I’ve discussed in the past how my sparse eyebrows are basically the bane of my existence. And I, admittedly, tend toward high end products from Tom Ford and Anastasia Beverly Hills.

But then my toddler got into my makeup bag and used my sacred Tom Ford to draw all over herself—and proceeded to chew on the spooly brush at the opposite end. So, it was an in immediate R.I.P. for my beloved Brow Sculptor in Chesnut, and there was no way I was making it to Bergdorf Goodman any time soon to buy another.

Sheer panic.

So I put on my largest pair of sunglasses and went to the drugstore in search of a substitute pencil. A pencil that could be both precise and blendable. A pencil with good pigment that was natural looking. A pencil that would wear well in heat and humidity. A pencil with staying power.

I found THIS pencil and it is my everything. For about $3, you get TWO and a sharpener! Please don’t judge them by their size or cost—their diminutive stature is actually pretty brilliant because you get more control. I apply the pencil in quick, short, light strokes in the direction the hair grows. Once I’ve built up the desired intensity of color, I go over the strokes with a small stiff brow brush to blend.

I’ve bought a bunch and given a few away to friends and family who all agree with me that these little babies are the bomb.

P.S. This eyebrow growth serum is working!