Bad Brows

Hello to all you babes out there in skirt land!  It's been much too long since my last blog post... I was lost for a while, but I'm slowly rejoining the human race.  In the meantime however, I've still been writing about my favorite beauty topics.  Here's the first of many to come.  Enjoy!

Bad Brows

This one I’m adamant about.  Girls, tame those bad brows!  The brows convey emotion, frame the eyes and create a beautiful face.  Natural, well-groomed brows should extend over the length of the eye, have a natural arc, and taper gently at the end.   Grooming your brows accordingly can correct facial features and create symmetry.  Close-set eyes can be widened, harsh lines softened, and width narrowed.   

Most Frequent Offenders

Too Thin/Too Short/Non-Existent

 Put down the tweezers and step away from the mirror.  Stop tweezing, waxing, shaving, whatever it is you do, immediately!  Fill brows in and out with brow powder and flat, angled brush.  Pencils can look too obvious on bare skin, so they’re best left for filling in sparse spots rather than creating the illusion of a brow that’s not there.    I love Benefit’s Brow Zing.  This dual palette has a colored wax (which helps keeps those strays in place) and powder and is available in 3 shades; fair, medium and dark. 

Too Fair/Barely There

 Your brows should be a few shades darker than your hair, if fair, whether natural or color-treated.  Dark haired babes can lighten up a shade to soften your features.  Brow-tinting is often frowned upon; there is a great risk for allergic reaction or even blindness if product gets in the eye.  If you insist, leave the job to the professionals.  But you can easily darken brows at home with a brow powder or tinted gel. 

Bushy Brows

Tame those things!  I believe brows should be full and natural, but some maintenance is required.  Shape is key- you need the shape that works best for you.  So see a professional if you’re unsure what that looks like.  There are a few methods of removal from which to choose; waxing, threading, or tweezing.  An aesthetician can perform the first two options, while a good makeup artist, including yours trulyJ, can perform a tweezing and trimming miracle.  Between visits (every 4-6 weeks, typically) you can get rid of strays on your own, but leave the major uprooting to the professionals.  A do-it-yourself job can easily get out of hand.  You may end up looking lopsided, uneven, or overdone if you get carried away. 

*Helpful hint- Don’t have your brows done within a few days of a big event.  Waxing removes the top layers of skin with the hairs.  Not only does this result in some immediate redness, but makeup won’t adhere to the area either.

*To prevent the pain, try this trick.  Hold an ice cube to the eyebrows for a minute or so to numb the area.  You may also try a little Ambesol for an instant numbing effect.  Just be sure not to get to close to the eyes!

*There’s also proof that Rogaine may stimulate brow growth as well.  So there’s hope yet for those of you guilty of overdoing it!  Results take several weeks, but it could take up to 8 weeks for the hair to grow back on its own.

Alright gals, get those brows under control and be your babe-a-licious self!  And as always, be beautiful, inside and out!

-Micha