Hi, great question, YES YOU DO! Because I formulated this in a creamy, velvety formula, if we were to package it in a wind-up pencil, it would break, it is truly not possible to get this PERFECT SMOKY EYE IN 3 MINUTES with a wind-up mechanism, the KEY to this product is how quickly, and smoothly a smoky eye can be achieved, therefore, this package is necessary to properly encase the formula, so spending a couple of seconds sharpening it is truly small price to pay for the convenience of a QUICK AND SEXY SMOKY EYE!