Over the last 25 years or so, I have watched many talented make-up artists enhance the beauty of women with their brushstrokes. some of them, like Archie Valon, have worked on famous faces of stunning women like Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista.
A good make-up artist never overlooks the brows the brows, their arch, thickness, length, colour, and overall shape can make a face look more beautiful or indeed detract from ones looks.
As we age, the brows become thinner and in some cases quite sparse. so it is astounding to me that many women pluck their brows to within an inch of their life. Over plucked eyebrows can age the look of your face
One should aim for natural looking, well groomed brows. I was fortunate enough to have a make-up artist/photographer groom my eyebrows for 20 years. Trained in Hollywood in the 50′s, Geoff Dauth was my make-up mentor and definitely a brow expert. On the odd occasion I have allowed someone else to wax or pluck my eyebrows, blindly trusting them, only to be gobsmacked at what they had left of my eyebrows. Fortunately they grew back
I know there are some fantastic eyebrow specialists out there, but you need to check out their work before letting them lose on your face You may also be confident enough to learn to groom your own eyebrows with just the odd visit to a trusted professional brow shaper. the good ones are usually very expensive.
Beautifully shaped brows can enhance your bone structure. a little peak toward the outer part of the brow can give your face a real lift. Personally I prefer more of a slightly angular brow on a woman’s face. the brow which looks like a semicircle over the eye can give you a startled cold look. My make-up mentor used to give this shape as an example of the most unflattering eyebrow, particularly when pencil thin.
To see what makes a magnificent arch, study the shapes of the older Hollywood starlets like Audrey Hepburn. Geoff dauth also commented in his many make-up classes, that it is quite attractive to have one brow a little more arched than the other, creating interest in the face, even when not expressing. the Thickness of the brow should taper a little as it extends towards the outer part of the face. Generally the upper line of the brow is a good guideline for shape.
A TIP from a Moroccan girlfriend with gorgeous brows is to comb your brows upwards and with a fine sharp pair of scissors, carefully trim the tips of the hair sticking out above the main body of the brow.
If your eyebrows are over plucked, don’t despair, just grow them back. You can pluck the stray hairs between and underneath the brows to keep them tidy. if you do choose to get them done professionally, ask for a more natural fuller brow with a Hollywood arch. Draw them a picture of what you like or take a photo in of beautiful brows. DON’T leave it up to their imagination or assume they can picture what you are asking for and look at their brows to see whether or not you should allow them to work on yours.
BUY yourself a good eyebrow powder kit (some include a little wax palette to keep the brows in place) or a pencil. the best colour is taupe, suiting most skin tones. Keep your application subtle with no harsh lines. if you do not have a natural peak, you can suggest one with your make-up brush or pencil. Remember practice makes perfect.
A TIP for keeping eyebrows swept up and neat, is to spray a toothbrush, eyebrow brush or old washed mascara brush with hairspray and then comb through the brows in an upwards direction.
Don’t underestimate the power of the eyebrows. they can make you look sexier, more intriguing, and even younger if groomed properly. they are the frames to the window of our soul
