Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Think Pink: MAKE-UP TIPS | Brow Know-How

I originally posted this on my blog at artistrhi.com to highlight the importance of a great brow for all women. A great brow helps to frame the face, give us expression and polish our overall look. For women undergoing treatment, the loss of eyebrow hairs is a common physical side effect that can easily be managed with a few of the make-up tips we will discuss here.

The shape to aim for should closely follow your own natural shape (i.e. for the most flattering look, you don't want to completely alter your brow shape!) Find a picture of yourself before treatment and use this as a reference to achieve a natural looking filled-in brow.

Use these steps as a guideline to obtain a universally flattering brow look:
1. Take an eyebrow pencil (use one that's long enough to span the bottom of the nostril to the top of the brow) and hold it vertically, straight against the edge of the nostril up to the browbone. Use this as a reference point as to where brows should begin and draw a light dot with your eyebrow pencil to mark the area on the browbone.

2. Now, move the pencil in a parallel direction towards the outer-edge of the iris, while still holding it in a vertical direction. This is the approximate area where the highest part of the eyebrow--the arch--should occur. Draw another tiny dot on the browbone to mark this point of the eyebrow.

3. Lastly, take the pencil and hold the bottom part of it against the side of the nostril, while tipping the the top portion to make it line up against the outer edge of the eye. The eyebrow should end where the top of the pencil hits the browbone. Place a final dot here to act as a reference as to where the brow should end.
MORE TIPS
  • Choose a waxy eyebrow pencil to keep a filled-in brow more natural looking. A pencil that is too creamy will appear too dark and too fake (think of those tattoed eyebrows) and may draw the wrong kind of attention towards the brow area.
  • Use a light-handed, feathery stroke to mimic tiny eyebrow hairs. Follow the flow of traffic and draw in the direction of hair growth (i.e. Caucasian brows tend to grow straight across, Asian brows tend to grow upward at the inner corner, across in the middle, and downward at the outer corner of the brow). Using an eyebrow pencil with more of a waxy texture will keep the application light-handed.
  • Use a matching eyeshadow or brow powder to blend and set your filled brows.
  • Can't get the shape right? Never fear! Anastasia, a Make-up Junkie favourite, offers brow kits that include brushes, brow powders and stencils in different sizes to help achieve your best brows yet!
For more helpful Think Pink Make-up Tips, check back on Make-up Junkie to see more from this series:
I. How to Maximize Sparse Eyelashes
II. Brow Know-How
III. Applying False Eyelashes
IV. Taking Care of Skin and Nails
V. The Importance of Proper Hygiene

Rhia Amio is a freelance Make-up Artist, Beauty Blogger, and self-confessed Make-Up Addict based in Toronto.

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