From Frida Kahlo to Brooke Shields, Cara Delevingne to Lily Collins, it’s clear how important eyebrows can be when it comes to framing your face, creating a signature look or just adding personality. But between the over-threading and the block of colour that is the ‘Instagram brow’, we just don’t do them justice. They should have shape, gradation and texture, all easily achievable with the right products.
A few basics
Just like the rest of your face, your eyebrows aren’t symmetrical. So when filling them in, remember that they’re sisters, not twins. Secondly, stay away from over-threading. While you may think that threading helps create the perfect shape for you to work with (and it does), the hair that regrows causes you to thread it again and again (keep in mind, it gets thinner every time), leading to an endless cycle. Instead, get your brows ‘shaped’ once in about six months, and tweeze away the strays that grow back with time. This allows your natural shape to come through without looking overly done.
For the natural brow lovers
While some may need a lot of help in the eyebrow department, a lot of Indians are blessed with naturally full eyebrows. An easy way to tame them and keep them in place all day long is using a brow gel. I love the Anastastia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel (₹1,780 on Cult Beauty) as it sticks to even the strongest of eyebrow hair like glue. If you feel like you could use a bit of help, but still want to keep things natural, the MAC Pro Longwear Waterproof Brow Set (₹1,450 from Nykaa) is a tinted brow gel that helps keep shape but also adds an extra tint that’s perfect for sparser areas.
The Editorial Brow
Feathery, brushed up and barely filled in, this brow is perfect for those who love subtle definition and have some time on their hands. Since this is all about the texture, drawing in individual hairs would work better. MAC’s Shape and Brow Tint (₹1,900 on Nykaa) is a fine pen, perfect to create the shadow of hair. This still keeps things looking natural, but more polished. If a pen is too much effort, Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow in Slate (₹2,000 from Nykaa) is the perfect grey-brown shadow that can be used with an angled brush to create a subtle appearance of hair.
The Insta Brow, but better
Instead of fully drawn on eyebrows, working with your natural shape always yields the best results for bold brows. As a proud member of this camp, I swear by the Benefit Goof Proof Eyebrow Pencil for the tail end of the brow and the Benefit Precisely My Brow Pencil (₹2,320 from Nykaa/Sephora) for the front. This makes for a quick, slightly textured naturally full brow that is easy to create. I prefer these products over pomades as you can control your strokes and resist the urge to just fill it all in. It may take a bit of practice, but once you get the hang of it, it’s hard to go back. And remember, no matter what product you use, always remember to use the spoolie to comb through and mesh the product into the hair and skin underneath.
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