I have a pretty huge stock of make up from Clarins - my favourite make up brand. When I needed to replace my old eyebrow pencil I immediately went to look at the Clarins counter at my local department store. I decided on this particular eyebrow pencil as it has everything I could possibly want in an eyebrow pencil, at a good price. Bear in mind, most products from Clarins do not come cheap, but they are worth it in terms of quality, effectiveness and usually longevity of product.

This pencil cost me £16 and it was available in three different shades to choose from - soft blond, soft brown and dark brown. I have a fairly dusky complexion with very dark hair so the darkest pencil was obviously going to be the best option for me. The assistant in the store gave me a look at all three shades and she tried the darkest two on my own eyebrows, just to ensure I was happy with my choice.

This pencil is approximately five inches in length and comes with a fine comb/brush at one end for smoothing down the hairs both before and after application of the pencil. It's simple and easy to apply (so long as you have fairly steady hand). I simply brush the hairs on my brows in the right direction before application, taking care to brush them ever so slightly upwards as well as away to my hairline, to ensure they look 'just right' once the pencil has been applied. I then very carefully apply light, delicate strokes with the pencil.

It's really important not to just 'draw a line' across the brows, otherwise you'll end up looking like Coco the Clown - there is an art to this, and it does come with practice. From experience of using this pencil, I would say light, quick strokes create the best and most natural effect. I then finish off by again stroking the brush across the eyebrow to create a perfect finish.

This pencil creates a very dark effect with even the lightest hand so care has to be taken to make extremely light strokes, particularly when you first start to use it, otherwise you will be left with a harsh dark line, and that is not a good look. On the positive side though, I have personally found that if I do get a little heavy-handed with the pencil and find I have applied to dark a line, this is easily remedied by gently taking the brush across the brows several times, until the pencil is gradually 'lifted' for a more natural effect.

This pencil also comes with handy little tops for either end - one for the pencil end and the other for the comb/brush end. This protects the ends of the pencil and keeps any dirt and debris out.

The final thing I really like about this pencil is the fact that it does not break when I sharpen it. I have had so many eyebrow pencils in the past which have cost quite a lot of money, only to find that when they have become blunt and when I have attempted to sharpen them, this has resulted in the pencil breaking over and over again until I end up with about two inches of pencil after a fortnight.

The Clarins eyebrow pencil sharpens quickly and effortlessly and has never broken on me once. It is isn't waterproof but I have been on holiday recently and did a lot of swimming and I have to say I have been impressed that it showed no signs of wearing off or smudging in the water.

I have only positive comments to make about this great eyebrow pencil. It a a little on the expensive side but it's good quality and a brand I go back to time and time again and happily recommend it.