Eyebrow 101

I am constantly getting asked questions about my eyebrows ... how do I shape them? what do I use to fill them in? what products are best?... Eyebrows can really compliment the face and can also help to enhance the rest of your features- they really do help to pull off a whole face of makeup. Keep reading to find out exactly how I do my brows and what I recommend to keep your brows looking their best!

Grooming 

Personally, I like to get my eyebrows threaded every 2-4 months and pluck away any stray hairs in-between treatments (I always visit Benito brow bar which you can find in most larger Debenhams stores). An good eyebrow thread will cost you just over £10 and whilst it is one of the most painful methods of hair removal, it is in my eyes the most hygienic and effective method when compared to waxing and plucking. Having said that, I do believe that after a few threading treatments, the pain will reduce and it will become much more bearable to face every few months or so. 

In comparison to waxing, threading is a lot kinder to your skin - constant waxing around the eye area can lead to skin sagging quicker as you age from the pressure pulled from the wax strip.Waxing also tends to cause more irritation than threading . Threading will always give a more precise and neat finish as your beautician pulls each hair individually giving them the ability to be in control of the exact final shape, whereas with waxing the wax strip covers a large amount of hairs so can be left with an uneven result. 

Everyone's hair grows back at different paces so whilst I only find that my brows need threading every 2-4 months, you may find it hard to last any longer than 2 months without running to your nearest brow bar and jumping in the next free chair to get a good tidy up. 

Many beauticians will advice against plucking stray hair's in-between threading treatments however I completely disagree and don't see the harm- especially if they're expecting us to constantly be forking out a tenner here and there whenever there's a stray hair poking about!
I say try and only go and get your brows done professionally when you're finding it too hard to manage or are not happy with the shape ..... As long as you get yourself a good pair of tweezers (Tweezerman do the best) and always use a magnifying mirror then you should be fine!  

Makeup .. (filling them in)

I can't imagine doing a full face of makeup and leaving the brows bare- it just wouldn't look right! Eyebrows really help to shape the face; whether your aim is to make your face look more round or you are trying to make your forehead appear smaller- your brows will help you to achieve the look you're going for. 

There are many different methods of filling in your eyebrows which include using brow gels, brow pencils and brow mascaras, all of which can be extremely effective and depending on your preference can be the ultimate makeup tool to give your face a dramatic lift. 

I personally prefer to use brow gels that come in small pots and are applied with a brush, similar to a gel eyeliner. My favourite brow gel is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade which I use on myself in the shade medium brown- I love this product and find it extremely easy to apply using a small angled brush. 

Everybody has their own techniques for applying makeup however I always draw on the arch of my brow first and draw a straight outline underneath the brow, then using a 'spoolie' brow brush (just like a dry mascara wand) I push up the product at the beginning of the brow to give a natural effect without leaving any sharp edges. 

Once I am happy with the shape of my eyebrow, I like to then use a concealer to give a sharp edge and tidy up the whole look. You can use any concealer you like although I always find it easier to use one in a pallet like the MAC Conceal & Correct pallet so that I can simply get a small detailed brush with some product on and draw out around my brows.
Finally I get a very small blending brush to buff out the edges from the concealer and give a neat, sharp look.

Depending on how long your brow hairs are, you may now choose to use a brow mascara setting gel to set the hairs into place. I like Maybelline's Brow Drama which I use as a final step to make sure the hairs stick in place all day long - you can also get this product with a hint of colour which could be used to give a more natural look or for when you're short of time in the morning and want to give your brows a little more definition and shape.

What do you use to fill in your brows? Have you ever had a eyebrow beauty horror story?!

Let me know if you would like a more in-depth video tutorial all about my eyebrow routine!