This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Exeter chapter.
It’s no secret that us girls spend more than we care to admit on grooming, be it our legs or elsewhere, often our money gets frittered away on our attempts to look as preened as possible. Here at HC, we love to save a bit of cash, so here’s our guide to maintaining and grooming your brows on a budget!
First things first; shaping and defining your eyebrows. A well defined pair of brows can negate the need for extra makeup and serve as a focus point for your face. There are several ways to tame them, from waxing and threading to the humble tweezers, however unless you have a housemate who’s an expert on the first two, we’ll stick to our Tweezermans for now! It’s worth investing in a quality pair of tweezers – they should last you for years, and will make the whole process just that little bit less painful!
When it comes to shaping, never stray too far from the natural shape of your brows, it’s the most naturally flattering, and if you take away too much there’s a strong possibility you’ll end up looking permanently surprised! Seeing as bushy brows are all the rage (look no further than Miss Cara Delevigne for some seriously dramatic brow-spiration), sticking to your natural shape is both the best thing you can do for your brows as well as being on trend!
Make sure the brow area is clean and dry before you begin plucking. We advise that unless it’s 100% necessary (I.e. your brows naturally resemble caterpillars – unfortunate but common), never pluck from the top of your brows or from the main body of the brow.
Take a spoolie (technical lingo for a clean/disposable mascara wand) or clean toothbrush to carefully brush the brows upwards. You’ll look a little bit like Nicholas Hoult, but this will help you to pinpoint the areas that you need to pluck.
Hold the skin taut with one hand, and using the tweezers, grasp each hair as close to the root as possible and pull swiftly to remove. Only pluck hairs that stray from the natural body of your brows to maintain a natural but defined shape.
One of the most expensive parts of brow grooming can be the maintenance. Brow gels can be a lifesaver for those who struggle to keep their brows in check all day, but did you know there’s a much cheaper option waiting for you at home? Simply spray hairspray onto the spoolie or toothbrush you used earlier, and sweep it over the brow to set the hairs in place – they won’t budge all day and you’ve just saved yourself a whole lotta cash!
After you’re all groomed up, there may be some residual redness for an hour or two. To speed up the healing process, try using pure, unrefined coconut oil as a natural and purse-friendly soothing balm!