How to Brow

Brows brows brows. Brows. Say it with me now. Brows! I cannot emphasize this enough: having well groomed and striking brows will not only frame your face, but add an element of balance and beauty that will finish off any perfect makeup look. Even if I'm just running to the grocery store and have no other make up on, I will usually at least fill in my brows a bit and put on a touch of lipgloss. Just to show you how important eyebrows really are...here's some pictures of celebrities without them. I'm sorry to have to do this to you. 

Alright now that you've got Nicholas Cage without eyebrows burned into your brain, we'll move on. Over the years (there's many of us out there I'm sure!) I've gone through some pretty bad brow stages. Starting at the the days of eighth-grade when we were not allowed to wear a drop of makeup (Catholic School!) 

Right on through to the over -plucking awfulness that was high school.

 I'll admit that even though I consider myself pretty good at doing makeup, brows are the thing that it took me a while to finally "get". Even now, if I try to rush through, I'll end up with some wonky brows...and ain't nobody got time for dat. As much as I would love to have full Cara Delavigne-like bushy brows to work with, I really don't grow a lot of hair. I have a pretty scraggly thin line that is not attractive at all. 

I've tried many different eyebrow pencils over the years from the $26 Bobbi Brown to the $.99 Wet N Wild. In the last year or so I think I've finally found the perfect technique. This is going to be a pretty objective blog post this week just because everyone has such different eyebrows and facial features, but I'm just going to show you the process I go through, and you can take what you want from it. 

When I was researching blogs and wanting to create my own, I started to follow a lot of make up artists, and they all had one thing in common. They all used Anastasia Beverly Hills products on their brows. I figured they couldn't all be wrong, so I picked up their Dip Brow Pomade (in Taupe) and an angled brush at Sephora two weeks ago...and let me tell you! It was the best makeup decision I ever made! 

The fine, angled tip of the brush combined with the creamy consistency of the product create an effortless, crisp brow in less time than usual. I'm going to warn you, they are not the cheapest products. This was definitely a splurge (angled brush was $18 and dip brow pomade was $18) but in the end, well-worth it. It's waterproof and smudge-free, so I know when I apply it at 7am, I'll still be good to go when I'm on a shoot later on in the day. 

I start by lightly dipping the angled brush in the pomade and basically drawing a line on the underside of my brow. 

Then, repeat with top line. Again, this is objective. You can go as thin or as thick as you wish, just keep in mind your own brow type. (Don't try to create something that isn't there to the point where it looks super unnatural). 

Next, connect the top line with the part of your brow that will taper down. 

Now without dipping the brush back in the pomade, carefully drag the brush in between where you just made your two lines. There will be enough on the brush to just fill in the rest. Make sure that there are no severe lines on the inner corner of your brow. 

You can stop there if you are happy with the results. But I took it one step further to make it look even more natural. I go over the whole brow with a powder. I really like Milani's Brow Fix Kit. It comes with its own mini angled brush which is really great for blending. In the words of one of my favorite makeup artists Jeffree Star, "you better blend bitch!" :)

The last step is to take another angled brush and apply concealer around the edges of the completed brow. (I'm happy to tell you the brush I use for this is e.l.f. brand and is only $1!) This will make it pop and look clean and crisp. 

Blend that all in, and here's your final product:

 Even if you're not used to penciling in your brows, really give it a shot. You'll be surprised to see just what a difference it will make! Cheers Xx

Products used:

-Anastasia Dip Brow Pomade in Taupe ($18 Sephora)

-Anastasia Brow Brush #12 ($18 Sephora)

- Milani Brow Fix Kit ($7.99 Any Drugstore)

-Maybelline Color Stick Concealer in White ($4.69 Any Drugstore)