8920™: Reader Request: Eyebrows

I am an eyebrow fanatic. At the tender age of 10 I decided to arch my own eyebrows with a regular razor (yes, the one used to shave legs). I did a pretty good job considering the tool, but then tried to do the same for my cousin and took half of her brow off.

When I was thirteen I got my first waxing pot and I've been doing brows ever since. Even when I worked in a hair salon as a stylist, my regular eyebrow clients outnumbered my hair clients. You would think I would recognize this as talent and pursue a career in it, right? Nope, not I. Somebody help me! I am the jack of all trades and I refuse to master just one.

As far as methods, I prefer waxing. I wax my full brow (top, bottom, in between) once a month. Sometimes I have to do the bottom twice a month, but most of the time I maintain with tweezing. I've been threaded a few times and I liked the results, but I am a DIY girl and I just can't do that myself. Threading is good if you want to elongate brow shape or recreate/establish the brow shape. Regardless of your method, the right person will give you a shape to maintain for life.

Diagram B

Diagram A

These two diagrams are great technical tools to start off with. Even if you are not a DIY girl, it's important to have an idea about what they should be.

Brows should began at the tear duct (lines A and D). The arch should begin at the end of your pupil (lines B and E). Next, the tail of brow ends at lines C and F. You can measure these points with any straight edge. Be sure to use the tip of your left or right nostril as a guide.

I naturally have thin brows and I think they do nothing for my face. I like thick, dark Denise Richards or Brooke Shields brows. But I know I would look crazy with brows like that, so I had to find a happy medium. I've had to look like Groucho Marx a few times before I got it right.


Just Right

Way too thick!

I fill in my brows on a daily basis. I start by outlining the top and bottom to create my width; I then fill in the center with short wispy strokes. Next, blend, blend, blend. I don't care if you have a toothbrush, a mascara wand,or brow gel, blending is key! Sometimes I'll use concealer to clean up the area or create a highlight for that "too perfect" brow look. Setting with a gel is optional (for me); years ago I used brow gel or clear mascara. There are so many products I've used over the years to fill in my brows and these are my favorites.