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By Stacey Caruso

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It’s amazing how much attention and importance we place on strong eyebrow game these days huh? And rightly so!! Brows not only frame our eyes but they can dramatically change the look of anyone depending on how thick, thin or well groomed they are.

While working in Vancouver, I remember meeting the head makeup artist for Anastasia Beverly Hills (brow queen). He explained that full brows actually create a softer look to the face despite being thicker, and that thin brows are a lot more harsh. As an example, he said, “When you look at all the villains from Disney films, almost all of them have thin, sharp brows, which convey that evil, villainous look — we don’t want brows like Cruella De Vil do we?!” Lol!

Now, I know there are many women (myself included), who were inspired by the likes of Gwen Stefani and Drew Barrymore’s over-plucked brows circa 1995. And while 90s fashion may have made a comeback, fortunately 90s beauty hasn’t. Sadly, no matter how long we wait between waxes our brows wont make a comeback either. I feel your pain Adeladies, but I want to tell you about the products and the techniques that you can use so you can fake it til you make it, and appear to have the full, luscious brows you desire.

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3 TIPS: HOW TO GET STRONG EYEBROW GAME

 

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1. FIGURE OUT YOUR BROW SHAPE

To figure out where your brows should start and finish hold the end of a brush alongside the outside of the nose straight up to the inside corner of your eye. Your brows should begin inline with the brush. Keeping the bottom of the brush resting on the outer edge of the nose, tilt it so the top of it is in line with the iris of the eye — that is where your arch should be. And again, leaving the base of the brush where it is, tilt the brush further again to the outer corner of eye, and where the end of the brush is, that is where your brow should end. That is your basic brow map!

2. HOW TO FILL IN YOUR BROWS

If you’re lucky enough to have naturally full brows you probably don’t need to create too much shape to them. In cases like this I like to use a shadow or brow powder to add definition or fill them in where the hairs are sparse. Apply light, feathery strokes with a brow brush in the areas where they need to be filled so they don’t become too heavy. It’s extremely important to use a colour that is as close to your natural hair as possible. Here’s my quick colour guide, all depending on tones of your hair of course.

Blonde :: Ash/soft grey

Brunette :: Light brown/mahogany/warm brown

Red :: Ash/soft brown

Black :: Dark brown/dark charcoal… don’t use black, too harsh!

Grey :: Soft grey/slate

If you have thin brows that you wish to make fuller and give more shape (like me) then I generally recommend to use both a brow pencil and brow powder/shadow. You will need to use the pencil first, in the areas you don’t have hair (it will grab on to the skin better). Then use powder to soften or to use in areas where hairs are sparse.

When I do my brows I always start at the base to fill rather than the top. With a pencil I draw a soft line from the base of my brow up to the arch to create the angle I want. I then go ahead and do soft, feathery strokes with pencil where there is no hair and then use shadow in the same tone throughout the brow. It’s always handy to have a brow comb or disposable mascara wands nearby to brush through the brows so the product blends in with the brows seamlessly.

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3. MY FAVE PRODUCTS TO USE

There’s lots of brow products out there on the market these days and hard to know which is best for you. Anastasia Beverly Hills specialises in brows and has a variety of different formulas such as her famous Dipbrow Pomade which is a gel like consistency. These are amazing to use for someone who is more confident in application, otherwise I would stick to pencils and powder formulas for the brow beginner. Some of my top picks for brow products are…

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Image credit : sephora.com (Dipbrow Pomade)

Kevyn Aucoin precision brow pencil – Available at Mecca, this pencil is soft without being too waxy and gives the illusion of natural hairs. Comes in 2 shades that suit a lot of people and has grooming brush on the end.

Benefit Brow Zings brow kit – Comes in 3 shades, containing a pigmented wax for shaping and then a brow powder to set and soften. Also has tweezers and brushes included.

Brow powders/shadows – Some of my favourite matte shadows are best to use as a brow powder. Some great ones from Bobbi such as Grey, Saddle, Mahogany, Blonde (to name a few) or Nars matte shadows in Blondie or Bengali.

Before brows…

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After brows – strong eyebrow game!

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Let me know if you have any questions. Good luck with your eyebrow game girls!

Stacey xx

*Feature photo credit : nbcnews.com

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