Basic Brows 101
Your brows are the most important feature to pay attention to. Brows frame your face as well as your eyes. You want your brows to enhance the shape of your eyes without over doing it, remember less is always better. When filling in or plucking a natural look is key.
Grooming your brows is not as easy as most people think. You will notice that most people over tweezes, or either they shape the brows totally wrong or both.
I recommend having your brows done by a professional the first time then follow these simple rules for the up-keep.
Classic Hollywood brows
shapes and styles…
Brows have gone in and out of different styles throughout the centuries. As well as beauty routines on getting the perfect shape.
Here are a few “Classic Hollywood glamour legendary faces” best know for their brow shape.
The best advice my mother told me is don’t mess with your brows! My mother said every time she would catch me in the mirror as a teenager… Don’t mess with your brows!
I now share that same advice!
My mom once over tweezed and she said they never looked the same. She also said don’t mess with dying your hair.
Taking my mother’s advice, I decided to shape my brows in stages. I was already a makeup artist for a few years before I went to get my eyebrows waxed. I went to a woman at Bloomingdales NYC. I remember saying “Please only take the stray hairs or my mother is going to kill me.” I went with my brows filled in darker then usual and I knew that I had perfect shape… I was born lucky to have my grandfather’s natural arch. My mom inherited it as well… It was a family trait.
EYEBROWS SOLUTIONS
Oval
Face gracefully tapers towards the chin. Wider forehead. Prominent cheekbones. An ideal face shape
Goal: maintain this ideal oval face
Solution: generally a soft angled eyebrows shape would be best to maintain this ideal oval shape
Long
Face gracefully tapers towards the chin. Elongated feature from forehead to chin. Some have a prominent chin.
Goal: to make a long face appear shorter
Solution: the brows shape. Its horizontal line would "stop" the viewer from seeing the long face. Instead of its appearance to be shorter
Round
Face width and length almost the same. Widest at the cheeks.
Goal: to make round face appear to be longer
Solution: a high and eyebrows shape. It's up & down lines would chaw the viewer up & down and lengthens it. Creates more vertical lines as you can. Avoid rounded brow 35. It makes the face more round.
Square
Face - Forehead, cheekbones and jawline almost the same width. Square and bony jawline is a prominent feature
Goal: to soften/balance the strong jawline
Solution: depend on the jawline. Start with the curved eyebrows shape then add more angle to create balance. The stranger and more bony the jawline is the more angled brow shape should be created. A define sharp peskat the top of the brow makes it appear stronger
Heart
Face strongly tapers toward the chin. Chin tends to be pointy. Forehead maybe a prominent feature.
Goal: to soften/balance the strong pointy chin and maybe the prominent forehead
Solution: forehead maybe the widest of the face. Depend on how prominent of the forehead start first with a low arch, round curved brows then add more volume to it as it adds more length to the forehead as well as balancing the pointy chin.
Diamond
Face highly angular and somewhat bony. Widest at temples. Not as common compared to others.
Goal: to soften the whole face and make the widest portion less wide
Solution: a curved eyebrow shape, its curves will soften the angled face and reduce the widest part of the face temples.
Face Shapes
Oval
Face gracefully tapers towards the chin. Wider forehead. Prominent cheekbones. An ideal face shape
Long
Face gracefully tapers towards the chin. Elongated feature from forehead to chin. Some have a prominent chin.
Round
Face width and length almost the same. Widest at the cheeks.
Square
Face – Forehead, cheekbones and jawline almost the same width. Square and bony jawline is a prominent feature
Heart
Face strongly tapers toward the chin. Chin tends to be pointy. Forehead maybe a prominent feature.
Diamond
Face highly angular and somewhat bony. Widest at temples. Not as common compared to others.
Goal: maintain this ideal oval face
Goal: to make a long face appear shorter
Goal: to make round face appear to be longer
Goal: to soften/balance the strong jawline
Goal: to soften/balance the strong pointy chin and maybe the prominent forehead
Goal: to soften the whole face and make the widest portion less wide
Solution: generally a soft angled eyebrows shape would be best to maintain this ideal oval shape
Solution: the brows shape. Its horizontal line would “stop” the viewer from seeing the long face. Instead of its appearance to be shorter
Solution: a high and eyebrows shape. It’s up & down lines would chaw the viewer up & down and lengthens it. Creates more vertical lines as you can. Avoid rounded brow 35. It makes the face more round.
Solution: depend on the jawline. Start with the curved eyebrows shape then add more angle to create balance. The stranger and more bony the jawline is the more angled brow shape should be created. A define sharp peskat the top of the brow makes it appear stronger
Solution: forehead maybe the widest of the face. Depend on how prominent of the forehead start first with a low arch, round curved brows then add more volume to it as it adds more length to the forehead as well as balancing the pointy chin.
Solution: a curved eyebrow shape, its curves will soften the angled face and reduce the widest part of the face temples.
Grooming and Shaping your brows
- Always go with a lighter color.
- Using a brow shadow looks most natural and it is best for spilling in sparse brows. For areas that are missing brow hair, wet the brush and just tap on the direction of the hair growth.
- Pencil can look harsh if not applied correctly. I recommend a pencil only if you over tweezed in the past of have sparse brows. Always start off with a lighter touch first, don’t brush it too hard because it can look fake and can have a tendency to look waxy.
- My favorite brow filler these days are cream shadows. They have a more natural appearance with a finished look. This is great to use in place of a pencil or brow shadow. (Remember to use Ash or a lighter color.)
- After you fill in your brows you want to keep them in place with a clear brow gel or clear mascara. Remember to use less on the brush and brush them in the same direction as your hair.
Brow filler product
There are way too many brow fillers! I have been a makeup artist for over 25 years and it still makes me confused. As I was writing this I decided to do a bit of research and I found myself overwhelmed with the saturation on what was out there. Even worse are the teenager and 20 something blogger! Which OMG – I now know why people are looking like Groucho Marx – which is never a good look! My style is not for everyone, I am all about looking natural with a hint of glamour.
No, let’s talk product.
You have so many ways to fill in your eyebrow and my style is always classic first I like a light touch for the day and maybe hint darker when I work the eye shadow with using my old Hollywood inspiration
This video will go over a few things out there on the market and I will use them on me so you can get to see the look of each product… But I always have a tendency to use classic.
From brow pencil, to shadow, to new stencils and more.
Now that you have an idea let's move on to grooming!
Grooming the brows
Grooming is weekly monthly routine. It all depends on how your brows grow. There are many ways to remove unwanted brow hairs. I prefer the old fashion tweezing. Hair removal is all up to the person’s preference. Whether you are looking to balance out your eyebrows, achieve an excellent shape, or regain control over their growth, a professional eyebrow expert should be used at first – with a few helpful tips or tricks will help you maintain and upkeep them between go to get them done.
Here are the different ways on removing and shaping the brows.
Waxing
Waxing treatment could be right for you. Here are some of the incredible benefits of opting for a professional eyebrow wax. Since waxing pulls out the eyebrow hairs from their roots, and not just partially (as is the case with tweezers), regrowth is likely to be much slower. This means your eyebrows will keep their excellent shape and appearance for longer after a single treatment. When you get your eyebrows waxed by a professional, you will experience a lot less pain.
The wax is applied only to the hair being removed, and then the hair is pulled off quickly and relatively painlessly. Aside from some redness, there are no other side effects, such as swelling or bruising.
Tweezing
It is a classic and precise hair removal approach. Tweezing removes the stray hairs strand by strand to give a clean, precise look. It allows for a more detailed and accurate brow shaping.
While waxing is a time-saver in the short term, plucking your eyebrows with tweezers can yield much longer-lasting results. An esthetician can tweeze them for you, but if you prefer to do them on your own at home, be sure to pluck one hair at a time in the direction that it grows. Follow my how to shape and pluck chart and directions.
Threading
Threading is a method of hair removal originating in Iran. In more recent times it has gained popularity in Western countries, especially with a cosmetic application (particularly for removing/shaping eyebrows). In threading, a thin cotton or polyester thread is doubled, then twisted. It is then rolled over areas of unwanted hair, plucking the hair at the follicle level. Unlike tweezing, where single hairs are pulled out one at a time, threading can remove short rows of hair. A disadvantage is that it can be painful, as several hairs are removed at once; however this can be minimized if it is done correctly, i.e. with the right pressure.
The Eye Brows
Your brows are the most important feature to pay attention to. Brows frame your faces as well as they help you express emotions, adding a flair to your look, and can even affect the shape of your face and overall aesthetic appearance…
- Accentuate your eyes
- Make you look more youthful
- Create a polished look
- Hide certain flaws, such as small, eyes that are far apart, or hooded eyes
With this in mind you want to shape your eyes accordingly!
Finding the perfect shape is the most important thing.
Here is an outline of your perfect brows shape. The areas where you will be filling in with product is where we want to try to get the hair to grow. Don’t worry if that area doesn’t grow in that why you be using products or other solutions. (Micro Blading) read the pros and cons
Tools:
White Pencils
Brow Shadow
Brow Brush
Tweezers
Tweezing the brows:
- Tweeze after a shower or apply hot washcloth to eyelids beforehand so hair follicles are open. Apply eye cream in the brow area so you won’t irritate the skin or you can use ice on the area just long enough for it to feel slightly numb.
- Draw the perfect shape with the brow shadow first; make sure not to apply too much. This will help you see the shape much better.
- Shape the brow by using 2 pencils, one is for finding the area, the other should be white eyeliner to mark the area.
- Take the pencil, hold it to the side of your nose vertically at 12:00. The brow should start at the outside edge of the pencil, Women with close-set eyes should leave a bit more space.
- The brow should peak where the pencil hits, when it intersects with the iris at 1:00 that will be your arch. Line the pencil with the outer corner of the eye to determine where the brow should end at 2:00. A great way to keep the area marked is using a white eyeliner pencil.
- Trim random, extra-long hairs. Use a round brow brush to brush the hairs straight up. With a brow scissors trim any hair that extend above your brow, but in areas where it is thinning, leave them alone. Then brush down and trim the hairs that extend below the brow.
Brow Tips:
Pluck stray hairs every few days. Keep your shape and make it easier to maintain. Tweeze in a mirror that is magnifying, but don’t stand too close. By standing to close you lose perspective and then you tweeze too much. If you had over tweezed in the past and the hairs are not growing back as fast or not at all… use over the counter Rogaine. Be careful not to over do the area and not to get it in your eyes
(Warning do all of the above at your own risk)
Eyebrows touch up
Best ways to help over-plucked and overgrown arches.
It’s easy to let yourself by not making time for your beauty routine. Life gets busy between work deadlines or last minute things. You looking in the mirror and you totally forgot that your brows have gone way out of shape. Don’t worry! It’s better to be out of shape than over tweezed.
Start with combing them out to see what your working with.
eyebrows. No, fashion hasn’t gone Neanderthal – brows are simply fuller, straighter, and more natural looking than they have been in a while.
“Brows should be thick but groomed” They look less artificial and arched than in the past, but still clean and defined. To deflect attention from the ungainly growing-out process.
“apply creamy, neutral eye shadow from the crease of the lid to the brow bones,” Shepard suggests. Once you’ve achieved the desired fullness, tweeze every two or three days, shape monthly, and pluck only the hairs that have sprouted away from the actual brows. Most important, resist the urge to over tweeze. “Do less rather than more, curb our cavewoman tendencies” Don’t go wild.
Start by following 123 steps
Place a pencil vertically against the nose, covering one nostril. The spot where the pencil meets the forehead is where the brows should begin. To locate the top of the arch, angle the pencil so it crosses from the center of the bottom lip to the iris. For the brow’s end point, angle the lip to the outer corner of the eye.
Mark each spot with a brow pencil.
Tweeze stray hairs between the brows and beneath the browbones. Trim extra-long hairs by brushing each row straight up with a conical brush – one that resembles a mascara wand. Pressing the brush to the brow, trim straight across the ends of any hairs that stick up past the brush. If scissors make you nervous, skip this: Cutting to much can create bare patches.
Grooming and Shaping your brows
Tweeze a clean, even line along the bottom of the brows, switching brows every three or four hairs to ensure symmetry. Tweeze on an angle that slants gradually upward toward the arch, then downward toward the outer end. With pencil or shadow that matches your hair color, fill in brows using short, soft strokes. Brush on brow gel upward toward the arch and then outward.
- Place a pencil vertically over one nostril to see where the brow should begin. Angle the pencil across the center of the bottom lip and the iris of the eye to locate the highest point of the arch. Angle the pencil from the center of the lower lip to the outer corner of the eye to see where the brow should end. Mark each point with a brow pencil for future reference.
- Tweeze stray hairs between the brows and below the brow bones. At this point, remove only those hairs that are far away from the brows.
- Brush brows straight up, press the brush over the brows and, with a pair of brow scissors or straight nail scissors, trim any hairs that peek out over it.
- Tweeze a clean, even line along the bottom of both brows, alternating between brows every three or four hairs. Slowly and gradually angle the bottom of each brow into a gentle arch.
- Step back from the mirror every few hairs to check your work from a distance.
- Fill in brows with a pencil or shadow in the same shade as your base hair color.
- Brush on clear brow gel to set the color and to hold the hairs in place. Apply it in an upward motion toward the arch, then angle the brush outward as you move toward the temples.
- For optimum visibility, stand near a window when you tweeze so your face is illuminated with natural light.
- For precision, fill in brows to the desired shape with powder eye shadow or pencil before you tweeze, then remove hairs outside of the shaded area.
- Pull skin taut before yanking to reduce the sting. This also makes it easier to see the line of the brow.
- Ignore experts who suggest altering your brow shape to correct wide-set or narrow-set eyes. Leave these optical illusions to a professional.
- To help brow pencil glide smoothly, warm the tip by rolling it between your fingers.
- When extending the ends of the brows, use powder shadow. Pencil can look greasy on bare skin.
- If brow pencil looks too harsh, try a blonde shade instead of brown. If brows become too dark once filled, comb them with a brow brush to remove color.
- To thicken sparse brows, some experts suggest applying Men’s Rogaine with a Q-tip twice a day for four months. Be extremely careful to avoid eyes.
- In a pinch, hair spray spritzed onto a lash brush is actually a good substitute for brow gel.
ADD INFORMATION ABOUT MICROBLADING EYEBROWS
I am not a fan of quick fix or anything permanent when it comes to your beauty routines – I think that if you do the work yourself you get the best results. I don’t want to say it is not for everyone – It is a great idea for someone that lost their brows from medical reasons or losing their brows – If you’re at the age where your hand coordination and eyes are not like they used to be. (this is only my opinion) – and my view on trying to stay as natural as possible.
Remember once you do something that has permanent or semi permanent results you are stuck with it for a while.
So do your research!!! Not all artists are the same – (lord knows) – there are many people who are willing to practice on people as they learn… This isn’t makeup! There is a lot that goes with it!
Microblading is a type of cosmetic tattoo.
A technician draws eyebrow “hairs” with a special tool that has tiny needles on the end. They make fine cuts and fill them with color. The color usually lasts about a year.
All tattoos fade over time – it just happens faster with microblading. The procedure is generally considered safe and most people don’t have problems. But there are risks. Here’s what you need to know.
Risks
Microblading could cause:
Infection. If your technician uses dirty water or equipment, they can spread bacteria like staphylococcus. They could also spread viruses like HIV, hepatitis, or herpes. Sometimes the ink is contaminated with bacteria or mold. There’s no guarantee it’s safe, even if the package is sealed. Your doctor might give you antibiotics, antivirals, or antifungals if you get an infection.
Allergic reaction. You might get an itchy rash from the ink. That could be a sign of an allergic reaction. It’s rare, but it happens most often with the color red. Red is sometimes mixed with black dye to make a shade that matches your natural brows. You may need steroid shots or antihistamines.
Granulomas. Microblading injects a foreign substance into your skin. Your body may try to protect you by making inflammatory knots around the area. It may not happen right away. Granulomas sometimes happen months or years after the procedure. You’ll need to take steroids or antibiotics to get better.
Sarcoidosis. This is when you get more than one granuloma. They may grow on your organs. In one study, they showed up 15 years after a patient got a traditional eyebrow tattoo. The treatment is the same.
Keloids. These are scars that grow bigger than normal. They don’t usually happen on your face. But if you’ve had keloids before, you may bet them from microblading. MRI problems. It’s not common, but tattooed skin can swell or burn if you get an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). Your skin will go back to normal after the procedure. If you need one, be sure to tell your doctor or radiologist about the microblading.
Microblading –
Here are the basics of Microblading
How is microblading done on eyebrows?
With microblading the technician uses extremely small blades to make tiny, hi incisions right above the dermis layer of your skin while depositing pigment into those incisions. As a result, your brows will naturally fade over time and require touch-ups. Microblading involves the use of needles attached to a tool that creates lines resembling eyebrow hairs. During the procedure, pigment is manually (through the tool) placed on the dermis, the inner layer of skin. In a way, it’s like getting a tattoo, but it’s not permanent. As mentioned above, microblading can last anywhere from 18 to 30 months. In general is requires touch-ups once or twice a year. Once pigment from the procedure begins to noticeably fade, you’ll need to go back to your practitioner for a touch-up application.
Does eyebrow microblading hurt?
Although the procedure can take upward of 2 hours, most people report only feeling minor pressure or discomfort and less pain than a typical tattoo due to the use of numbing cream. Of course, this will depend on your own personal tolerance to pain. Some level of pain or discomfort should be expected.
Does microblading ruin your eyebrows?
In short, no. Although there are some considerations which we’ll get into more below, it doesn’t seem that semi-permanent brow procedures have any kind of lasting effect on the way your natural hair grows, even when it seems your entire brow needs to be reshaped.
What happens to microbladed eyebrows after a few years?
After a year you will most likely need regular, yearly touch-ups to maintain the results.
Microblading after 5 years should be invisible, if the treatment goes according to plan and your system reacts well to the pigments. Once implanted, some of the pigment will always remain in the skin, but if the artists did everything right and used
quality pigments, it should become invisible.
How can I remove microbladed eyebrows at home?
Just mix salt with a drop of water and rub the treated area. It combines exfoliation with
the property of sodium chloride to draw the pigments out of the skin, diminishing the visibility of the results. Some people say this is one of the most effective ways how to remove- I would also try a deep cleansing masks – with ( )
As for tattoo brows – no way in hell – would I recommend. My person opinion and years of doing makeup at the makeup counter.
I have only seen the worst tattoo brows and as you age your skin going to sag – so that tattoo isn’t going to lose it shape – you really don’t want to mess with too much of your brows –