Have you ever heard of the saying, “never trust anyone with bad eyebrows?” While it’s a harsh statement on the surface, we can’t deny that some of us underestimated the power of eyebrows for years – at least I did. Some people are suffering the consequences of over-plucked, tadpole-like eyebrows that just haven’t grown back to the way they were in high school. Others have been blessed with an abundance of brow (perhaps too much) and aren’t sure how to groom them properly. Ladies – listen up! Eyebrows are one of the most important features on your face. They frame your eyes, enhance your face shape, and play a huge role in your overall expression. Eyebrow shaping, colour, and care should be a serious part of every girl’s primping regime to achieve a clean and professional look. Not sure where to begin? Here are a few tips to start your journey to better brows.
1. Consult
One of the biggest mistakes people make is assuming that a certain eyebrow style will suit them. A lot of the time, we take references from friends and people we admire, and try to replicate their style. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always work with eyebrows. Eyebrows vary from person to person; therefore, even though you might think your best friend’s eyebrows would look fab on you, it could end up looking totally different. My recommendation? Visit a professional for your first eyebrow styling. A professional will be able to determine what shape and style suits you, and how you should shape (by waxing, plucking, threading etc.) and maintain your brows. Some women have their eyebrows done professionally every month, which is a luxury that some cannot afford. For the most practical and cost effective solution, I would recommend investing the money in one trip to a really good esthetician to understand the basics, and then after your first lesson, maintain them yourself.
2. Maintain
Mini lesson: take a pencil and map this out in the mirror. The starting point of your eyebrows should roughly align with the outside corner of your nose, the arch of your brow should align with the outside corner of your nose and along the outer edge of your pupil, and the tail/length of your brow should extend slightly beyond the corner of your eye. Eyebrow thickness is a preference that ranges from woman to woman, and some thicknesses look better on some than they do on others. For grooming, your options include plucking, waxing or threading. Waxing and threading are more complicated, but are much faster removal methods. Tweezing is great because you’re able to remove any stray hairs at any time, and take tweezers with you on-the-go. I would recommend investing in a pair of good quality tweezers. Some of my favorite brands of tweezers include Tweezerman, Anastasia Beverly Hills, and Revlon.
3. Colour
Filling in your eyebrows is an addition some women make to their brow routine, depending on makeup preferences and the condition of your eyebrows. Eyebrows should be filled in sparse areas to enhance their natural shape and fullness. You can achieve this by using an eyebrow pencil or shadow and applying the product in a soft, feathering motion in the direction of the hair growth to mimic the natural hair. The colour of your eyebrows should match or suit your hair colour. Some professionals say that for blondes, your eyebrow colour should be two shades darker than your hair colour, and for brunettes, redheads and black-haired women, your eyebrows should be two shades lighter. This trick doesn’t always apply, as each eyebrow colour suits each woman differently. My rule of thumb? Try to match your eyebrow pencil or shadow to your hair colour as closely as possible for the most natural look.
Although some of us might not be born with perfect #iwokeuplikethis features, you now have the basic tools to achieve the brows you’ve always desired. Even though the trending hashtag of #eyebrowsonfleek might be a social media trend of the past, beautiful, well-groomed brows are here to stay.
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