Eyebrows are Everything

I love eyebrows. In fact, I made a good friend of mine through our common love of eyebrows! We obviously have a lot more in common, but who knew that it would start a friendship!? It makes sense that because I love eyebrows so much, I love tweezers. Like love. I have 5 of them! Last October I flew to Italy and discovered that I hadn’t packed my trusty tweezers, so I had to go to Sephora and buy a new one. An angled one. A pink angled one. Yaaaaaay!

Talking travel and tweezers (two of my favourite things beginning with the letter ‘T’), Tweezerman is the only tweezer I buy when I’m on South African soil. They have just released their Neon Spot-On Value Gift set which consists of 3 of the most popular Tweezerman items: the award-winning Mini Slant Tweezer, the Lash Curler and the Filemate. Even if you don’t travel, this set is perfect for your handbag or makeup bag. I’m obsessed.

Available from Dis-Chem for R349

Eyebrows are are a really important part of your face, they frame your eyes and they give your face depth. What would Cara be without them?

Exactly.

So how do you get beautiful eyebrows?

First up, it’s essential that you have the right eyebrow shape for your face shape. If you have no idea what this is, I would recommend that you go to a brow bar, like Gilian Lentin’s Brow Xpress to have them shaped. Gilian is a brow guru who will perfect your brows, and then you can either go back to her or maintain your brows at home, if you’re confident enough. (You can find Brow Xpress at 48 Bompas Road, Dunkeld.)

Once your brows are done, there are so many ways to get them looking even more beautiful. By more beautiful I mean fuller. Fuller brows are the sign of success (in the dream dictionary – look it up) but if you think about it – just as a full head of hair represents health and fertility – so do good eyebrows. To get fuller brows, you can use eye shadow, pencil, brow gel (clear or coloured), and even brow kits. Let’s talk about each method …

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EYE SHADOW/BROW POWDER

I mostly use this method and I really like it (I switch to pencil or brow gel from time to time, but always come back to this method). I take my angled brush, dip it in some shadow and use the brush to sculpt my brows. You use the brush length ways at the start and then slowly move it side ways to contour the arch and end of your brows. Remember that with eyebrows, you always want to use a shade that’s lighter than your natural colour. If you use a colour that is the same or darker than your natural hair colour, your eyebrows run the risk of looking crazy! I think this is the easiest, quickest way to fill in your eyebrows. You can try pretty much any good quality eyeshadow you own or go for Billion Dollar Brow’s Brow Powder (available from Stuttafords Sandton).

PENCIL

I used to think pencil would make my brows look really weird and painted on, but ever since Lancome’s makeup masterclass, I have fallen in love with eyebrow pencils, more specifically, Lancôme Le Crayon Sourcils in 020 Châtain. Pencil can look harsh if you don’t blend it, so you have to have a light hand. Go in with short strokes, then use the other end with the brush to blend well and create a natural look. Brush the pencil into your brows to create a more natural look.

Available from all Lancôme stockists at around R350

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BROW PALETTE

An eyebrow palette typically contains the perfect trio for shaping and sculpting your brows on the go. First you use the wax to set your brows, then the brow powder to add definition and colour and finish off with the highlighter under the brow to enhance the arch. This is a super brow product, especially for the price! The packaging is also really sleek and compact, and it’s got a large mirror so it’s great for travel. Try Eylure’s Brow Trio Brow Palette (available at Dis-Chem).

Available for R145 at Dis Chem (did you know that you can now shop online at Dis-Chem!?)

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TINTED BROW GEL

Bobbi Brown’s Brow Shaper is really cool because it’s a cream-gel formula that effortlessly defines and fills in brows, while controlling and shaping them. It’s perfect for those who want a natural-looking yet polished brow – or those with sparse brows who need an extra boost. What I like about this is that the cream-gel formula provides natural looking definition, while the powder dry-down allows for a soft, natural look that’s never stiff. This is also a super easy way to get gorgeous brows. Simply run the coloured formula over your brows using short, quick strokes while moving upward and outward with your natural arch as you go. Et voilá! You can also try BDB’s Hint of Tint (which also covers grey hairs). If you have very sparse or lightly coloured brows, and you want to make your brows stronger, I would recommend this as the easiest way to do it. It’s almost foolproof and easier than pencil or brow powder.

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BROW SHAPER

BDB has this magic device called the Brow Buddy. This genius eyebrow tool has been designed to create perfectly symmetrical brows. Say goodbye to crooked and cookie cutter shaped brows forever! Unlike traditional eyebrow stencils, Brow Buddy Shaping Tool takes into account your unique facial shape and will show you where to start, arch and finish your eyebrows with precision and ease. Watch this cool video to see what I’m on about…

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Top tips for eyebrows