As Coco Chanel once said, “There are no ugly women in this world, just lazy ones.” While you’ll have to excuse Coco’s bluntness, you’ve got to admit that beauty shortcuts are a common habit, BUT there’s one priority you should never skip: your brows. Gently framing your eyes, brows can help create a more refreshed and wide-awake appearance.
For the best results, you must keep your brows full and groomed– at any age. So if you’ve been guilty of neglecting your brows, it’s never too late to revive them.
What are younger-looking brows?
Younger-looking brows are thick-set and slightly shaped. Quite opposite from the skinny brows of the 90s– for those who remember. If you spent your glory days in the dot-com era, you probably tweezed the life out of your arches, diminishing them into a barely-there line. Ah, those were the days.
The problem is that thin brows are not youthul. Fluffy brows that are proportionate to your facial features are better for adding structure and elegance to your appearance… and more
ZING for your stare!
Here are 3 basic steps for creating younger-looking brows.
Step 1: Grooming
Grooming your brows involves preparing the hairs for shaping and makeup. In this first step, you’ll either have to trim or grow your brows, depending on their condition.
If your brows are too big
If you’ve got messy brows, you’ll need to trim those excess hairs to reveal a cleaner shape. But be cautioned: there’s a proper art to brow trimming; if done wrong, you can butcher the wrong hairs and make a choppy brow. For the best advice, we turned to makeup artist, Naomi Torres, an accredited educator for estheticians and cosmetologists.
To create younger-looking brows, Naomi recommends using a brow brush to comb the hairs along the direction they naturally flow. Only the hairs that stray above the shape should be cut. Next, brush the long hairs upwards and trim themat the top– just slightly.
“The idea is to leave your natural shape untouched,” Naomi says. Otherwise, you’ll botch their beauty. You don’t want to end up with unexpected dips and sparse areas in your brows.
If your brows are too thin
Thin brows must grow before they can be shaped. You’ll need to play the waiting game and be patient until you see more growth. According to brow expert, Kristie Streicher, creator of The Feathered Brow, you should avoid tweezing for 2 months.
Leaving your brows to grow freely is hard, especially for the obsessive types with a tweezer addiction. As Kristie explains, “The most difficult stage is the beginning, [because] tweezing can be a habitual pleasure for most of us, so breaking the habit, in addition to seeing your brows look unruly for several weeks, is not easy,” Kristie says.
You’ll notice random hairs sprouting close to the eyelid, but not along your brow line. Still, you must resist the urge to tweeze them. “Have faith that when these stray hairs are left alone, more will start to grow closer to your brow line,” Kristie explains.
So be disciplined and believe that the beauty payoff will be worth it. Eventually, you’ll have a masterpiece of fullness.
Step 2: Shaping and contouring
Shaping is a vital for achieving younger-looking brows. For this step, you’ll be tweezing your brows to make them slightly refined, and then enhancing the contours with a liner.
The art of tweezing
Less is more when it comes to tweezing. As a general guideline, you’ll establish the parameters of your brow by measuring them against other facial features.
“Your brows should begin directly above your tear duct, peak in line with the outer side of your iris,” explains Kristie. The end points should stop at 45 degrees from your outer eye corner. These measurements ensure your brow offers the most flattering shape for your face, so do not defy these rules.
Some women tweeze too high into the brow line, chasing the impact of a strong arch (often for that botox look). However, this overdone effect won’t make you look younger; in fact, it’s the opposite. You’ll just appear harsh and unnatural. For a younger-looking brow, it’s better to have full brows with less arch, rather than over-plucked brows with angry arches.
The art of brow liner
A liner helps adds definition and depth to your brows. For this final step, you will be adjusting and correcting any sparse areas or asymmetry.
How to line your brows
If your brows fall short, you can lengthen them at the ends using the liner. Or if your brows are too far apart, you can bring them closer by extending your central brows. You can also add more thickness by placing the line slightly above your brow.
Apply a light level of pressure when using the liner. Otherwise, lines that are too dense or dark create a forced look, which can make you appear older. Remember that younger-looking brows must appear soft and subtle.
Inspirational brows
Ignore any images of models with radical statement brows, thick like blocks and sharp at the ends. The makeup artist is purposely over-doing the makeup to create a dramatic, high-fashion feel– not something for everyday, and certainly not for everyone. Keep in mind that most of these heavy-browed models are seventeen-year-olds who look like they bathe in magical reindeer milk and have been popping vitamin C since they were ten. For women who look younger with light, feathered brows. Plus, even with wacky brows, these girls are fifteen and will look stunning no matter what. Don’t see these brows as your inspiration.
Step 3: Coloring
The final tip for achieving younger-looking brows is to fill them with some color. Makeup artist, Naomi Torres recommends using a shade that suits your natural brow to create the illusion of fuller, healthier brows.
If you’re blonde with fair brows, you’ll need faint ash– anything darker would appear cartoonish and fake. You should also consider using a powder formula, instead of gel or crayon, because its consistency gives a softer finish and blends seamlessly with fair skin and hair.
For those with dark or olive skin, you needs a brown color that matches your hair’s undertones. Deep brunettes should be using a medium or dark brown brow pencil, while those with reddish undertones should opt for a honey-brown liner. For those with ebony hair and brows, use a charcoal or a brownish-black brow pencil.
Brows are one of the most important natural beauty assets. When kept full and groomed, they encase your eyes and awaken your entire face. You don’t need to be a makeup artist to achieve this younger look, but by practicing your skills and staying within the rules (and your lines), you’ll have a beautiful set of brows to help you turn back a few years.
