No matter what sort of makeup you prefer, brows are always a priority. If you are in your teens or have full brows, you might want to stick to just combing them and setting in place with a clear brow gel.
For the rest of us, there are a couple of product categories to choose from:
• Powder
• Pencil
• Gel/ pomade
• Tinted brow mascara
Here are some things you need to know about these products.
• Powders are best at giving the look of fuller brows
• Pencils deposit the most pigment and are generally harder to blend giving a more dramatic look
• Tinted brow mascara gives the most natural result
• Gel/ pomade can be used for all kinds of results but it requires practice
Half of brow grooming is in shaping so remove extra hair that crowds your natural brow if you’d like. Remember, the eyebrow shape you were born with is best for your features so changing it will probably result in disaster.
Today, I am going to show you how to achieve four kinds of eyebrow styles with Anastasia Dip Brow Pomade in Ash brown, Morphe G12 angled brow brush, a spoolie and a concealer in one case. I will be discussing all the styles I have seen so far. However, I don’t agree with some of them for reasons which will become obvious as you see the comparison.
Feathery Brows
1. Comb through the hair
2. Using light feathery strokes, move towards the tail flicking the brush upwards as you go
3. Comb in the shape of the brow to distribute the pigment
This is best achieved with a pencil in my opinion and works well for people with naturally fuller brows as they don’t really need much definition. It’s not for me as you can see I have sparse areas and bald spots this technique doesn’t address.
Boxy Brows
1. Brush hair upwards in the inner corner
2. Using light flicking motion, apply the product upwards in the direction of hair growth and comb them
3. Comb hair downwards and fill them in a downward flicking motion (Only if your hair grows downwards in any part otherwise just do Step 2) then comb them in that same direction
4. Comb through with a spoolie in the shape of your eyebrows to ensure no area is patchy
This is the style I see preferred by almost all Pakistani bridal makeup artists and it looks absolutely terrible as you can see. The entire eyebrow from corner to tail is of single depth and you wouldn’t have been able to see my hair if I had fuller brows. It looks like I have two caterpillars snoozing above my eyes, no joke. We all know eyebrows naturally have lighter and darker areas but no, let’s go for the painted look they say. What makes it worse is that I have close set eyes and this accentuates that fact, which I don’t want.
Instagram Brows
1. Comb through to reveal your actual shape
2. Line the entire eyebrow, top and bottom, from inner corner to tail (Yes, just like you did in kindergarten when you drew family portraits)
3. Leaving out the very inner part, gently fill in with increasing depth as you move to the tail until you reach the point where your brow hairs become camouflaged underneath the pigment
4. Pretend like you have some hair in the inner corner by drawing them on gently with upwards flicks and comb the entire thing (Concealer clean up is optional)
Of course, when we talk about makeup fails, Instagram and YouTube top the list every single time. These go from hardly filled to super filled as you move towards the tail in typical drag queen style. This makes your eyes look farther part, your face wider and sometimes, lifted, if you have arched brows. Basically, Instagram brows are for men who wish to transform themselves into women using makeup. Hence, the overdone aspect which works perfectly for their purpose but not so much for women who are already..uhh…women? So, do you guys think I am halfway to becoming a drag queen?
Necessary Brows
1. Comb through to see where you need to fill in and what direction your hair grows in
2. Target only the areas where your hair appears the lightest. Brush and apply in an upwards motion for hair growing standing up and vice versa. Lightly fill in the inner corner and do not line anywhere expect for bald spots. Brush through to avoid clumps of pigment. My arch and tail need the most filling along with the bottom middle portion as you can see so that’s where I focus.
Obviously, this is the style that works best for me and probably for ladies with sparse brows as it only gives your eyebrows what they need and respects their natural shape. This is my own invention. Notice how it makes me look human. That’s what I always aim for ;)
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial as much as I enjoyed making it, even though skin beneath my brows was raw by the time I was finished with it.
How do you fill in your eyebrows and which products are your favourites?
Love,
Sadaf
Disclaimer: This is a personal blog edited by its owners and the opinions expressed here belong solely to its owner's. For questions and queries please email at thepoutpainter@gmail.com
