Groom Your Brows - Brief Article

Marie Claire, Dec, 2001 by Jody Buffalo

1 DEFINE "Well-groomed brows give you a polished look," says NYC makeup artist Sandy Linter of the Peter Coppola Salon. "Go for a natural but cared-for line, which is easiest to maintain." Brows should begin directly above the inner corner of your eye and go about a quarter-inch past the point directly above the outer corner. The peak should be aligned with your pupil. Pluck strays that fall above or below this curve, one at a time, with slant-edge tweezers.

2 TRIM Use a small, round brow brush (not a brow detangler, which looks like a mini comb) to sweep hairs upward. Trim the tips off any hairs that seem noticeably longer with small scissors--the type used for moustaches or toenails is best. "Don't go crazy cutting--this isn't like trimming your bangs, where you diminish the overall. Length. Just go after the really overgrown strands," says Linter.

3 SHADE Next Use your brow brush to sweep hairs straight up for a fuller look or to the side for a thinner line Fill in any sparse patches where skin shows through with an eyebrow powder or eyebrow pencil one shade lighter than your brow hair color Do not attempt to use eyeliner pencil in place of brow pencil warns Linter, or your brows could smudge Last, use your brow brush one more time to blend the color into your brows and skin.

4 SET For the cleanest-looking finish, apply a bit of brow gel or clear mascara. Another option: Spritz hairspray onto an old mascara wand or a thoroughly washed toothbrush and comb it through your brows. If you've groomed your brows properly, you may not need to wear much more makeup--just curl your lashes, apply a coat of mascara, some blush, and lip color, and you'll be good to go.

TWEEZING TIPS

* LIGHTEN UP

Linter carefully applied Jolene facial bleach to Mandy's brows for five minutes to give them a less severe look. Don't keep bleach on brows for any longer than this--they should only get about one shade lighter.

* MAKE PLUCKING LESS PAINFUL

Contrary to popular opinion, nubring your brows with ice before plucking is not a good idea. It makes the skin around your hairs tighten up, rendering them harder to extract. if you have a very low pain threshold, by a prescription topical anesthetic, such as EMLA.

* FIX BOTCHED BROWS

Until hairs grow back, use an eyebrow stencil (available from Anastasia. 888-409-BROW) to correct brow blunders. Place it on top of the overplucked area, then fill in with an eyebrow pencil.