Eyebrows

If you're like most women, you notice eyebrows. I know I'm obsessed. So let's talk about them. I'll even show you something I try to keep hidden...my natural, bare eyebrows!

So what's the key to the perfect brow? Well, the first thing is to shape and trim them. If you're not confident your abilities, I recommend going to a brow specialist -- like Benefit's Brow Bar or a qualified aesthetician. Please DON'T seek help shaping your brows from the threading kiosks in the mall or a nail salon. While the women at the nail salons are licensed to wax, they don't specialize in brows, so they aren't always the best people to help you find your perfect shape.

I offer this advice as someone who has NEVER had my brows professionally shaped or waxed. I started my eyebrow odyssey many years ago like most teenagers -- with a pair of tweezers and no idea what I was doing. I spent some time with the unfortunate, overly tweezed eyebrow look. Not cute. Fortunately, this was the 90's and thin brows were back in fashion. I also fell for another trend of the times...in the early aughts, I found Nad's Hair Removal Gel. I then suffered another common problem: I trading over-tweezing for waxing without knowing what I was doing.

I also had another problem -- not of my own making. My eyebrows are gingery and light, though my hair is darker auburn. They are also fairly sparse from my arch, out. So even shaping them presents a challenge because I still look like I haven't got much of a brow.

Ok. Here they are. My bare brows and face.

After years of not really knowing what I was doing and not being totally happy with my blah eyebrows, I set about to grow them back by not tweezing or waxing for several weeks so that I could start fresh. I desperately wanted high-arching eyebrows, well defined like Famke Janssen, Olivia Wilde, and Reese Witherspoon -- my brow crushes.

Oh, how I love their brows...

I scoured the internet, stared at pictures, TRIED to shape my eyebrows like theirs, and learned an important lesson: we all have a natural eyebrow shape and cleaning them up with wax and trimming reveals their own perfect shape. I also learned you can get a little help towards nudging your brows into your desired shape. There are some basic rules you should follow. I see people violate these EVERY DAY. It breaks my heart.

1. NEVER pluck/wax/remove hair further in from the corner of your eye. Use a pencil or brush as your guide. Line it up next to your nose, straight up and down. Everything towards the bridge of your nose gets removed. Everything towards your eyes STAYS.

2. The peak of your arch should be at approximately a 45° angle from the bridge of your nose.

3. As much as possible, let your natural shape be your guide.

There are all manner of tips and tricks for not over-tweezing or waxing. For me, the thing that works best is to fill in my brows the way I want them to look and wax everything which isn't filled in.

I have a professional wax pot and I use both hard and soft waxes. If you're not comfortable with the idea of using something like that without formal training, there are pre-waxed strips you can buy at the drugstore. 

To initially reshape my poor eyebrows, when I put myself through weeks of torture, letting them grow, I turned to stencils. Yes. Stencils. I went to www.eyebrowz.com and chose from their massive selection of stencils. I bought three -- Reese Witherspoon, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and one other which escapes me. I purposely chose three very different shapes so that I could play with what shape would look best on MY face, rather than banking on stealing a shape which looks great on someone else, but might not be so perfect for me.

When I got my eyebrow stencils, I started playing! I shaded my brows in, using the stencils, and then stared at myself to determine which way to go. CZJ's were too long and too straight. Reese's were too short and small, and the third was nearly perfect. Drat, I wish I could remember whose they were! Anyway, I used magical stencil number 3 to shade in both brows and waxed the rest off. I then carefully cleaned things up with my trusty nail trimming scissors I only use for trimming by eyebrows and my tweezers for the hairs the wax couldn't quite grab.

Now content with the shape, I was more than a little underwhelmed by the lack of wow. They were still gingery and sparse. That's when I discovered eyebrow pencils. First, it was MAC who captured my attention and taught me the ways of filling in brows for everyday wear. I soon discovered pencil doesn't give me the right look and it looks like you colored in your eyebrows. Not cute.

Smashbox to the rescue!! My office had Smashbox reps come to work to give free makeovers as part of this ra-ra morale week thing. I purposely came to work bare-faced and told them to their worst. Instead, they did their BEST and showed me what has been my makeup staple for the last 10 years: Smashbox Brow Tech.

It's a powder with wax to seal it in. It's amazing. I have used Auburn and Brunette (depending on what I'm doing with my hair) and they are PERFECT! Each shade comes with two different powder colors, one dark and one lighter, as well as the clear wax to seal it all in. This combination gives you endless possibilities in shading and perfecting the perfect shade for your complexion and hair, as well as defining the perfect brow!

The #12 Smashbox angled brush is a must for this product. Though, I admit, any angled brow brush would do the trick. Keep in mind: angled BROW brush, not eyeliner brush. An eyeliner brush won't be thick enough and the powder will be too difficult to apply.

The technique you employ is really up to you. However, what works best for me is to use short, quick strokes starting from the inside end of my brow, heading out. Because my brows are so sparse, from the peak of my brow, out, I'm essentially using the powder to create an eyebrow, so I make sure to draw the outline shape and then fill in, making corrections as I go until it's perfect.

Be careful not to use TOO much of the powder, or you'll end up with harsh, dark brows you don't intend on.

In the above picture, the lighting is a little bad, but you can see the comparison of my finished brow and my naked brow. Poor thing. It's all sad and underwhelming. Notice how my finished brow still follows the shape of my natural brow, albeit far more defined. THAT'S what you want to achieve. The perfect brows are well shaped, well filled, and suited to YOUR face and features.

 As you can see, my brows are shaped, well defined, polished, not too harsh for my face. The shape is my dream shape -- high arch, uniform thickness, squared, flat end. There are days when I still wish they looked better. I'm often frustrated by the lack of uniformity on my face. Even knowing we would look rather silly if our faces were totally the same on both sides, mirror images left and right, I long for my brows to naturally match. I have to say, though, I have found brow contentment and I'm pleased with them. I often get asked who does my brows and it gives a little ego boost to say "I do!", knowing that it took some trial and error, but I found my brow bliss all on my own. (Ok, with the help of Smashbox, MANY hours looking at pictures and tutorials, and some damn cheap and amazing stencils that got me started)

There are many brow products on the market. Stila and Benefit both make good brow powders, but I'm quite keen on my Smashbox Brow Tech.

You can be your own brow guru, too! Seriously. Get yourself the enviable brows you've always wanted! Let your brows grow out for at least 3 weeks. If you want to avoid the many trials and errors I had, take those fuzzy caterpillar brows to a professional and have them help you shape them initially. Once you have a great shape, get Smashbox Brow Tech in the color best suited for your complexion and haircolor (think slightly lighter than your hair. Too dark and you'll look scary) and the #12 angled brow brush, and a form of wax to do at-home maintenance. OR be prepared to go back to your waxing professional every few weeks for a touch-up. Then, PRACTICE. Don't be afraid to shade in your brows and stare at yourself, wash it off, and try again. I didn't nail my technique after the first shot. I spent YEARS trying different things and probably looking scary. The Brow Tech was REALLY easy, partly because I'd already mastered the waxing/shape. 

I really don't think what I do is difficult. I mostly look at photos and read tutorials and mimic what I see. If I can rock the Fancy Lady look, so can you!

Keep it Fancy!