RSSEyebrows Are Everything
September 30, 2008
You’ve heard this before, I know it : If you do one thing to improve your appearance, have your eyebrows done.
It is an undeniable truth. It cleans up your face, it gives you some polish, a little edge that nobody can quite put their finger on. That’s the best kind of “having something done”. Unless you are blessed with beautifully-shaped brows in a perfect color for your hair color and complexion, this will make an enormous difference.
The first time
It can also be scary. What if you get someone who pulls off most of your eyebrow or leaves a big hole? Simple. Find someone who uses tweezers, not wax. Most artists and estheticians strive for a very natural look anyhow, but with tweezers you can keep checking on how it’s going. They’re used to women being nervous about this, believe me.
Do have it done professionally, at least the first time. That means you need recommendations from other women. Ask around. Try to find a makeup artist who will shape brows because they can look at your entire face/hair combination and consult on the best shape AND color for you.
Estheticians are very good but their color advice might not be the same as your makeup artist’s. Still, many estheticians are terrific at eyebrows and they’re easier to find than makeup artists.
DIY Eyebrows
Want to try it yourself? Invest in a pair of Tweezerman tweezers. They are worth every cent. I think they leave the skin cleaner than wax. Mine cost $24.99 at Shoppers Drug Mart. They are shaped on a slant and they do not miss a hair.
My brows peak a little at the top, so I clean away the extra hairs to round the top edge. Takes about 15 seconds. Huge difference.
Naturally dark
My brows are naturally too dark and mousey for my lighter warm brown hair. It looks discordant and a little severe.
Natural (dark) brow color.
Bleaching them lightens and softens the whole eye area. Jolen from the drugstore, 4 minutes and done. It looks softer and brings more light to the eye area, one of those subtle ways of looking a little younger.
Though it was done professionally the first time, this is so simple that I’ve done it myself ever since. It works out to about every 6 weeks, as often as I have my hair colored. You just mix it up like the instructions say, 2 parts cream to 1 part powder approximately. I use ¼ tsp powder and ½ tsp cream, eyeballed, mixed right on the little card in the box. I paint it on, wait 4 minutes, rinse it off. Costs $5, takes 5 minutes, my kind of beauty treatment. Until you know how long it takes to reach your shade, you could experiment by beginning with 2 minutes (which is how long it takes me to see that any change at all is taking place), and then increase in 30 second increments till you figure out your time.
Because my brows are a little thin at the beginning and end, a little matte eyeshadow for blond brows is brushed in among the hairs in those places. Many women like pencils to define brows but I find it easier to get a very natural look with powder and an angled brush. I prefer matte eyeshadow to brow powder because it comes in more color variations and is more sheer than many brow powders.
Lighter, softer brows.
Naturally light
Holly’s brows are naturally so light that they’re invisible. She has them colored with the same dye that’s applied to her hair. Hairstylists do this all the time.
Brows colored with hair dye.
Holly also has her brows shaped, but that’s done at a different salon.
Now her entire face, and the eye area especially, has beautiful definition, but it’s very subtle. Holly is wearing a little makeup but the perfect brows are doing most of the work to enhance her face.
Low cost, low maintenance
Clean brows in a natural, flattering shape are easy to achieve. You can learn this, you really can. The effect of opening, brightening, and defining the eye gives a makeup effect with no makeup.
This is generally one of the least expensive procedures in many salons. Depending on your brows, it needs to be redone about every 6-8 weeks. Once you get used to the new shape, it’s easy to maintain the look with your own handy home tool kit of Jolen and Tweezermans.
Comments
3 Responses to “Eyebrows Are Everything”
Got something to say? I hope so.
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A Greener Tea
Web Maintenence by Rick Beckman
Eyebrows: Great advice and what a difference the lighter brows make! Wow!
.. and if someone has an an idea about the white brow hairs coming up - apart from pulling them out and getting “holes” in the eyebrows - that would be great.
Best wishes and thanks for this great webside.
maria
brow tint! Yes this is somewhat of a plug but I’m not the only one who carries them.
Brow tint looks like mascara yet its not of the same texture or colour as mascara. It can come in blond, fawn and sable. Thats what i carry anyway.
It will tint your brows (even they grey or white hairs) for the day and washes off with the rest of your make-up. The other option is getting an esthetician to do it and it lasts for a few weeks.
How you don’t mind Christine.
Jenepher
Not at all. I appreciate your answer to Maria’s question.
I’ve never used brow tint, but if I’m not mistaken, they can act as a gel that keeps the brow hairs in place, right? It looks very good when the hairs are brushed up and outwards, but they never stay in place on their own.
The other look I’ve been liking is when the brow is a little glossy. Kind of looks healthy, and it’s a subtle way to draw attention. I suppose the right brow tint could do that as well? I’ve tried using metallic eye shadow and while it might work at night, it’s just too odd for day.