How to Sharpen Makeup Pencils Without Breaking Them

Use a dedicated cosmetic sharpener sized for your pencil, chill the pencil first, and twist slowly with gentle pressure.

A dull pencil is a useless pencil. Sharp tools are half the work in makeup—treat your sharpener like the precision instrument it is.

1. Choose the right sharpener. Use a dual-size cosmetic sharpener with holes for standard and jumbo pencils. Craft sharpeners are too aggressive and will waste product. Clean the blades with rubbing alcohol between different pencil colors.
2. Chill the pencil. Place the pencil in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes before sharpening. Cold pencils are firmer and less likely to crumble or break. This works especially well for creamy formulas like kohl or lip liners.
3. Sharpen with control. Insert the pencil fully into the correct size hole and twist slowly in one direction only. Apply gentle, even pressure and stop frequently to check the point. Three to four careful twists usually create the perfect tip.