Having worked as a Stylist and a Professional Makeup Artist for almost 15 years, there is one critical thing that I see most overlooked… the eyebrow.
The eyebrow is crucial to the face, framing the eye and highlighting the brow bone. Too thick and unkempt and you channel Bert’s infamous unibrow, too thin and you just look permanently surprised.
Just as the shape of facial hair can alter the appearance of a man’s face, the shape of the eyebrows affects the appearance of the eyes, and the overall appearance of the eye area is defined by the arch, length, colour and thickness of the eyebrow.
Currently, brows are trending as natural, dark and thick. A prerequisite for any model I cast is that she “must have great brows”; I have a strong pet-hate for over-waxed or over-tweezed brows and if you have them, I will recreate a brand new set for you before I let the camera anywhere near you!
Finding the right shape
The shape of your brows can be determined with three simple measuring points that accurately determine the best brows for your face shape. Place a straight object, like an eye pencil:
- From the outer corner of the nose going up to the top of the eyebrow. The brow shouldn’t begin any further back than this point.
- From the outer side of the iris to the top of the eyebrow for where the high point of the arch of the brow should be.
- From a diagonal from the outer corner of the nose to the crease of the eye for where the eyebrow should end.
There are many ways to define eyebrows, from tinting, tweezing, waxing and threading to simple shading techniques with brow powders, pencils and waxes.
If you don’t feel confident in taming your brows yourself, go and have a professional session at a salon or brow bar with a brow specialist. They will help you to determine the shape, correct where is needing attention and leave you with a great shape to maintain.
And remember, friends don’t let friends have bad eyebrows!