I’ve been a makeup artist for almost 10 years now, and the one thing that most of my client’s are shocked to see me do is define their brows!! In fact, I would go so far as saying that many of them are frightened of any brow work, and a few even refuse any brow shaping or definition. I can kind of understand why, because it’s hard to move outside your comfort zone – but brows are the frame to your eyes, and are SO important! Good brows frame your face and accentuate your eyes!
Brow definition can make a HUGE difference to the whole makeup look when done properly.
Look at the difference a bit of brow definition made to this my client, Sam’s, makeup:
At the moment, the fashion is all about the WOW BROW – eye brows are big again. From brushed up and boyish, to shapely and full, the statement brow has been seen amongst many celebrities of late, like Natalie Portman and Princess Kate!
I absolutely love the full brow look – it is so chic!
Don’t get me wrong, I’m far from loving the famous Brooke Shield brow… but a fuller brow is definitely a lot more flattering to me than last decade’s thin, manicured brows!
Just look at this photo taken from http://www.beautystylewatch.com/are-thin-eyebrows-really-in/ of Keira Knightly with both fuller and thinner brows – I know which style I think is more attractive!
If you are thinking you could never achieve this look because you over-plucked when you were younger (I am a victim of early twenties over-plucking myself!), you are wrong! There are many products that can help you achieve a fuller brow – brow gels, pencils and shadows can all help. Shadows are great for beginners, and can look more ‘natural’ than pencils and gels. I like to use more than one colour to give a more natural look. The secret when using a brow pencil is to draw in tiny strokes, in a flick like motion to give a more natural hair-like appearance.
I prefer to leave shaping in terms of plucking/waxing/threading to the experts. But it’s really easy for you to enhance that shape using brow products at home. Brands like Too Faced and Vanity Mark make great brow kits, but there’s nothing stopping you from using a matte eyeshadow on a firm angle brush. My favourite angle brush for brow shadows is the Real Techniques angle brush you will find in their eye brush kit (available at Priceline).
Another technique to resurrect your full brow is brow tattooing… not something I would do personally, but I’ve seen some amazing photographs of really natural looking brow work using tattoos.
You can also buy brow stencils which are placed over the brow for you to “colour in”. I do, however, prefer the look when the shape isn’t as harsh near the nose.
When enhancing your brows, just remember that the brow should start in line with the tear duct, and should follow your natural brow shape.
Here’s a diagram that gives you an idea of where the different points of the brow should be.
Of course, the fuller brow that is on trend at the moment tends to have less of an arch.
I hope these brow tips have helped. I will leave you now with a photo from primped.ninemsn.com.au – Cara Delevingne and her beautiful signature brows (and face!)
Happy Brow-ing!
Rebekah Foxe
Makeup Artistry by Rebekah
www.makeupbyrebekah.com.au