… i love the pencil but hate to send it back for sharpen… lolz…
I have the Make Up for Ever eyebrow gel and also used to use Mac eyeshadow as brow powder in Mystery and also have the Anastacia brow gel but for whatever reason, they never look natural, no matter how hard I try not to be too heavy handed or whatever. I’m anxious to try the Shu but I wish they still had counters in the US so I could try before I buy.
Hi Paris!Thanks for your review, I didn\’t know such technology behind this eyebrow pencil! It makes me so so curious to give it a try ^^^Unfortunately, there\’s no Shu Uemura counter where I live, as far as I\’m aware of.I hesitate buying this on eBay though because of the relatively vast color range: Acorn, Ashy, Brown Seal…Would you mind helping me? I really love your eyebrows and that\’s the look I\’m looking for: delicate, diffused and youthful xxx This look is so fresh, actually, I\’m not much into the heavy, bushy eyebrows we see everywhere on magazines.I also would rather use a color that\’s a lil bit lighter than my natural eyebrow color, as it seems less risky and softer than going too dark. Does Shu Uemura color pay-off visible whilst going lighter?I have very dark brown hair with mahogany reflections, while my eyebrows are thick and look almost black. Let\’s say we\’re on virgin territory because I don\’t dye my hair and I hardly pluck my eyebrows (the \”mountain\” is thicker than the base and they are naturally slightly arched).My skin tone is neutral to warm with slight olive tinge, if this helps. Well, that\’s my perception at the moment and I asked Musical Houses to help me finding a definitive answer – I really need help from you bloggazzz!!! Mega lolBTW, I strongly recommend her article \”Undertones for Asians: How to tell if your skintone is Cool, Warm, Neutral, or Olive\” to everyone, whether you\’re Asian or not, it\’s highly informative.Also, sorry for being so picky but I need to know whether these eyebrow pencils contain some khaki green color to them. That\’s because eyebrow hairs always contain a tiny bit of green – this is very obvious on blond and chestnut-haired people.Pure maroon looks too reddish, brown is too cold, ashy grey is aging whilst black obviously hardens the features. I reckon a kinda soft khaki tending to warm would look balanced! Some Japonese/ Korean brands are aware of that btw, that\’s why their brow products are a bit funny to look at sometimes.Sorry for such a long text and so many specific questions. It just happens that when I particularly like some posts, I tend to get passionate and chatty :-p)))Thank you so much in advance for your advice!!!!!!Un abrazo xxx
Hey there,
I looove my hard pencil in Walnut Brown. My brows are invisible light blonde, sparse with gaps due to overplucking in my youth. I hate them 🙁 So it’s important for me that a pencil is shown on both: hairs and skin. I own a lot of pencils, drugstore and highend, but all are too smooth and make me look like a clown. And it took me too much time to draw my entire brows every single day.
This hard pencil works so quick and effortless when I first put moisturer on. Colour comes out light and very natural; and most important: It is not too red/orangy.
But right now I am really angry and frustated about Shu Uemura. The only way for me to contact Shu (no Shu in Europe anymore) is to use the contact form from their website. I tried it many times but never got an answer. I asked them for colour advice because I want to try/buy another 2 colours.
Next week a friend of mine is going to Japan for vacation, he can get the hard pencils for me. Would be so glad if someone has any suggestions for me (invisible, blonde brows, fair skin, strawberryblonde hair).
PLEASE HELP!!