The Great Brow Epidemic

Everywhere I turn I see some hot mess brows! Ladies, let's all work together to fix this eyebrow epidemic! As a makeup artist, and I'm sure many other MUAs can attest to this, we love a good brow. The problem lies here- what is a good brow for YOUR face? Not everyone can rock a strong sculpted brow, and not everyone looks great with a thin arched brow. Let's start with figuring out which brow shape is right for you...

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I can assure you, this is not the way to go...

     I'm sure we've all seen some sort of variation of the above image. This is a great guideline for shaping the brow and customizing the shape to fit your face. I won't delve too deep into plucking/waxing, but I will share my number one piece of advice: follow the natural shape of your brow! It's a simple tip that is quickly overlooked. Once you have a wax, or go for threading, pluck only the small hairs that grow back over time. Leave the longer hairs alone. Over plucking can leave you looking sad, angry, concerned, and on more mature women it will add age. Keep in mind that a fuller brow is more youthful, however it can also be very masculine on some face shapes. I would suggest going to a professional and having them shape your brows to suit your features.

     Once your brows are groomed they are ready to be filled in! If you are blessed with a beautiful full brow, you can skip this all together! However, a majority of us could use a little brow enhancement.
     I prefer a sculpted brow, but one that is on the more natural side. I only fill in portions of the brow that need filling. Personally, I find that if the brow is completely filled in it can overwhelm the face and give a "tattooed" effect....

Yep, that's me a few years ago. Why anyone let me out of the house like that is beyond me. Clearly I don't have any loyal friends! This is a prime example of what NOT to do!

Moving on....
Here is my updated brow routine in a nutshell:

1. Comb the hair in the direction that it grows. For most people, including myself, the hair will grow up and out.
2. With a pencil or shadow, whatever your preference, draw a line along the bottom of the brow. I prefer to start in the center and work my way out. This helps avoid an "overdone" look. I use both Fling pencil and Omega eyeshadow from MAC.
3. Take an angled brow brush, like the 266 or 208 from MAC and move the brush through the brow to blend the pencil or shadow. This will move the product throughout the remainder of the brow without having to add more, leaving a more natural look. Combing through the hair also helps blend everything together.
4. With a concealer brush, like the 195, and a concealer of choice, I prefer Prolongwear Concealer in NC15, trace along the perimeter of the brow. There is really no trick to this. Simply follow around the edges of the brow with your concealer to "carve" out the shape. This gives a precise, crisp, line..If you like a super natural effect I would suggest skipping this step.  Try to choose a concealer no more than 2 shades lighter than your skin.

I will leave you with a photo I stumbled across this evening...This truly goes to show how the shape of your eyebrows can completely change the shape of your entire face!