Whether you prefer the thick, more natural Brooke Shields 1980’s eyebrows, or the thinner, more shapely eyebrows that are popular today, you already know having tidy, beautiful eyebrows gives you a polished look. But how do you get perfectly beautiful eyebrows? Here are my ten tips on choosing, creating, and maintaining the most beautiful eyebrows!
If you don’t have the time to do a complete eyebrow maintenance routine, try this quick trick: spritz a little hairspray on an eyebrow comb, and run it through your brows using upward strokes. If you don’t have an eyebrow comb, use a little clear gel, mousse, or hairspray on your fingertips. This will give you a fresh, wide-eyed look, and will also sweep away any stray bits of pressed powder or eye-shadow. The hair product will make sure your brows stay in place, so you can keep your quick look all day long!
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Do you want skinny, arched brows, or more natural, thicker ones? Before you pick up the tweezers, you need to decide. Look at photos of your favorite celebs in magazines or on the web, and choose whose brows you want to steal. I like Kyra Knightley’s, but you may prefer Angelina Jolie’s. Notice how high the arch is, and how far the brows extend.
Photo Credit: * Pichu *
Wash your face with a gentle cleanser and pat your skin dry. Don’t use a scrub, because little beads of exfoliant may get stuck in your brows, and don’t use water that’s too hot or two cold, or your skin may get irritated or puffy. Once you’ve washed away all the cleanser, pat dry with a soft towel.
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If you have time, soak a soft, clean washcloth in very warm water and apply it to your eyebrow line. Lean back, close your eyes, and relax for five minutes while the washcloth opens your pores and softens the hairs, making them much easier to tweeze. Gently pat dry when the time is up.
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To make sure you’re ready, gather your instruments — a pair of angled-tip tweezers, a pair of pointed-tip tweezers, a good mirror, great lighting, and an eyebrow comb. Make sure everything’s clean, and that you have a comfortable place to sit or to lean against while you’re tweezing. Also soak a cotton ball or two in witch hazel for using after you’re done tweezing to help calm your irritated skin. Brush your eyebrows upwards and outwards with the comb, and now you’re ready to tweeze!
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Now that you’re prepared, you can tweeze! You’re only going to be tweezing in three places — between your brows, under your brows, and a very, very little bit above your brows (just for the strays). Start tweezing between you brows, but don’t go too far. You want your brows to begin just over the corner of your eyes, so don’t tweeze any farther in than that. Then tweeze under your brows, doing a little on each side to keep them even, and just keep tweezing until you have the arch and the look you want. Your arch ought to peak just above the iris of your eye, and then continue out until the brow ends at a forty-five degree angle from the outside of your eye. Perfect!
Photo Credit: theashleynichole
Probably the biggest problem women have when tweezing their brows is over-plucking. It’s a good idea to tweeze only a little bit at a time, then switch to the other brow. But don’t get carried away! Over-tweezing can lead to bald spots, thin spots, or uneven brows. Take little breaks after tweezing a bit to make sure you’re not on the verge of over-plucking!
If you accidentally pull on the skin around your brows, you’ll find it’s very sensitive — ouchie! Also, you’ll notice a few thick hairs with very deep follicles, and those tend to hurt a little when you pluck them out. Soaking the brow area with a warm washcloth, like I mentioned in item 4, will help open pores and clean follicles, to minimize this issue. But if you do hurt yourself, use a warm, damp cottonball to gently wipe the little bit of blood away, and avoid that area for a little while before tweezing again. Put a tiny ice-pack on for a minute or two to reduce the swelling, and the pain, too!
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Do you have a few longer brows that tend to stand out or stick up? Use an eyebrow brush to comb them out and up, then use a pair of clean moustache or nail scissors to trim down the stray hairs that stand out. Don’t cut them too short, or they’ll stand up even more. Just make sure they blend with the rest of your brows when they’re combed up, and you’ll be fine.
Once you’ve finished tweezing, rinse your tweezers and dry thoroughly. Use a clean, warm washcloth and wash your face, then pat dry. Use a cotton-ball to apply witch hazel or a very gentle moisturizer to soothe the skin that might be irritated around your brows. Be careful not to get any in your eyes! Then wait about fifteen minutes before applying any make-up.
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So maybe you got a little carried away and over-plucked. One brow is a lot thinner than another, or there’s a weird bald spot in the middle of one brow. No worries! First of all, your brows will grow back in within about two weeks. Until then, use an eyebrow pencil and/or a brown eye-shadow powder to fill in the thin spots or to even your brows. And try to be careful next time… re-read item 7 on this list before you pluck again!
Photo Credit: .:Stardust:.
Set aside ten minutes to maintain your brows every two weeks. You’ll notice stray hairs in the meantime, when you’re looking closely at your eyes to put in or remove your contacts or to apply eye make-up, so feel free to tweeze those little guys now and again, too. If you’re tired of tweezing and maintaining your brows every two weeks, then ask your hair stylist if they do waxing, which need to be maintained every six weeks!
Photo Credit: oc girl
Just follow my ten tips and you’ll have gorgeous, shapely brows from now on! I’m guilty of over-tweezing once in a while, but I’ve learned my lesson. Which of these tips do you follow each time you tweeze? Or is there another tip you want to share?