They don't sell Shu Uemura in Spain, so I when I went to England, I picked up a couple. They sharpened them at the counter for me too. So far they've lasted me 8 months without having to be sharpened!
Seal brown is perfect for my skin tone (medium tan/NC42, brown eyes and black hair). My HG for my brows.

Did they change the formula on these pencils? I bought Shade 3 a few years ago but now that I've changed my hair colour I've switched to Shade 2. My old Shade 3 pencils is harder so the colour lasted longer on my brows (and my patchy bits where my brows should be but aren't) but it snapped quite easily. My new Shade 2 pencil is much creamier so it's lasting power is less but I might be able to use all the product this time instead of being forced to chuck the shards that have snapped off. Gave the packaging a 4 because they have so obviously shrunk the size of the pencil by about an inch in the past few years without changing the price, but I love the nib and the free sharpening service.

What I love:
The ashy shade (Shade 2, Shade 3 is warm)
The lasting power (even the new formula is extremely long lasting - not so great if you get it wet though)
Great look with minimal product (I use it quite a few times each week and get it sharpened about every three months)
The formula - I think I do prefer the new one actually. With my old pencil it was possible to use too light a hand and just get no result. It was also possible to press too hard and snap the lead.

Will definitely buy again - though love the fact that I won't have to shell out for a while haha.

I don't know how I've ever lived without this. It is absolutely perfect in every way. The colour, consistency, and longevity is amazing. I can do my brows SO quickly now, and they last through rain, sweat, and everything else. I really appreciate the special shape that it is cut (courtesy of my Shu SA), as it makes it a lot easier to use than traditionally cut pencils. The colour matches my brows perfectly and it just looks so natural. The pencil is also really long; I think it's about 50% longer than most eyeliner or eyebrow pencils (the length reminds me of Wet 'n Wild pencils). If this colour doesn't work out for you it comes in two other colours (at my counter, at least) so I highly recommend trying them out.

The best eyebrow pencil. Nothing really to add that hasn't been said already. Looks natural, great shade (no red tones) and easy to apply. Yes it is pricey for a pencil, but it lasts a long time, so actually works out at good value. Highly recommended.

I've been using this brow pencil for a few years now. I do try using something else every now and then but always find myself reaching for this one. I got mine from Sephora. It's a bit pricey and kinda hurts to make the purchase, but it comes in a pretty long pencil and mine has lasted for a few years now (it's at the halfway point). I like the hard formula and how when applied, it looks way more natural than other pencils that I've tried. My only gripe is the cap doesn't stay on too well. I will find that sometimes the cap comes off while in my makeup bag. The last time it went missing, I couldn't find the cap and so I just took another cap off the nearest NYX lipliner that I had in my stash and put it on this brow pencil, which has stayed on much better. This doesn't take away from the product itself, but just thought it was notable.

After reading stellar reviews I ordered this pencil off the Shu website. It took about 2 weeks to reach me, and I was excited to try it out, I was sick of dealing with pots and brushes for eyebrow gel and wanted a quick way to shade in my eyebrows. I have decently full eyebrows, but wanted to fill in sparse areas and define them more.
The pencil is a bit longer than your average eyebrow pencil, mine was not sharpened the distinct way that some other reviewers here have mentioned, it came from the Shu manufacturer sharpened like a regular pencil. I read that it works when mixed with the oils in your eyebrow, so I tried to start filling in mine.
I literally had to scrape and scrape for about 5 mins to get any product onto my eyebrows, I had eyebrow hairs I had scraped out falling onto my cheeks, this pencil just would not transfer. After having used it several times, it does get easier to work with, but intitially I was going to give up. The color is a cooler brown, I am asian with dark brown hair, but this pencil does not give me precise lines or the ability to feather in strokes. Altogether unless your brows are the exact shade of brown, you will look like you have powdered in your brows. so if you are going for precise or super natural looking brows, this pencil is probably not it. I guess I don't mind the color, as it is decent, however, it is nothing special, not for the price. At least for me, this is not the type of effect I was hoping for.

Truly a backup worthy eyebrow item! There are many informative reviews here that explain this product's attributes beautifully. For me, one of its best quality is the color itself. I own this in Seal Brown (and have backups!) and find that this is a a great neutral to cool tint brown. I've gone through many other product where there is too much red in the color to look natural, but find that the Shu pencil in seal brown is a terrible natural shade for my brows.
It only works to deposit color on the hair, and will not leave color on the skin. I find that I need to have some moisturizer on my skin, or a bit after washing my face. If I try to apply immediately after washing my face, the pencil will not work.

It's hard to overapply this and get crazy eyebrows. And it is really easy to get a great natural enhanced eyebrows. Love it!

We don't have any counters in the US, so I can't take advantage of the free sharpening into that iconic flat sabre-like shape, so I just use a regular sharpener. I still find it works well.

This pencil will last a long time. I don't expect to have to buy a replacement for many years. Have to note that the plastic cap is really brittle and flimsy and broke right away.

My search for the perfect eyebrow pencil is over. If you dislike overly drawn, dark eyebrow makeup and want soft, defined natural eyebrows for asian makeup....THIS it a must have! I have tried virtually every formula there is for eyebrows: gels, wax, pencils, powder and nothing beats Shu Uemura's hard brow pencil

You will have to put a lot of pressure on this pencil to make it really obvious/ harsh. A little goes a long way and although it is pricey, it has been pricier for me to buy random japanese eyebrow pencils that costs $10-$15 at a time which will only last 2 months at the very most.
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HG! Will never be without again...I've spent hundreds of dollars worth of disappointment on brow pencils, powders, gels, you name it. I was using the Anastasia brow palette and it wasn't quite what I wanted but close. The color of this pencil is perfect, just perfect! I am thrilled to have found it. It has been quite a task finding a cool toned brow anything. I am NW15, dark ash blonde/lt ash brown so anything with warm, red tones didn't work for me. Will buy again and again!

An excellent brow pencil. The color is ashy enough to work well for most blonds and brunettes. The key is to use very light strokes. The formula is what makes this pencil so great. Its hard to swatch, but when pencil interacts with the oils is your skin it can leave behind a light color. As others have said... the pencil lasts a long time, making it a very good value. Shu Uemura is no longer sold at counters in the US, but can be purchased from their website. I will definitely repurchase.

Application: Hard Formula is not very pigmented. The colour doesn't show up vividly or intensely. It applies more as a soft wash of colour than a solid line. But that is the basis of its appeal. Because it isn't intensely pigmented, it's incredibly foolproof. It's very difficult to overdo and you will never find yourself looking like you drew your brows in with a black marker. Applied with a light hand, it fills in gaps between brow hairs and shades in the brows seamlessly. Applied with more pressure, it can be used to subtly extend the tail of the eyebrows and create a more defined shape, though I must mention that if you are looking to draw very precise, clean lines, this is not the ideal product for that purpose.

Shade: Varying the intensity of the application changes the resulting colour ever so slightly. Applied with a light hand to shade in the eyebrows, Seal Brown comes across as a medium neutral grey. Applied with a heavier hand, it appears more brown. Seal Brown is a very versatile and universal colour but if I had to be fastidious, I would say that it is not the perfect match for my eyebrows. My eyebrows are a cool grey that lacks any warm undertones. However, Seal Brown, despite being the most neutral brown in the range, ultimately has brown undertones, as its name suggests. I can get away with Seal Brown using very light, shading strokes, but I believe Stone Gray would have been a more flattering and complementary shade for my eyebrows. Sadly, Stone Gray was not available at my counter (it's supposedly not a very popular colour in Australia).

Overall, a very versatile product. But if you are Asian, you might want to reconsider the shade that you purchase. Seal Brown is the best selling shade in Japan. The sales assistants will recommend this shade to most people since, as I said, it is a universal colour for all ethnicities. But interestingly, you may have noticed that very soft warm brown eyebrows are the trend in Japan, even on girls with black hair. Seal Brown 02 and Acorn 06 are perfect for that sort of look. However, in South Korea, thick, black eyebrows are more popular. So the colour you select really depends on your taste more than anything. Personally, I prefer grey/black eyebrows on East Asians because they look more natural. If you do too, then Stone Gray 05 would be good for shading fine, sparse eyebrows. Sound Black 01 would be more suitable for filling gaps in thicker, denser brows (I believe this shade is harder to find). Otherwise, Seal Brown might be a better match if you have more brownish undertones in your hair.

I'm loving the Shu Uemura Hard 9 pencil! I purchased the seal brown shade and it is a perfect match for me (I'm Korean with NC25 skintone). The pencil seems like it would not work because it is literally very "hard" and seemingly unpigmented, but somehow on the brows it just works. It's also a lot longer than the average pencil so I imagine it would last me quite a long time!
As far as the packaging goes, I think improvements could be made. I prefer brow pencils to have a spooly at the end to soften the brows and make it more natural. However, this isn't a deal breaker for me since it can be softened by slightly running through my brows with my fingers. I highly recommend this product because it gives the most natural looking, yet defined brows!

This brow pencil in Seal Brown is the perfect brow pencil for me. My eyebrows are naturally very sparse so with many other pencils or brow powders they just end up looking too drawn-on and harsh. This pencil however, always gives me perfect and natural looking eyebrows. I am fair (NC15) and have black hair currently but even when my hair was dyed a light ash brown, Seal Brown was still a suitable colour. Definitely a staple!

This may the only product I've tried so far in my 26 years that I know will stay with me forever. If it is ever discontinued I will get enough backups to last me for the rest of my life, no joke. Realistically, since one lasts me about 3 years I'll need around 20.

This liner is THE brow pencil for me because it is perfection in two ways. First off, the color is absolutely perfect for creating a natural brow on my NC20 lightly yellowish Asian skin and black hair. It is brown, but a cool, ashy one that pulls absolutely no red or warmth whatsoever. It blends in perfectly with my black brows.

Secondly, the texture is beyond genius. Too many brow pencils get it wrong with thinking they are pencils meant for eyes. They're not. Pencils for eyes must be soft and glide, so they achieve the most precise look without pulling the eye. However, this quality found in some brow pencils make them deliver way too much waxy looking product onto your brows, making it very difficult to achieve brows (quickly) that don't look fake. I'm all about adding flair to one's makeup (bright lips, colorful eyeshadows), but I draw the line (literally, haha!) at brows. I only want natural looking brows that just look perfectly groomed, not harshly draw in. Shu's liner achieves that because the formula is very, very hard. It's still wax-based, but it will not transfer onto your skin if there's not enough oil on it (try drawing a line with it on palm of your hand--nearly impossible). Also, each line drawn w/ it is not too pigmented, allowing you to go over a spot repeatedly to build up strokes that look like hairs.

On top of all this, it is the longest lasting brow product I've ever used, and I don't use anything else with it (e.g. brow gel or wax). Yes, $22 is steep for a brow pencil, but given it lasts years with average use and is absolutely flawless as a product I believe it is well worth the price.

Holy grail for me. Before reading about this, I used other pencils, that mostly ended up being too creamy, too pigmented, too brown, too dark, too warm, too red, too obvious. If you like using a pencil to define your brows (sometimes I find eyeshadows require more work), this is it. I have dark blonde brows and brown hair and this cool shade is perfect for me. The fact that the lead is hard makes it very easy to control and forgiving, and it doesn't budge all day. It's not cheap (20 euros in Italy), but I've had it for a year and a half now, I use it every single day and I still have plenty, so it makes a pretty good investment. I will always keep buying this.

I've used brow pencils before and been happy with them but the quality of this just blows them out of the water. I was dubious when I swatched it on my hand because it didn't leave a mark, I thought it wouldn't make any sort of difference to my brows. I was wrong! When used on brows Shu claim that the natural oils from the brow hairs release the pigment, and this really seems to be the case. This is the first pencil I've been able to use through my whole brow without it looking too harsh but still making it defined and natural. The colour is a perfect match, not too ashy and not too red, and it seems to blend in really well. It also has great lasting power, other softer pencils rub off very easily, and this stays put all day. I got the SA to sharpen it, it's best used in a flattened shape that allows you to mimic the brow hairs as you are filling in. It was not as expensive as I thought it would be, £16 in the UK. This is actually really good value as because it is a hard pencil (hence the name!) you only use a very tiny amount every time you use it. I've had mine for over a month now and barely notice a difference even with daily use. I could honestly see this lasting me years. I only wish Shu made these available on their UK website, I got this while on holiday. There are no stockists of the pencil where I live and that means no free sharpening, looks like I'll be attempting it myself when it needs done!

This is my absolute HG brow pencil! If I'm not going to use this brow pencil, I'd rather shade my brows in with eye shadow.
It's a lot to spend for a brow pencil, but it really is worth it. The angled tip works wonders for the natural shape of my brow. I really would be lost without this, with my sparse brows.
Because of how dependent I am on this product, I would recommend keeping 2 of these, unless you can sharpen it by yourself, as they do break easily when dropped (doh!) I've dropped it around 3 times - twice on the floor, once on my dresser.... twice on my dresser, but once I was lucky enough for it not to break
I could rave about this product all day, but I have removed one lippy - here's why...
1) Pricey
2) Must be sharpened by a pro, which means you have to really be careful with it. Without dropping it however, it does last a long time before it needs sharpening. Plus, I don't mind going to the SU store. The girls there are always so sweet!!
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UPDATE: I love this pencil and I wish I could keep using it but I found out it photographs really grey. :(

This is the BEST brow pencil!! Don't let the price discourage you from buying it because it has way more product then any other brow pencil. If you look at your brow pencils or eye pencil most have .04 oz but I believe this brow pencil has like .21 oz. I could be wrong and I will edit my review when I get home and I can look at it. I have tried others that are pretty good (Shiseido, MAC, Laura Mercier, Smashbox) but they are pricey and they don't work as well. From the DS Rimmel and Sonia Kashuk make decent ones but I always go back to Shu Uemura. It will last you a long time. By the way it very flattering on many skin tones.

The only eyebrow pencil that creates a natural brow shape! My eyebrow looks really nice and natural, Hard formula will only release it's pigment when it touches your hair brows. If you have hard time trying to load the colour on your brows(sometimes it's hard) what you can do is after applying your foundation with whatever's left on your foundie brush blend it to your eyebrows. This will helps the hard formula to realease the pigments better. If you don't plan to use makeup but simply can't go out without your eyebrow done( whether you have sparse brows, thin crazy brows) what you can do is apply moisturizer all over your face including eyebrows. I can go out w/ o makeup but cant go out w/0 my basic skincares and eyebrow done! Btw You can get it sharpen at the counter for free and after the sharpening it could last about a month before you can send it at the counter to sharpen it again. Its expensive but this pencil is very long a little goes a long way so I think it's worth the price!

Very easy to use brow pencil, its not too soft and the color only appears when you apply it to your brow, so you can't overdo it with this pencil. The color are perfect for my black asian hair, I will also suit those with brown hair as well. I normally use powder when they when I travel its getting difficult so I gave this a try and I'm in love with it. East to carry around, easy to use. The tiny inconvenience of this item is getting it sharpen, you have to go to Shu counter to get them to sharpen it for you. You could do it yourself as well but its not as easy as putting it in a sharpener, you need a blade to sharpen it. Price point, it's quite expensive but it definitely last long, so its worth it high price.