Brows never used to be my forte, especially since I have close to none. But that doesn’t mean I can’t create presentable ones. I came up with this list of points to note when it comes to your brows, and I hope they will help you manage yours.
1. Get them professionally shaped.
Tell the beautician or artist what type of shape you are looking for, and they will know what to do to help you achieve the closest thing possible. Some times, what you want isn’t the shape of your natural brows but that’s OK. Mine aren’t either.
2. Maintain your brows weekly.
This means tweezing, shaving or plucking off any hairs that shouldn’t be there. To help you, take a picture of your brows when they are freshly groomed from the brow artist so that you can remember what they should look like.
I usually shave off the hairs between my two brows (those strands are the most painful for me to pluck out), pluck out the ones that are growing underneath the main brows and then trim off any ends that are too long. A small pair of curved scissors is great for this.
3. Fill in Your Brows.
Depending on whether you are looking to achieve soft or strong, defined brows, the products you use will also differ. For soft brows, all you’ll need is a brow powder or pencil. For strong brows, you’ll need something with more pigmentation and staying power, like a brow mascara.
Lately, I’ve discovered a technique which combines both of the above, actually. I apply a thin layer of the Bourgeois Instant Brow Mascara in the middle of my brows and then layer over it with my brow powder. I follow up with a light dusting of my foundation to help set it in place. This helps my brow powder to stay on for longer and nothing smudges at the end of the day, provided I don’t absent-mindedly scratch them. I’ll do a video of this soon enough, so keep a lookout for it on this page!
In the meantime, here are some products that I think you will like.
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4. Even Lighting is So Important.
I cannot stress this enough! I used to have bathrooms in my previous apartments where the mirror wasn’t directly under the lighting, so I got light from an angle. A scenario like this is very unfortunate, because it will create shadows on the inner part of one brow, which will trick you into lengthening your other brow in order to create some “balance.” When you get out into broad daylight, you’ll wonder what went wrong.
Even lighting means that you have an equal and enough amount of light on both brows. It’s best if you have light that is right in front of you, like those Hollywood makeup table lights. Trust me, you need to get this right.
5. Try Brow Embroidery.
If all else fails, you can always give brow embroidery a try. Brow embroidery is something like henna – but for brows. They don’t last forever, but can stay on for 6-12 months at a go. Once you’ve got them done at a professional salon, you can easily identify your strays when they grow out. This makes tweezing them out a breeze.
6. Do Not Over-Tweeze.
Over tweezing should be banned, like how smoking is banned in our local bars. If you did commit this mistake and are waiting for the hairs to grow out again, go back to steps 3 or 5 above.
7. Try a Stencil.
If all else fails, you may like to give brow stencils a try. These may prove useful if you’re new to the whole brow game. I’ve never tried one, but you can get them easily. Try the Eylure Taking Shape Brow Stencils or Japonesque Brow Kit, both available on ASOS.
I hope this mini tutorial has helped you be more confident in taking care of your brows and making sure they look great. Again, do look out for my video tutorial on a later date!
Stay brow-tiful,
Roxanne