Surely you had heard the saying “they’re sisters, not twins”, well here are a few eyebrow tips to make it easier to perfect the shape, color and overall appearance of your brows! Everyone has one brow higher than the other, and one thicker than it’s partner, or possibly a scar or a mole on one side. The art of eyebrow shaping, waxing & tweezing is to make them appear symmetrical despite their differences, whatever those may be. Before you begin, measure the brow to ensure that you do not remove too much hair in any direction. I generally recommend you do this step using a long thin makeup brush, like you would a ruler, and mark the correct spots with an eyeliner. The eyebrow should begin if you run a straight line from the outside edge of the nostril to the inside corner of the eye, use this line to mark the beginning of the brow. For the arch, you should place one end of the makeup brush at the nostril and use the outside corner of the pupil to see exactly where the highest point of the arch should be. And when measuring the length of the brow, place the brush from the nostril to the outside corner of the eye, this will be the perfect stopping point for the brow’s length. I suggest you wipe the eyebrow area with an astringent before you begin and after you finish tweezing. Even when doing your brows at home, clean the skin and the tweezers…because do you really remember how those tweezers were used last??
The first step in eyebrow shaping is to brush the brow and trim any unruly little guys. This is not to give the brows a haircut, this step is just to remove any hairs that have grown too long and therefore stick out and make the group appear unruly! I simply do not tolerate any rogues! Be sure not to tweeze these bad guys, because you may be left with a hole in the brow. The hair is needed, it just doesn’t need to be so long!
Secondly, “you never pluck the eyebrows”, “you pluck a chicken”! Eyebrow tweezing should be done by holding the tweezer at a 90degree angle to the hair and remove it in the direction of hair growth. All hair removal is slightly uncomfortable however, if you are hearing it “pop” out of the follicle or it feels like excruciating pain, then you may not be doing the tweezing correctly. When the hair bulb is removed with too much force it will create more redness and possible bleeding. If you see pin-prick bleeding, that will indicate that the follicle has now been damaged and may never experience regrowth in that exact spot. Now, here’s the tricky part….get ready….DO NOT OVER TWEEZE! This is simply the hardest step for most people. This is where we loose everyone. Remember that when you are looking at one brow and tweezing it, then you can’t see the other brow at the same time. Right? So it makes sense that people often shape one brow, then try to match it therefore end up over tweezing because they are going from one to the other resulting in a tiny thin line of hair left. Another mistake I see often is people try to create an artificial arch. Your brow has a arch where it is naturally higher than the rest of the hair, work within that area to make it appear more dramatic. Remember that if you make the inside corners too thin it will detract from the actual arch. A real arch is not a thin line curve that follows a square at the inner corners. Your brows will end up looking like tadpoles! Yuck!
To perfect the eyebrow shape use a brow filler. There is such a diverse palette of eyebrow products people always ask me “which is best?”. My answer is simple, pencils are fine, shadows are fine, waxes are fine, gels are fine…get the picture. If you use the product correctly it should look naturally fuller, or super dramatic if that is your style! When selecting the right filler for you, I suggest you seek out a makeup artist who’s brows you LIKE. Then ask them for a recommendation and have then show you how to create the look that you desire. If your brows are curly and grow long, then a gel or wax will help hold them in place! Make sure you purchase the right product and any tools to have the same result when trying it alone at home! Remember, it will not look the same if you skip a step!
While we are on the subject, I am not a fan of razoring off the brow to draw it on with filler. However, I do utilize a razor to tweak the shape for clients who desire razoring.
Now for eyebrow waxing. I really don’t recommend you do waxing at home. Waxing the eyebrow area in general is tricky. The skin of the eye area is the thinest on the body, so it is easy to make a mistake that could take weeks to recover! First the area must be cleaned and prepped for waxing, which they do not adaquately explain on the packaging! Then the wax must be the right temperature for the delicate skin surrounding the eye, and the removal of wax is super important to the success…or failure..of the procedure. It is not easy to get the right angle and velocity of the pull when you are doing this on yourself. Remember it stands to reason that your dominate hand will pull harder on one side than the other! There are so any variables that could go wrong at home, that I suggest you go to a professional for facial waxing!
One of my favorite eyebrow tips is tinting! At my spa I offer eyelash and eyebrow tinting using a vegetable dye that last approximately 4-6 weeks. This can help with brow that are sparse by adding color to vellus hairs underneath the brow, thus making the hair appear thicker and fuller. Please know that I am not recommending that you run to Sally’s and purchase eyebrow tint. The reason is because they only offer black or brown, and yes the brown is a very dark brown! I do not take responsibility for any Groucho Marks eyebrows out there as result of this post!! As an esthetician I have a variety of colors that are great for mixing to achieve a perfect match for your brows. I always tint conservatively, it is easier to reapply for a darker look, than have an “uh oh” moment when the client looks in the mirror! This is a great option for summer, because we are always rushing to the court, swimming pool or beach in Charleston.
Lets face it, everybody looks better with eyebrows, and a little definition to the lash line!! I offer expert eyebrow shaping utilizing wax and/or tweezing, as well as a variety of facial waxing or hair removal techniques. I also offer tinting for brows and lashes at my studio. I hope to see you there! Lisa Burson Makep, Skin & Wax at 615 Johnnie Dodds Blvd. Suite 101 Call or text 803-348-8367