When it comes to eyebrows, working with what your mama gave you is always going to trump a trend. No matter which shape, colour or texture your brows have been blessed with, there are some universal rules it pays to follow when it comes to maintenance and care.
Plan before
Filling in your brows with a fine-tipped eyebrow pencil before you remove hair acts as a guideline to ensure you keep your eyebrows looking even.
"This step allows you to see which hairs need to go and which ones need to stay," says makeup artist Sachin Dutt, a former contestant on TVNZ series Glow Up NZ and the national brow and beauty authority for Benefit Cosmetics.
He also recommends doing all work on your brows in natural light near a window, where the light will cast evenly across your face.
“Avoid tiny magnifying mirrors while shaping your brows at home,” he adds. “Brows bring balance and proportion so it’s important you use a mirror where you can see both of them and what they are doing to your face and eyes.”
Head in the right direction
For those who overplucked back in the 90s or noughties and are still living with less-than-full brows, there’s a high chance the permanent damage to the hair follicle was caused by over-zealous plucking.
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Advertise with NZME.“Each brow hair is connected to a tiny blood vessel or derma vessel that keeps it healthy and allows it to grow back when the hair is removed,” Sachin explains.
“Tweezing in the wrong direction or against the direction of natural growth can cause that vessel to rupture.”
Sachin says removing hairs by tweezing upward or towards the temple in the natural direction of growth is the most gentle and effective way.
Pulling straight out and away from the face is how the damage tends to occur. Using a finger to pull the skin taut before tweezing will make hair removal easier, and it helps with the pain factor too.
Perfect your technique
Tinted or clear gel products essentially mascara for your eyebrows offer an easy way to achieve fuller brows with natural texture, especially for those who have fine or sparse hairs.
When it comes to application, Sachin likes to employ what he calls “The Three Ts” tail, tease and tame.
“Apply the product first in the tail of the brow as this is generally where we need the most help,” he explains.
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Advertise with NZME.“Follow by teasing the front of the brow to the arch, by taking the wand and running it back and forth through the brow, the same way you’d tease your hair.” Finish by taming the brows in place and using the spoolie to make sure the hairs are all set in a direction that looks natural.
Seek expert help
Having your brows tended to by a professional every three to four weeks will help you keep your shape and colour in the best condition.
Tinting and shaping can be combined with services such as brow lamination, which is the ideal treatment to adopt during the summer months if you like being a bit more low-maintenance with your makeup.
Lamination involves setting the brow hairs semi-permanently in an upward direction, which helps to elongate and lift the brows and, in turn, the look of the whole eye area. Brows appear fuller and less sparse and will stay in place for up to six weeks.
Grow your own
Thanks to science, it is now possible to speed up your brow growth at home with the regular use of growth-stimulating products. Viva loves Revitalash Cosmetics Revitabrow Advanced Eyebrow Conditioner, $159, which, when used daily, improves the appearance of eyebrows and protects against breakage for noticeably thicker, fuller brows.
