Great brows. Everyone wants them, we tell you how to get them.
It’s often said that the eyes are the windows to the soul. Well, if that’s the case, then the eyebrows are the window frames and the latest trend for bold, defined brows will transform your face and knock years off in the process.
What’s the story?
From the Duchess of Cambridge to Cara Delevingne, it seems the whole world is embracing the bold brow. There’s a huge range of products available to help achieve the look – think gels, pencils, waterproofs and powders. And, if you’re not blessed with naturally abundant brows, or have simply over plucked, don’t despair, in recent years a whole industry has grown up around our obsession with getting wow brows.
Set the stage
First up, decide the shape you’re looking for. Many salons offer professional consultations to establish what’s best for your face. They will generally steer you towards enhancing your natural shape rather than trying to impose something that will be completely alien, such as last year’s regional trend for really blocky brows that’s left lots of over eager ladies heading back to the salon for a redo!
To check out your ideal shape at home, hold a pencil vertically at the edge of each nostril and mark the spot where it meets your brow line, that’s where your brow should start. Pivot the pencil to the outer edge of your iris to find your arch and mark the spot. Then pivot further to the outer corner of your eye and pencil in where your brow should end.
If you’re shaping at home, now’s the time to take out the scissors and, using an eyebrow brush, trim any over-long hairs – but don’t go crazy, you don’t want to look scalped. Then, holding the skin taut, tweeze out strays outside your desired shape to tidy the look.
If you want to enhance your look, fill in sparse patches or cover greys, use a sharp pencil to gently feather in tiny hairs or try Rimmel’s new Ultra Soft Brow Shake Powder to achieve uniform coverage. We also like Make Up For Ever’s waterproof brow gel which comes with its own pouch and brushes.
At the salon
Heading to the salon, then go for either waxing or threading to remove the stragglers. You may also want to consider dying, to achieve a fuller look for paler brows, or henna, which offers a less permanent solution.
Long-term looks
If you’re looking for an option that will give you perfect brows, pretty much forever more, the old-fashioned way is through tattooing. Take care to go to a qualified professional and make sure the colour used is close to your natural colouring. The more up-to-date option, which is widely available in the Kingdom, is microblading. This treatment involves a trained technician using a wand containing tiny microblades to impart strokes of pigment onto the brow line mimicking the effect of real hair — great if you are very fair or have sparse brows. It can look a bit dark when first applied but soon calms down and lasts up to 18 months. Again, if you’re going for something that’s going to be on your face long term, do your research and, if possible, get personal recommendations.
