Sephora Retractable Brow Pencil — Is it a Brow Wiz Dupe?

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Today it is all about the Sephora Retractable Brow Pencil.

Ah, the coveted Anastasia Brow Wiz, revered by bloggers, YouTubers, and makeup lovers around the world for so. many. reasons. I honestly don’t think I can think of a single thing I don’t like about this brow product. Except the price. That’s a big one.

Which is why I’m embarking on a journey to find a great dupe that doesn’t make my wallet run away in fear. Find out if the Sephora Retractable Brow Pencil stands up against the Brow Wiz, or if it doesn’t stand a chance.

Click through to read the full review!

Sephora Retractable Brow Pencil, the Basics

In case you were unaware, the teeny Anastasia Brow Wiz costs a $21.00 USD for a 0.003 oz. pencil. If you are into multiplication, this works out to a whopping $7000 per 1.0 oz of product. (I really, really hope I calculated that right, if not, that’d be embarrassing.) But even if my numbers are not quite right, there is no doubt that the pencil is ridiculously expensive for what you get.

Let’s talk about those spoolies. Well, Anastasia’s spoolie; I’m not sure what Sephora has going on there. Anastasia’s spoolie is very dense yet soft as far as spoolies are concerned. It feels comfortable on the face, plus it does a great job of distributing the product evenly.

The Sephora Retractable Brow Pencil doesn’t really have a spoolie, but rather a little comb. It works okay to brush your brow hairs into place, but it doesn’t really do anything in terms of distributing the product.

Sephora Retractable Brow Pencil >> Purchase at Sephora

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz >> Purchase at Sephora

Great price point, as widely available as Sephora stores are present

On the flip side, the Sephora Retractable Brow pencil costs $12.oo. This is more than drugstore options from L’Oréal and Maybelline, but still much less than a “high-end” price tag. It is only available at Sephora stores and online (obviously,) but the stores are everywhere, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to get your hands on.

Although the tube looks long, if you roll the pencil all the way up, you will be disappointed to find that it is less than 1 1/2 inches long. This is typical, but it doesn’t make it any better.

Formula is similar, but different enough to be noticeable

The textures are similar, though the Sephora Retractable Brow Pencil is slightly softer. They are both rather waxy, which makes it easy to prevent too much color from being deposited at once. The swatches below show both heavy and light applications of the two contenders.

The photo on the right tests the product’s smudge-resistance. I ran my thumb over the two swatches about 10 times with a decent amount of pressure in order to see how each would hold up. Now, the Sephora Retractable Brow Pencil claims to be waterproof, while the Anastasia does not. Regardless, the final result is very similar, with each formula holding up well against excessive rubbing. “Waterproof” is an attractive word, although it doesn’t matter whether it claims to be or not, as long as it stays put on my brows.

Color selection is fair, but not up to Brow Wiz standards

The Sephora Retractable Brow Pencil offers 7 shade options, compared to Anastasia’s 10. I selected the shade Soft Charcoal from Sephora’s line, and Dark Brown from Anastasia. These two colors are quite similar, though the Sephora pencil has a slight greenish tinge compared to the Anastasia. While the darkest shade from Sephora works out pretty well for me, if you are needing a pencil that is more black-toned, you won’t find it in the Sephora line-up.

After swatching all the colors from both lines, I would say that the shade range is about 60% similar. Some colors are good matches, while others are rather muddy looking. I definitely recommend stopping by a Sephora store and testing the colors yourself before making a selection.

Application is smooth with its softer texture

One of the most common praises about the Anastasia Brow Wiz is that it’s super-skinny tip and drier texture allows you to draw in super light strokes that mimic the look of natural brow hairs. Perhaps I’m just spoiled with the Brow Wiz, but now anything with a thicker tip (or that you have to, God forbid, sharpen,) makes me back away in fear. Needless to say, the size of the tip is very important to me.

As you can see above, the diameter of the pencil is almost identical.

If anything the Sephora one may be a tiny bit thicker, but they are still very close. The more rounded tip of the Sephora Retractable Brow Pencil is a result of the softer texture. This also means that the pencil wears down faster than the Anastasia, so you will need to repurchase more often.

Finished look is basically identical to Brow Wiz

Despite the differences, I achieved identical looks using the Sephora Retractable Brow Pencil and the Anastasia Brow Wiz. Of course, this depends largely on whether you are able to find an acceptable color.

The softer texture is slightly more difficult to control, but this is a matter of personal opinion. The Brow Wiz’s drier texture makes for a cleaner line, while the softer, crayon-like texture is more prone to smudgy edges. However, the problem is easily fixed with a bit of concealer or my favorite thing, the E.l.f. Makeup Remover Pen.

Overall, I saw no difference in lasting power on my moderately oily skin.

The final verdict- not an identical dupe, but it is a good alternative

So I know everyone is wondering, is it a dupe? The Sephora Retractable Brow Pencil is similar enough and has enough things going for it that I will continue to use it as a Brow Wiz replacement. I don’t know for sure if everyone will feel this way, but I am happy with this product and I will continue to repurchase it.

The main differences are the texture, spoolie (or lack thereof,) and the color selection. Stop by Sephora, try it out, and let me know what you think!

One more thing to note- After about one month of consistent use, I am almost completely out of product, whereas the Brow Wiz lasts me about 6-7 weeks. Just something to consider.

Sephora Retractable Brow Pencil >> Purchase at Sephora

That’s all for today!

If you liked this post, check out this one –> L’Oréal Brow Stylist Definer, A Brow Wiz Dupe?

If you found this post interesting, informative, or just plain entertaining, tell me about it in the comments below. And don’t forget, sharing is caring, so share this post!

Till next time ♥︎

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FTC- This post is not sponsored by any brands mentioned. I purchase all products myself. All opinions are my own. Some links may be affiliated.