The New Eyebrow
As you know, I am not the greatest trend follower, but I am delighted to report that the strong eyebrow is “in”! I have always been a fan of this look (as my own eyebrows will testify) & I’m very happy that I will be seeing more of it on the street. If eyes are the window to the soul, your eyebrows are the window-frame, & when done well, can completely alter your bone structure. This is NOT gender specific — EVERYONE should keep their eyebrows tidy.
It’s not necessary for all men to shape their brows, but there are some things that should go. A monobrow, for example — nobody in the course of history has managed to pull this off successfully, & I’m sorry to say that you aren’t any different. Wax it! Another thing that can be helpful for men with slightly unruly brows is a little bit of eyebrow gel. I know, it sounds silly, but it will stop them being blown around or looking like part of a crop circle if the wind catches them the wrong way. Try this in the mornings.
You can use Adrien Brody as a role-model if you’re a guy, or Elizabeth Taylor & Ava Gardner if you’re a woman. All of these people have great eyebrows. If you cover their eyebrows with a finger, it completely changes their beauty. Take note!
Of course, just because “big” is in, it’s not as easy as throwing caution to the wind & letting your malnutritioned ‘brows grow out in a feral manner — & if you’ve never touched yours, that doesn’t mean you can just leave them as is.
For people new to the world of eyebrow grooming, I suggest visiting a beautician. Even if you’re a man! Don’t be embarrassed, other men are doing this all the time. Beauticians know what they’re doing, even if you think they don’t. When I was about 16, my mother booked me in to get my eyebrows waxed. I was terrified that I was going to end up with what I called “sperm eyebrows” — eyebrows which look like a round nubbin of hair by the nose that then trails off to a tiny tail on the other side of your eye. The style was prevalent at my school. I did my best to explain my concerns, but it was probably unnecessary — I walked out of there with great-looking eyebrows. Once you’ve had your eyebrows waxed once & you like the shape, you can then just tweeze the errant hairs that grow back — very little fuss!
The best eyebrows have a nice arch in the middle — straight eyebrows are a little dull & don’t frame the eye as well.
Things to remember:
Stick to your natural brow line, which is where the bone arches above your eye. If you go too high above this, you will look permanently surprised, which isn’t such a good look.
Only wax the parts that you are never going to need, such as between the brows & along the temples. If you wax underneath the eyebrow, which is where you’ll do most of your maintenance, you will find that after years of doing this, your eyebrows will stop growing back. They will look sparse & nasty, they will grow at weird angles & stick straight out. You will have to resort to drawing on your eyebrows every morning!
You should avoid drawing on your eyebrows unless they are so fine & thin that they basically disappear. There is no way they can compete with beautifully-shaped, natural brows.
Make sure the start & end of your eyebrow lay along the same horizontal line on your face. Otherwise your eyebrow will look kind of off-balance & wonky.
Use slanted tweezers, it will make your life much easier.
Pull the hair in the same direction it grows, this will make it less painful. Another way to reduce the pain factor is to tweeze after you get out of the shower.
Most experts say you should never tweeze above the eyebrow, but Kevyn Aucoin disagreed with them — & he was one of the most well-paid make-up artists ever. I have never done any damage by doing a little selective tweezing above the eyebrow. However, if you’re unsure, keep it to a minimum or just don’t do it!
If you’re trying to grow out thin eyebrows, buy eyebrow shadow a couple of shades lighter than your colour, & fill in what you lack. Elke Von Freudenberg suggests taking a small toothbrush & using that to apply the shadow to the skin underneath the eyebrow too — she says it lasts longer. (All stuff I didn’t know, since my eyebrows are plentiful enough to not need to be filled in!) She also recommends trying a little loose glitter across your eyebrows for a night out! Sounds great. I’m definitely going to try that with some midnight-blue coloured glitter.
Extra For Experts:
Kevyn Aucoin eyebrow tutorial — this made my jaw drop as I read down, the difference to his sister’s face from shaping her eyebrow alone is incredible.
Elke Von Freudenberg, a celebrity make-up artist has a podcast here where she shares tips on a new way of doing the smoky eye to help play up strong eyebrows!