Hello, Improper Adults! Please allow me to introduce myself. I'm Olivia, a stay-at-home mom of two little princesses. One thing about me relevant to this column is that I love beauty and skincare; you might say that I am developing an addiction. I am by no means an expert, but I am pretty knowledge about these subjects and products. In every issue of this zine, my column will be focusing on a specific beauty or skincare technique.
For my first entry, I want to talk about eyebrows. My main point is this: please shape and maintain them but DO NOT over pluck!
Okay, you may be a brow novice, or even a past brow sinner (I cringe looking at high school pictures where my tadpole brows are on display; so gross). The good news is that you can easily start a new routine to get your brows into tip-top shape. Why are nice eyebrows so important? Well, they are the focal point of your face, as they frame your eyes.
First, you need to establish the correct shape for your face. If you have never groomed your eyebrows before or they are thick bushes without shape, you have several options: 1. Go to a professional and have your brows shaped. The Benefit Brow Bar at Ulta is a little pricey, but worth it. The technician will ‘map’ your brows, giving you the perfect shape for your face. She or he will also fill them in and show you how to groom them. Option 2 is to do it yourself. There are many wonderful tutorials on YouTube to teach you how. The short of it is to make sure the thickest part of your brows begin no further than the corner of your inner eye. Take a straight edge (pencil or similar) and place it diagonally from your outer eye; this is where your brow should end. I’ve seen soooo many women with eyebrows that begin and/or end too far in from the ends of their eyes; not a good look. We want to achieve a natural, not-overgroomed look.
When it comes to shaping, DO NOT over pluck/wax/thread! The thin ‘pencil’ eyebrows of the late 90s are not an attractive look; so please don’t go there! If your brows have been abused by over-plucking/waxing/threading, you need to grow them out. Yes, this will be awkward and annoying, but it’s necessary. Your next step in achieving perfect brows is to remove excess hair: you can achieve this by plucking, waxing, or threading (my personal favorite). Follow your natural shape. Again, if you’re not sure what that is due to never grooming or over-grooming, see a professional. If your hairs are long, comb them upward with a clean mascara brush, and then trim according to your shape, but be careful not to cut too much! After trimming, comb brows so they lie smooth in diagonal and horizontal positions, according to your shape.
The final step is to fill-in your brows; even the thickest sets can benefit from this. You need to buy a special pencil or pomade made specifically for eyebrows. My personal favorite is Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow, a wonderful pomade. It comes in a spectrum of colors that will work for every hair shade. Whether you use a pencil or pomade, you can find a product at all price points. Anastasia and Benefit offer great pencils, and both brands are available at Sephora and Ulta. For a less expensive option, NYX offers good pomade and pencils that are available at Ulta, Target, and Walmart. You want to find a color that is just SLIGHTLY darker than the color of the hair on your head (unless you have black hair, of course).
Whether you use a pencil or a brush dipped in pomade, use small strokes similar to your hairs when applying. A clean mascara brush can be used to comb-in the color, and you can also deal with a wax for extra staying-power.
That’s it; you are finished! You should now have perfect brows. One thing that I didn’t mention, as it should be common knowledge (though I will for good measure) is to get rid of that unibrow! This goes for men, as well, who should also trim their brows and even get rid of stray hairs if the brows look like caterpillars.
Thanks for reading, you beautiful beings! Be sure to look out for my column in the next issue.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at olivia.improperadult@yahoo.com.
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