Tweezers: all are not created equal

Shavata Stainless Steel Pointed Tweezers

Price £20.50

Buy online www.feelunique.com

Feedback “At first glance, I’m confused as to why these tweezers need to be kept in a sort of plastic test tube. It soon becomes clear that they are stored in this way to stop them accidentally inflicting some serious damage - they are REALLY sharp. Having only ever used (fairly blunt) slanted tweezers in the past, I’m distracted from my plucking by an underlying but persistent fear that something will make me jump and I’ll accidentally skewer myself in the eye.

“The extreme pointy-ness has its advantages. Once you get used to them, they are brilliant for precision, so they’d be ideal for the perfectionists out there. If you’re serious about your brow maintenance, these would be a worthwhile investment - although I would recommend using them alongside slanted tweezers, to finish off those hard-to-reach stragglers. For me though, it’s all just a bit too fiddly, time consuming and expensive. I like my tweezers cheap, cheerful and a bit less scary-looking.”

Reviewer LO

Score 5/10

Tweezerman Slant Tweezer

Price £19.50

Buy online www.boots.com

Feedback “I've always maintained that really, a tweezer is just a tweezer, but apparently I've just been lucky enough to always use one that does the job. I used to use the cheapest metallic ones that money could buy from the shelves of Superdrug but I have to say, though they rarely let me down the Tweezerman has opened up my eyes (literally, by expertly shaping my eyebrows) to what I've been missing. For a start, they're bright pink. The smooth enamel-coated outer is comfy to hold and easy to grip, but it's the point that makes them what they are. Slightly thicker than the rest of the handle, the slanted end is made in stainless steel and the enforced tip makes it impossible to miss even the most pesky of stray hairs; my old metal ones were tricky in that area as the tip was so thin and flimsy, and being blonde they can be hard to see and grab. These are strong, efficient and they even offer a free sharpening service so they'll last and last, making the hefty price tag just about worth it. And did I mention they're pink?”

Reviewer JJ

Score 9.5/10

Shu Uemura Slant Tweezers

Price £20

Buy online www.shuuemura.co.uk

Feedback “I should start out by saying: I am obsessed with eyebrow maintenance. I started waxing mine aged 13 and was threading by 18. Now - thanks to Cara D! - I take a more laissez-faire attitude to brow grooming and have traded my hot wax and thread in for tweezers in recent years. (A Betsey Johnson x Tweezerman collaboration pair that I was gifted in triplicate, if you must know.)

“As such, I was a bit hesitant to swap out my beloved Tweezermans for a shiny new Shu Uemura model this week, but given my love for their other eye tools - ahem, eyelash curler, anyone? - I reluctantly gave it a try. They are pointy without crossing over into dangerous and the slant is particularly effective at plucking out those tiny, just-noticeable hairs. For storage, it even comes packaged in a handy plastic tube - perfect to throw in your handbag for those last minute, on-the-go touch-ups.”

Reviewer KA

Score 9/10

Bobbi Brown Tweezer

Price £25

Buy online www.bobbibrown.co.uk

Feedback “I never thought I’d had any pets, but on looking back at the furry little caterpillar that’s been inhabiting my face over the past 28 years, it seems I actually have. Weekly maintenance in between eyebrow threading appointments has therefore always been a must for me and these tweezers from Bobbi Brown are just the makeup tool I’ve needed to keep my bushy brows at bay.

“The slanted tip is brilliant for precision plucking and is small enough to ensure that even the teeniest of misbehaving hairs aren’t beyond its grasp. Perhaps a little more pricey than what I would normally pay for a tweezer, if you’re looking for one that’s high quality and that’ll stand the test of time no matter how much of a challenge you give it (thanks in part the handy little cap that protects the tip from damage), then it’s certainly worth the investment.”

Reviewer AM

Score 9/10

Elegant Touch Professional Slanted Tweezers

Price £12.50

Buy online www.boots.com

Feedback “Slim, light and pretty thrifty, these tweezers do the job. There’s no bells or whistles and the wide grip means that it took me a tiny bit longer that usual to tame eyebrow strays, but for a general tidy you can’t argue with these. The slanted tip grabs most hairs efficiently (you might have to put in a bit more effort to eek out finer ones) and the five year guarantee is telling of the sturdiness and general reliability of these tweezers. They may not be the most precise on the market, but you won’t injure yourself during a plucking session and the fairly low price point means that you won’t mind too much if you leave them on the bus. Great value and definitely worthy of a place in your travel bag or on-the-go kit.”

Reviewer AH

Score 7/10

Laura Mercier by Tweezerman

Price £18.50

Buy online www.johnlewis.com

Feedback “Thankfully, since shaping my brows when I was fifteen (with tweezers) they have kept their definition, apart from the odd random hairs that pop up outside of the lines as well as the bit where it tries to create a monobrow - tweezers are a must-have for those in-between moments. The Laura Mercier by Tweezerman tweezers not only have an attractive design but are incredibly helpful, in terms of stability and accuracy. The only issue I have is that the actual tweezer part is quite sharp so when I first started I found it sometimes cut the hair rather than pulling out the root. However, practice makes perfect and with time I worked on getting the angle just right so that they were effective at tidying up unruly hairs. Now that I’ve got the knack I’ll be using them time and again.”

Reviewer FD

Score 7/10

No7 Slanted Tweezer

Buy online www.boots.com

Feedback "I’ve never been one to over-pluck ever since I was warned that eventually they would stop growing back and I’d be left with thin and sickly pencilled brows. However, we all need a good tidy and trim every now and then and these tweezers have been my absolute favourite for the job for years.

“I know you’re probably thinking ‘Aren’t all tweezers the same?’ - I thought so too until I owned a supremely rubbish pair that neither gripped nor had any kind of accuracy. It wasn't until I was rooting around my mum’s makeup bag that I happened upon these beauties.

“Sharp, precise and pretty, these tweezers have been my go-to ever since I started plucking (a scary seven years ago). Comfy to hold and with a good grip, they have a gentle slant that accurately grabs hair every time. Don’t get me wrong - I love Cara D, but the bushy brow look just doesn't work on me. So for when my eyebrows are becoming a little delinquent and disorderly there’s nowhere else I would turn to.”

Reviewer KR

Score 10/10

Space.NK Slant Tweezers By Rubis

Price £20

Buy online www.spacenk.com

Feedback “From over-zealous plucking in my teens to decidedly cool bushy brows at university (pre-Delevingne, FYI), my experience with tweezers is extensive. However, they’ve always been a cheap set from pharmacies, so I was curious about how these expensive - in my opinion, for tweezers – Space.NK by Rubis ones would work.

“The rubber-like material for the body of the tweezers means you’re able to get a good grip of the tool, so they feel comfortable from the moment that you pick them up. Its slanted tip is made from “the finest rustproof, antacid surgical stainless steel” which is finished by hand. But this didn’t really mean much as, despite such high quality steel, I found it really hard to get to the smaller hairs that my trusty Wilko pair can usually reach. Even though it swiftly removed longer hairs cleanly from the root, for me, if it can’t get to those smaller ones, it’s not really worth it.”

Reviewer HI

Score 4/10