Makeup Monday #3 Natural Brows

Today's post is about creating natural looking eyebrows with minimal product. Brow shapes and styles come and go (remember the pencil-thin, over-plucked 90s look that left some of us with minimal brows for years following?) I am going to talk about two products that give my moderate-volume eyebrows a natural, 'polished' look. These tips could work for most people who do not want extreme-looking eyebrows:

Tweezing:

To maintain volume, tweezing needs to be minimal and selective. Pluck under the brow and between the brows. To be honest, nowadays I tend to barely pluck at all, part out of laziness and part out of wanting to grow back some of the volume I removed in haste as a teenager!

The image to the below shows where ideally the brow should align to. The middle is where the arch of the brow might begin. Just FYI, my other brow does not align as well as this image does! I have to fill in the front of the other brow a bit more as my brow starts a little further back (collateral damage from my teens!)

Correcting the shape and filling in:

I currently use Dior Diorshow Brow Styler Pencil in Univeral Brown, which is an ultra fine soft pencil (the twist up kind) that matches my light brown brows nicely. I make short, light lines in the more sparse areas, not pressing too hard. Then the other end of the pencil has a brush which I use to blend the colour and make it look natural.

When choosing a colour, choose a tone that matches your hair (warm tones would look ridiculous on me as my skin is pink and my hair is a cool tone). I would also recommend choosing a shade slightly lighter than your hair colour so it looks less stark. Universal Brown is a cool-neutral toned light brown which would work well if your hair is blonde/gray- medium brown.

Styling and taming:

Top: Boy Brow in 'Blonde'; below: Diorshow Brow Pencil

Glossier, for those not in the know, is an online make-up and skincare company which sells affordable products (mid price) with a philosophy of being natural, laid back and fresh in terms of their aesthetic. It is targeted at a younger (20 something) market, but some of their bestsellers are great products for all ages and needs.

Boy Brow is one of those products that I keep a back up of. It is an eyebrow grooming wax which has a tiny brush and can be used to add volume and thickness, shape and control to either unruly brows or sparse, lacklustre brows. The product is just amazing and I find it gives the most natural look even on its own without a pencil beforehand. I use the shade Blonde which you can see is a cool-toned, light brown colour and suits me perfectly. Other colours are available, including a clear one.

Naturally shaped and groomed brows never go out of fashion and give a more youthful appearance. 'Wow-brows' may be a la mode, but they do demand and command attention! If you want the natural look, do try Boy Brow if you haven't already. I am wearing both products below.