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Health & Fitness

The Makeup Girl: Eyebrows 101

How to shape your eyebrows, and a few product suggestions for getting them just right.

And you thought ‘eyes were the window to your soul’ —

All makeup artists agree on one thing: eyebrows are the most important facial feature.  Your eyebrows determine the angles of your face.   They can give the illusion of lifting your eyes and/or narrowing your eyes.  The shape of your brows can make your face look thin or make your face look wide. 

The best look for most is the look that your mom gave you.  I suggest that you let your natural eyebrow be your guide and simply enhance your brow to give a more dramatic, polished look. 

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Below is Brow 101:

Basic Shaping (refer to the photo attachment)

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  • The inner edge of the brow should line up with the outside of the corresponding nostril (A).
  • The highest point of the arch should be just at the outer edge of the eyeball. (B)
  • The outer brow should taper off to a point that intersects with an imaginary line drawn from the outer nostril past the outer edge of the eye (C)

And you thought geometry wouldn't be useful later in life! It sounds complicated, but just follow the drawing and you will impress yourself. 

No matter how full and perhaps even unruly your eyebrows are, a little eyebrow makeup works wonders for your look (Chase, Brow Pro 2010).

Tips:

  • If you want to preview a new brow look before you commit to plucking, use white or taupe pencil (depending on your skin tone) to color over the places you intend to pluck out.
  • Beware of over plucking, as too-thin brows can actually age you. 
  • Nobody's eyebrows are totally symmetrical. Be careful of using stencils, as they can make your brows look unnatural.
  • The hair and brow color should match pretty closely. I find that a taupe color is generally a good match for most people, however for silver-haired women, I would stick with a slate grey color.  Darker skin tones might want to go dark brown or black.   
  • I find that most women look best with a brow powder.  Brow powder blends with your hair and provides a natural, soft look.
  • Using a small angle detailer or eye brow brush with the eyebrow powder gives excellent precision - it fills in where needed and accents or defines where needed. 
  • Using a Brush On Brow color—you might be surprised at the brows you "find"—often the areas you think you are missing eyebrow turns out to be just light colored hairs.    
  • A brow pencil is a great option for a thick full brow that need a bit more shape.
  • A brow pencil is also fantastic for ALL sports and any activity where you will sweat.  L7’s Indelible Brow pencil is water proof and will not fail you when you need it most!
  • Falling eyebrows - If an hour or more go by and you find that your brows are pointing to the floor..here are some tips: after you fill in your brows you can use a Brow Fix, this will help hold your brows in place.  
  • To keep unruly brows in place you can also take an old tooth brush (after you run it through the dishwasher) and spray it with hairspray, then gently comb the sprayed toothbrush over your eyebrows.
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