Let’s talk about brows–bushy, thin, barely there, and everything in between. This one is a bit long so grab a seat and a snack and let’s luxuriate.
Your eyebrows frame your face and believe it or not can help improve the appearance of your skin AND make you appear more youthful. Plus, what’s a fabulous eye look without equally fabulous brows? (hint: the answer is nothing).
But what’s the downside to not having beautiful brows…let me first warn you that if you have little children in the room right now to put them to bed and brace yourself as you continue reading—-yeah, it’s that scary.
The downsides of not having beautiful brows are:
*looking much older than you actually are
*facial features could appear much larger or much smaller than they actually are
*complexion can appear to have lost some of its brilliance
OK—I was being overdramatic, but I’m sure I made my point: your brows are everything.
Brow shapes have evolved over time and with changes in fashion. There was a time when thin was in when it came to eyebrows, but nowadays a thicker brow is the bee’s knees.
The ideal shape of your brow depends on your face shape.
Image
As well as spacing between your eyes:
Close-set eyes: make sure your brows aren’t too short—you definitely want your tail as it helps make the eyes appear more evenly spaced
Wide-set eyes: leave more hair in the inner parts of your brow (though not as far as a unibrow) to visually “close up” some of the space in between your eyes
There are several methods in which to achieve your ideal brow shape…
Tweezing: can take out one to a few hairs out at a time, is relatively inexpensive and quick, but can be painful and often leads to over-tweezing. Great for quick clean-ups. I love using slanted tip Tweezerman tweezers in conjunction with a pointed tip one perfect for the smallest, most stubborn hairs.
Waxing: warm wax is placed on the brow area using strips of cloth to remove several hairs at a time. Best performed at a salon or with a trained eye and hand. Not ideal for those with sensitive skin or those using dermatologist prescribed skin care treatments like Retin-A. I used to only get my brows waxed about five years ago, but my favorite person moved and I had several bad experiences: skin getting ripped off with the wax, breakouts, misshaped brows, and one genius got the wax in my bangs.
Razor: a tool that looks somewhat like a shaving razor is used to remove stray hairs and sculpt your brows. The razor can be super sharp so be sure you’re very comfortable with this method first.
Threading: a method which has origins in India and other areas of Asia. Actual thread is used to remove entire rows of hair from the brow area. It’s more precise and not as painful as waxing (although the first few times can be doozies). This is my preferred method of grooming my brows (thanks to the five year relationship I have with my brow stylist Rajni over at Aveda Natural Look in Queens Center Mall).
I always recommend getting your brows professionally groomed at least once a month (I get mine done every 1-2 weeks because I’m a brow fiend…lol) and then if you can’t get back to the salon, keep them up with careful tweezing in between appointments.
Since I’m still technically challenged, here’s a quick video from Seventeen magazine on how to shape your brows if you want to do your brow grooming at home:
What if you weren’t blessed with thick eyebrows? Or even little to no brows at all?
You can fake it by filling in the sparse hairs with:
Brow mascara/gel: comes in hues to closely match your hair color and is in mascara form. Use this to both tint and keep brows in place. Take the wand and carefully use it to comb through your brows. Use a disposable mascara wand to remove any excess. Clear brow mascara works wonders on keeping unruly brow hairs in place. Try MAC Brow Set.
Brow pencil: using quick, hair-like strokes, you can fill in the sparse areas with this. The idea is not to simply draw on brows (a la Marlene Dietrich), but to mimic the way brow hairs look. To blend the pencil in with your natural brows, use a clean, disposable mascara wand to “comb” through the pencil. Try MAC Eye Brow Pencil.
Brow powder: can be as simple as a matte eyeshadow close to your hair color applied with an angled brush
OR you can try a trick used by some eyebrow hair-challenged girls and apply a bit of Rogaine to the area with a Q-tip. I’ve never tried this, but some people swear by it. Proceed with caution, but see your dermatologist first.
Please no lacefront eyebrows though.
To add some drama to your brows, sculpt them with your preferred brow makeup item and add a highlight on the brow bone a la Rihanna (above). A highlight shade can be a sheer shimmery gold or silver color or a matte eyeshadow 2-3 shades lighter than your skin tone. The idea is to create a contrast between the two areas. For even more drama like the brows sported by Lala, Kim K, and Kelly Rowland…
…use a cream concealer 2-3 shades lighter than your skin tone (try MAC Studio Finish SPF 35 Concealer) on your brow bone and brow set about 1 shade lighter than your hair color on your brows. Fill in additional sparse areas with brow pencil as well as define the area where the brow hair meets the brow bone.
Tools of the Trade:
So *whew* I think that’s it! Did I miss anything? Have questions? See you in the comments section.
~Danielle
June 8, 2010 5:31 am
Love this!
June 8, 2010 5:48 am
that link to ‘hot girls with no eyebrows’ is not for the fainthearted. It’s proving really difficult to find a stylist for eyebrows because women in Europe (exept UK) generally consider professional eyebrow grooming superflous (look at Carine Roitfeld editor in chief of French Vogue) and generally have a very laissez faire attitude to grooming, instead focusing more on skincare, beauty therapy (massages, facials, saunas etc) and quality (read – expensive!) products.
June 8, 2010 8:16 am
Great post!
But threading less painful than waxing? What? I find threading a million times more painful (cause once they start threading they don’t pause for a second till its done, it felt like my skin was coming off with it) , I tried threading once and couldn’t do it, was very painful and the results didn’t last any longer than waxing.
June 8, 2010 9:32 am
Great post! Please put this post on a billboard!!! So many women do not understand the importance of eyebrow maintenance. I have seen so many women with a face full of make up and untamed brows, it just throws eveything off.
June 8, 2010 10:20 am
Extremely helpful post. Eyebrows really can make a world of difference. I get mine done about every 6 weeks and in between that time, I just keep them groomed by tweezing.
June 8, 2010 10:48 am
Great info. Very detailed. I love these beauty posts, I really do!
June 8, 2010 10:50 am
great post :)….however i am NOT a fan of Kim Lala Kelly’s brows they look to drawn on over doen and tooo thick….so it’s very distracting…Rihannas brows look more natural and tamed……will follow your tips thanks much :)
June 8, 2010 11:23 am
Awesome post! Jacked up brows WILL make a person look jacked instantly. Women with delicate features can pull of a thin brow . . . Kinda like Iman. I personally love the ultra-thick brow. I always turn to the middle east for eyebrow inspiration. All of the beautiful women (& men) in the middle east have one thing in common – thick and defined brows! Threading hurts me, though!
June 8, 2010 12:32 pm
Lala, kelly and Kim’s eyebrows looks sooo gross and unatural, might as well draw them on your forehead..eww
June 8, 2010 12:39 pm
It is really true that the shape of your brows really change the way you look. I always get my brows done. I have been wearing it somewhat thin for years and always get compliments, but recently I have let it grow in and now it is thick and shaped well. Everytime I look in the mirror, I think wow, I look so different. It’s the simpliest way to get a new look!
June 8, 2010 1:46 pm
Can anyone recommend a great brow stylist in Brooklyn/Manhattan?
June 8, 2010 3:07 pm
i definitely advocate threading over waxing. first, because it’s more precise and my eyebrow shape was distorted after years of waxing. second, because it’s less painful. i was once burned by someone waxing my eyebrows and my eye swelled shut. after that, i turned to threading at least once a month and tweezing with the tweezerman in between appointments.
June 8, 2010 3:19 pm
DEAD DEAD DEAD at the links in this post! I don’t know whats worse, chicks with no eyebrows, or chicks with no eyebrows who then get lacefront eyebrows!
June 8, 2010 9:46 pm
Thanks for the love, ladies!
@TicaPica did you get my email, love?
@gottaloveslimchick yep—I’ve had SKIN ripped off my eyes from waxing so yes, threading is less painful for me…lol. After a while you get used to the threading and you don’t feel it as much.
@Suzie it’s in Queens but I highly recommend Rajni at Aveda Natural Look Salon in Queens Center. She’s been doing my brows for 5 yrs and she also has a huge following. I went to her with jacked up brows and she nursed them back to life after a bunch of visits (it takes a while for hair to grow in properly so she can shape the brows the right way—but go to her and only her if you go and go religiously…lol). It’s $10 for threading, but they give you a card that you bring with you every time and when you get up to 6 stamps you get a free threading.
June 8, 2010 9:49 pm
P.S. Here’s proof of Rajni’s skills on my brows: http://www.thestyleandbeautydoctor.com/2009/01/urban-glamour-new-years-resolutions-get-beautiful-brows/ (scroll down to the end)
June 17, 2010 1:49 am
[...] 1. Let’s assume you’ve already washed, toned, and moisturized your face. And let’s also assume your brows have been properly groomed (if not, it is with complete urgency that you must check out How to Shape and Care for Eyebrows). [...]
June 22, 2010 2:13 pm
[...] This should go without saying, but facial hair + pics = disaster. Get rid of excess facial hair and be sure to properly groom your brows. [...]
June 23, 2010 5:08 am
[...] 1. First things first, beautiful makeup starts with beautiful skin. Cleanse, tone, and moisturize skin according to your skin type. Be sure to groom your brows. [...]
July 13, 2010 8:49 am
[...] The rule of thumb to determine where your brows should begin is to use a pencil to mark the area where the outer rim of your nostril aligns with the brow area. To figure out where they should end, take that pencil on a diagonal from the outer rim of your nostril and where it aligns with your brow tail is where your brows should generally end. If you have close-set eyes, you may want to extend the ends of the brows a bit to make your eyes appear more even set. And if you have wide-set eyes, you may want to extend the beginning of the brows a bit to make your eyes appear more closer together. For more on brows, check out Beauty Bomb: How to Shape and Care for Eyebrows. [...]
July 23, 2010 7:00 am
[...] is the focus, be sure to properly groom your brows and remove any excess facial hair. Check out How to Shape and Care for Brows for more [...]
March 2, 2011 10:14 am
[...] gentle strokes to create hair-like lines. Blend it in with a spooly or a clean mascara wand. See How to Shape and Care for Your Eyebrows for more [...]
March 6, 2011 1:26 am
I wonder does that Rogaine really work? My eyebrows definitely need thickening. I used to get my eyebrows done at the nailery (you know the usual hood spot with the Asians doing the nails and eyebrow waxing.) and they were messed up the second time I got them done. They took too much off and now my eyebrows are thin and look like there’s some space that needs filling. (I’m being a little dramatic but I’m serious). I do want to try threading though. Maybe that’ll help out too.
March 17, 2011 11:01 am
[...] supreme blending won’t look its best if your brows aren’t properly groomed. Check out How to Shape and Care for Your Eyebrows for [...]
April 6, 2011 11:01 am
[...] 4. Not grooming your brows. Should I ever run for some sort of public office, I’ll have to write “great brows for all” into my agenda. No matter how hot your eye makeup looks, if it’s framed by tadpole or barely there brows, it’s a miss. It’s important to find a professional to give you your initial shape and who shows you how to maintain it at home (or only see that professional when it’s time for touch-ups). Need a refresher on brows? Check out Beauty Bomb : How to Shape and Care for Eyebrows. [...]
April 26, 2011 12:27 pm
[...] with a manicured brow (see tips here). Apply an eyeshadow base like MAC Paint Pot to keep shadow in place for hours. For the first layer [...]
April 28, 2011 9:48 am
[...] Quick brow tips: 1. To find out where your brows should end, grab a pencil and angle it from the outer tip of your nostril to your outer lashes and where the pencil lands is where your brow should end. 2. Find out where your brows should begin by placing the pencil straight up from your outer tip of your nostril to the inner corners of your eyes. Where the pencil lands is where your brow should begin. 3. Find your arch by taking the pencil again at the outer tip of your nostril and angle it across your eye. 4. When filling in your brows with a brow pencil, use short and light feather-like strokes that mimic actual hair. 5. For more tips check out Beauty Bomb : How to Shape and Care for Eyebrows. [...]
December 23, 2011 8:37 am
[...] P.S. Your eye makeup will look even better when your brows are properly filled in. For tips see Beauty Bomb : How to Shape and Care for Eyebrows. [...]
December 30, 2011 10:26 am
[...] 4. Thou shall have perfect brows. A beautifully manicured brow frames the face, can make you look younger, and makes your eye makeup looks standout. Having them professionally shaped is your best bet, but you can grab some at-home tricks in Beauty Bomb : How to Shape and Care for Eyebrows. [...]
January 11, 2012 10:23 am
[...] can make you look youthful and vibrant. If done wrong, you can look angry and old. No bueno. See Beauty Bomb : How to Shape and Care for Eyebrows for [...]