S I M P LY S T Y LISH
BE AUTY
BROW TALK Guidelines and tricks for grooming pesky eyebrows STORY:
Olivia Putnal
E
yebrows are one of the features that we often neglect, whether it’s because we aren’t sure how to maintain them, or we’re afraid of messing them up. When it comes to your brows, one of the most important things to remember is to start with guidance from a professional who can teach you plucking, tweezing and filling techniques that apply to your brow type and face shape. “Don’t underestimate the power of eyebrows. They have the ability to open up your eyes and cheekbones, and help your hair and makeup come to life,” says Leza Bennett McCall of Buckhead’s The Perfect Brows. So that you can feel confident with your above-the-eye shape, we’ve consulted some of Buckhead’s top brow experts for their tried-and-true tips.
The Basics 1. Finding the right shape is important: “The shape of your eyebrows can change how your face shape appears. When I’m determining the proper shape of the brow, I often use a pencil to help find the starting point, arch and ending point of the brow. First, I line it up with the side of the nose to determine where the brow will start and if I want a medium arch, I line up my pencil from the top of the nostril—my favorite reference point—to cross over the middle of the pupil. Where the pencil intersects the brow is where my arch begins. If I want a larger arch, my pencil lines up with the side of the iris. I angle my pencil toward the outer corner of the eye and where the pencil intersects the brow is where it should end. I then brush the brow hair upward and trim any hairs that are longer than the desired shape. I personally prefer to work with very sharp tweezers, quickly and efficiently to clean
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up any stray hairs above and below my desired brow shape,” says Elena Anghel, who specializes in brow shaping at Belle de Jour Salon.
2. Invest in quality products and tools: “A good brow pencil or powder is essential to filling in sparse brows. A natural under-brow highlighter or concealer is what I love to help lift and even out the brow to perfection. Don’t forget clear brow gel to help keep the brow conditioned and stimulate hair growth,” McCall says.
Maintaining Brows After an Appointment 1. Fill in: “Use a brow powder or pencil to fill in your brows to keep them looking neat and clean in between appointments. Once you have the eyebrows you love, tend to them on a regular basis. It’s easier to tweeze one or two stray hairs every day than many at the end of the week,” McCall says.
May 2014 | Simply Buckhead
2. Choosing the right fill-in color: “Choosing the appropriate brow pencil is very important to getting a perfect brow. Try choosing a slightly lighter shade than your actual hair because the color will oxidize and become darker throughout the day. Your brow hairs actually create shadow, so be sure not to over-fill them in,” says makeup artist Julian Reynolds of Julian’s Cosmetics.
Common Mistakes to Avoid 1. Trying to achieve perfection: “Remember your brows are ‘sisters’ and not ‘twins.’ They don’t need to be identical! It wouldn’t look natural,” Reynolds says.
2. Lack of plucking or trimming: “A big mistake women make is not trimming their brows. When the eyebrow hair is long, sometimes women make the mistake of tak-
Leza Bennett McCall
Elena Anghel
The Perfect Brows
Belle de Jour Salon
ing out too much hair when what they really need to do is remove some of the bulk,” Anghel says.
3. Over-plucking and trimming: “On the flip side, over-trimming and plucking will do more harm than good too. Not knowing what to tweeze and over-tweezing are two very common slip-ups. You may think you’re cleaning up stray hairs, but in reality you may be removing hairs that are essential to your shape,” McCall says. “Too much trimming is also another mistake I see. If you trim too much hair from the tops of your brows you can flatten the brow and take away the natural eyebrow look.” 4. Using eyeliner to fill: “It is important to use the appropriate tools when filling in the brows, such as a brow powder/gel and angle brush, or brow pencil. Eyeliners are meant for the eyes, not the brows, so eyeliner will run and make your brows look fake and harsh,” Reynolds says.
Julian Reynolds Julian’s Cosmetics
JUST BROWSIN’: Belle de Jour 5290 Roswell Road N.E. Atlanta 30342 404.250.9100 www.bdjsalon.com Julian’s Cosmetics + Skincare 705 Town Boulevard Suite R440 Atlanta 30319 678.785.5045 www.julianscosmetics.com The Perfect Brows 56 E. Andrews Drive N.W. Atlanta 30305 404.816.5392 www.theperfectbrows.com