Hold Up—I Think the BAFTAs Just Proved This Long Forgotten Makeup Product Is Back

It takes a lot to pry my attention away from the stunning looks being paraded through central London at the 2025 BAFTAs. Or so I thought, with one forgotten product making its return on the red carpet. (And piquing my interest by consequence.)

If you peek inside the beauty arsenal of the most in-demand celebrity makeup artists, you’ll notice a few essentials are employed to ensure film’s best and brightest look their best during award season. These include a really hydrating primer, a long-lasting lipstick and now, a brow pencil.

Indeed, the arch-defining tool that defined much of the past decade’s most memorable beauty looks has made a comeback with the likes of Saoirse Ronan, Raffey Cassidy and Letitia Wright reviving feathered tips, full tails and filled-in brows.

While the BAFTAs has been privy to countless iconic beauty moments—from Gwyneth Paltrow’s sweet half-up half-down hairdo in 1998 to Jodie Turner-Smith’s glistening face gems and vibrant pink eyeshadow in 2023—the resurgence of brow pencils could be the easiest to replicate.

Zoë Saldaña, who is nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category for her performance in the genre-defying Spanish-language epic Emila Pérez, opted for a more minimal look with a nude-toned lip and sultry eye made from matching monochromatic nude shades. Yet, it was her bold brows that really dominated.

Anna Kendrick went for a thinner ‘90s brow but used a brow pencil to gently define her shape and add a sweep of colour where brows might’ve been a bit more sparse. Selena Gomez also used a brow pencil to give some structure to the end of her eyebrow to create that coveted elongated outline.

After years of seeing laminated brows and fine microblading command the red carpet, it’s refreshing to see a shift back to this more effortless style. Of course, that’s also the beauty of using a brow pencil.