As a makeup artist one of the questions I am asked most is “when you look at people do you judge their makeup?” Honestly, most of the time I don’t notice their makeup, with the exception of people who have great faces for makeup. A woman with amazing blue eyes who doesn’t know how to make them sparkle, or a girl with cheekbones that are crying out for a touch of blush. However, there is one thing I always notice: eyebrows.
It’s been said that eyebrows are the curtains to the windows of your soul. Okay, that’s never been said, I just made it up but they are seriously important. Nothing will change your face more drastically in minutes than a good brow job. If you have never thought about your brows, here’s your official “come to Jesus” moment, stop ignoring them, they are important! Here are some tips on how to frame those peepers.
Methods of Shaping Your Eyebrows:
1. Tweezers
This is my preferred method, I have never let anyone touch my brows. Call me a control freak but I am the only person who grooms my brows. Follow your natural arch and go slowly or else you will end up looking like this.
If you are not comfortable doing this yourself go see a professional, but before you let anyone touch your brows take a look at their brows, if they are tore up run away fast.
2. Threading
I have never done this but a few of my friends swear by it. a good option for those who don’t trust themselves with tweezers but don’t want to destroy their eyelids with waxing.
3. Waxing
I know tons of girls who prefer this method. If its your first time and you’ve got a lot of brow to conquer it might be the quickest way to accomplish a polished look. I am not a fan of waxing. I have seen too many burns and bad wax jobs plus the skin around your eye is the thinnest skin on your body, so to avoid premature wrinkles be kind to it (IE: don’t put hot wax on it).
How To Shape Brows
Most women start to see some receding in their brows as they age so its necessary to fill them in, how you do it is up to you but go for a strong but natural look. Heres the rules to live by when it comes to getting the right shape from the brow queen herself: Anastasia Beverly Hills using my personal favorite brow product: Brow Whiz!
Sidenote: if you type “eyebrows” into Pinterest, be prepared to be entertained for hours with pictures of brows gone awry.
The Products
Powder
This one is easy, you need two things an angled brush and some brow powder, you can even use a neutral eyeshadow that you have hanging around just make sure its about the same color as your natural brow maybe a tad shade darker.
Gels
If you have seriously unruly brows you might need a gel, I envy people who have to have their brows trimmed. . Gels are good for people who have longer brows that can get a little wild it will keep your brows put, think of it like hairspray for your brows.
Pencil
This is the one I use most of the time because its the easiest and the quickest but not all brow pencils are created equal. Pick one with a very thin tip they are the easiest to work with.
Brow dip
This is a cream based product that is applied with an angle brush. The benefit to these are that they are usually ultra long wearing. I have been known to use a MAC paint pot as a brow dip, it works really well. You will need to use a very light hand with these products to avoid drag queen brows.
Tattoos
Just don’t do it, if we have learned anything from the last 30 years its that brow trends change. I know a girl who told me that she shaved her eyebrows off everyday in the shower because they were tatooed on. It looked as bad as shaving your eyebrows off sounds. After two weeks of knowing her I staged an intervention and told her no one would be mad if she just let them grow back in. You will be happy to hear that she has a beautiful set of brows now.
I can not state enough what a game changer this is. Hopefully by the end of this post you feel empowered to up your brow game and not like this gentlemen:
Have a favorite brow product? Any eyebrow horror stories? Need tips or product recommendations? Let me know in the comments I will be trolling like the troll I am. Also, please suggest any beauty topics or trends you’d like me to explore in future posts!
