When they look good, you look gorgeous, so show your eyebrows some love.
Poor eyebrows! They are the true Cinderella of the face. While the eyes and the lips get to go to the ball, dolled up in all their finery, more often than not, the brows are left neglected and unloved. Big, big mistake. Brows are incredibly important. The brows lift and frame the face. They pull everything together. In fact, a well-groomed, well-defined brow can do so much to a face that you actually need less make-up. By the same token, bad brows can wreak havoc on the prettiest face. If you get your brow shape wrong, your whole face will change; you can go from looking chic to cheap. What shape is right? Generally, a variation on the brow shape you were born with. It may be fashionable for brows to be thicker right now.
But it's like everything if you follow fashion extremes, things can go horribly wrong. So be aware of what's in, but do what suits your face. A classic brow shape that's right for you will never go out of style.
The Glamour Brow Also known as everyone's fantasy eyebrow. It's a classic made-up brow. It's thick and groomed, arched and elegant; this is going to look good
on anyone.
Do It Yourself: Use pencil if you're confident, and powder if you're not. Draw a defined arch and blend outwards from there. Put on more colour than you would during the day. And make sure that the outer edge is defined but tapered." Fill in gaps with feathery strokes, fading to nothing nearer the nose. Finish with a lick of brow gel. Gel adds gloss, which ups the glamour. Work it into
hairs from root to tip, then brush upwards along the top of the arch.
The Uber Brow This is the brow at its most high fashion. It's very dark and very graphic. It's not even attempting
to look natural. Suitable candidates for this look: anyone with decent-sized brows. Mingy eyebrows need not apply.
Do It Yourself: Brush the hairs out of the way and start filling in the base of the brows with a damp brush dipped in eye-brow powder. Get the powder right onto the skin beneath hairs. Brush the brows back into place and then continue using your wet brush and powder to coat over the hairs. "Go nearer to the nose than you
normally would. Even fill in the arch you want a strong. Straighter, graphic brow.
The Wild Brow
Eat your heart out. These are my very youthful, sensual and luscious.
Do it Yourself: The starting point is pretty much virgin brows. Then it's all about grooming. Brow gel really comes into its own here. Coat each hair from root to tip and brush in the wrong direction to create volume. Finish by brushing brows straight up and sweeping the brush along the top edge to join them together. There's not a bit of pencil or powder in these brows. You just want them to look glossy, healthy and dewy.
Making Up Brows
Not many of us have perfect brows, even after plucking. Often the arch is a bit sparse, or you have gaps, or the brows are asymmetrical. Filling gives the brows more impact, definition and length. Here's how to do it like a pro…
Pick Your Weapon: Make-up artists favour pencils but amateurs can find them tricky to use. If you're a beginner, shadow is an easier option.
Choosing The Right Colour: It is the most important thing with pencils and powders. To look natural it needs to be as close to the natural shade of your brows as you can manage. Generally, it needs to be no more than two shades darker than the hair on your head.
Start With The Arch: Draw a soft arch (not too pointy), then fill in the gap between it and the rest of your brow. Now decide if the front of the brow needs filling. Be careful, never go to heavy near the bridge of the nose start a little way back.
Vary Your Technique: Keep strokes feathery near the nose. When you're doing the arch and down the
outer edge, you need light but
longer strokes.
If You're Using Shadow: A damp brush will give a darker colour and stronger shape. A dry brush will give a softer cloud of colour.
Top 4 Brow Crimes
1. Over-plucking
Quite simply, brow crime numero uno. The two main offences? First, the 'tadpole' where the middle section has been over-plucked, leaving a heavy section by the nose. It's a very inelegant shape. Second the 1930s brow, where the whole brow is plucked to a scary skinniness. It's not beautiful, it's too harsh and you'll just look surprised.
2. Mono-Brow
Artist Frida Kahlo and actress
Kajol might have made this their trademark, but don't make it yours. A thatch of dark hairs between the brows is unflattering as it will
close your face. So pluck or thread into oblivion.
3. Shaving
Don't go there, even if you have brows like a sheepskin rug. Even the most unruly brows can be tidied without resorting to the razor.
4. Unkemptness
Most brows need a little brushing and plucking to get them into shape. Four or five hairs could make all the difference. A bit of gentle plucking in the right place will transform
your face.
