Alright, I’ll admit it. I am obsessed with eyebrows. In terms of real estate, they take up very little space on your face but boy can they make such a difference! Before we dive into my favorite treatments and brow products, let’s talk about what constitutes a “perfect” brow.
Eyebrows should frame your face. They should highlight your beautiful eyes. They should lift and flatter your features. Yes, but how can you achieve this? What is the precise formula? What are the techniques you should employ?
When I’m shaping a client’s brows, I rely on brow mapping techniques to help guide the process. I also rely heavily on the client’s facial features to determine a suitable shape. While this sounds quite precise and scientific, it’s important to remember that brow shaping is an art form. Brows are sisters, not twins. Perfect symmetry is rare and the art of designing and shaping brows, many times, is an effort in creating “a more perfect brow” not “THE perfect brow”.
Here are some general guidelines:
a) I like to line up the start of the brow with the nostril.
b) I use the pupil to guide the arch – usually the furthest side of the pupil is where the arch sits.
c) The tail or end of the brow usually aligns with the end of the eye and the side of the nostril.
d) I make sure that the tip of the tail ends ever so slightly higher than the lowest point of the head/start of the brow.
Once I have identified the points on both eyes, I step back to compare the overall look. It’s easy to miss the forest for the trees. You get so focused on locating the precise points and designing around those points, only to realize that when you step back, you have two vastly different brows. Again, perfect symmetry is rare. If you took a picture of your face and did a split screen, there is almost always some sort of imbalance.
Here is where the science ends and the art begins. You make tweaks on both brows so as to compensate for any asymmetry. These are usually very fine adjustments – a slightly early (or later) start to the brow, an adjustment in the height of a brow or a tweak to the tail. As you make these adjustments, you are observing the overall look. It really is a careful balancing act.
Now that the brows are mapped and shaped, let’s talk about treatments and products that help to further define and add dimension to those brows.
Brow Gel
Everyone should have a trusted brow gel! For those who haven’t yet mastered the more complex brow powder or pencil, tinted brow gel instantly makes brows appear fuller by coating your existing hair (think mascara, but for the brows). Brow gel is perfect for those of us who have unruly brow hair because it’s a gel that can help to set the hair in place. I use clear brow gel to set all of my brow looks. Simply brush the product on and go!
My absolute go-to for creating hair-like strokes in the sections of brows where hair is missing. I love the soft effect that brow pencil helps to achieve. While it can add color to brow hair, it also deposits color onto the skin (perfect way to camouflage scars in your brows). Be sure to use light pressure and gently work up and outwards. I prefer an ombre effect with the tail of the brow darker and slowly working to lighter coverage at the head of the brow. I also prefer pencils that have a built-in spoolie brush which makes blending (softening the pencil strokes) super easy.
Brow Powder
Perfect for those who’ve mastered the brow gel and pencil applications. Powders allow you a lot of flexibility to create soft and subtle or dramatic date night brows. Make sure you use a special brush to help apply and blend the powder to your desired results.
While these products should be a staple in anyone’s make-up kit, they are very temporary solutions for filling and defining your brows. I will never forget the time I attended an important meeting with one eyebrow. Why? I was so nervous and stressed about the meeting that I had literally wiped one off. If you exercise, you’ll likely sweat a brow off. If you swim, it’s coming off. You get the idea. Lots of my clients simply don’t want to devote time every day to their brow design. Lucky for them, there’s a plethora of treatments that provide more long-term (even semi-permanent) design results.
Brow Tinting
Tinting is the process of coloring the brow hair with a vegetable-based tint mixed with a peroxide activator. A perfect choice for those who simply want to darken their hair to achieve a fuller brow appearance. Results can last for a few weeks.
Brow Henna
Similar to tinting, in that brow henna colors existing brow hair. It differs because it also has the ability to stain the underlying skin, thereby creating a fuller brow where hair is not present. Perfect for those clients who suffer from very thin brows. Henna is a natural alternative to brow tint as it is derived from the lawsonia plant and doesn’t use a peroxide activator. Results can last a couple of weeks – the stain on the skin will disperse as your skin naturally exfoliates.
Brow Lamination
A chemical process that relaxes and straightens in order to make the brow hair malleable. Relaxing and straightening brow hair allows you to set and style it. The brow hair is elongated, creating a fuller and fluffier brow. Results can last for several weeks.
Brow Tattoo
The ultimate choice for maintenance free, sweat and swim proof brows! The advances in technology, techniques and pigment means brow tattooing allows you to achieve natural, realistic brows. The microblading technique creates hair-like strokes while the shading technique creates a soft powder look. Combine the techniques to create a unique-to-you natural, yet fuller brow. Results can last 1-3 years. Yes, years, that’s why it’s considered a semi-permanent treatment.
