Q: What's the best brow pencil shade if my hair is grey?

If you've ever experienced the subtly transformative power of a good brow makeover, there's no going back. "Brows frame the face, they're how you express yourself," says Gucci of her biggest 'can't-leave-home-without-it' beauty staple.  As a general benchmark, she suggests choosing a brow pencil that's about two shades darker than the hair on your head—but if that hair is completely or partially silver in varying degrees, things can feel less clear cut.

"When it comes to grey hair, the answer isn't 100% straightforward," she concedes. Your natural hair color, skin tone, and personality (of course!) play a role.  Still, Gucci relies on a few favorite tricks for finding the perfect match—and adapting your filling technique.

REFLECT ON CHILDHOOD PHOTOS

Whether your hair is entirely silver, streaked with ivory at the hairline, or something in between, Gucci has a reliable trick for figuring out your best brow shade. "Look at pictures of yourself in your teenage years or your twenties," she suggests.  While the hair on your head changes with age, brow color often stays roughly the same.  For example, says Gucci, "I've been a cool tone brunette with an ashy black brow since [late childhood]. Now in her fifties, she still reaches for the soft black tone of Bonne Brow in Slate—but approaches the task of grooming her brows with a lighter touch.. "It's nothing dense, just filling in little gaps and lengthening the ends, which get sparser after 40," she says. "It's about a delicate, gentler approach."

CONSIDER YOUR SKIN UNDERTONE

Just as when she's choosing a flattering blush shade or eye color, Gucci assesses the undertone of the skin and the undertone of a client's hair when reaching for a brow pencil on set. If you have silver hair that's mixed with warm chocolate, auburn, or golden blonde strands, for instance, "you may want to try a brow shade that's also on the warmer side"—such as Clay (for blondes)  or Bark (for brunettes) in the Bonne Brow family. The same 'undertone theory' holds true for an individual with entirely grey hair that is offset by an olive or golden complexion, which tends to synch better with a warmer brow shade.

Shop Bonne Brow Clay

On the flip side, if your skin tone is "cool" or you describe your hair color as silver streaked with "ashy" tones of brown, red, or blonde, try a pencil in the same family, such as Stone (for cool blondes and redheads) or Slate (natural cool black).  

GET SHADE MATCHED BY A PRO

The simplest and most accurate way of choosing a brow pencil that's custom-matched to your unique coloring or features is a quick in-person assessment.  If swinging by a favorite boutique for a chat isn't in the cards, there's our Clean Beauty Concierge service. The complimentary one-on-one Zoom consultation matches you with a Westman Atelier makeup artist who can asses your unique features in real time and make shade recommendations.  Consider your brow situation sorted.

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Watch Gucci's brow tutorial with model Sylke Golding, from choosing the right shade for her silvery brown hair to filling her overplucked ends.