Creating Eyebrows from Scratch
Prepare your canvas. Before applying any makeup, your face should be cleaned, moisturized, and dried. If you wear a full face of makeup, make sure the following steps are finished before starting your brows: Begin with a layer of makeup primer. Primer will prevent your makeup from smudging and help it to last longer. This is extremely important when trying to maintain the illusion of natural eyebrows on bare skin. Sponge on a light layer of foundation. Follow up by adding concealer to any problem areas you want to cover up. Blend well with a makeup sponge or your fingertips. Many people use only bronzer or only blush, but if you use both start with the bronzer. Once these elements are ready, you can move on to drawing your brows.
Pat translucent powder over your eyebrow area. Powder will help set your foundation and concealer. It also helps to ensure your skin is nice and dry. If there is too much moisture when you draw them on, your eyebrows may start to run. Apply a generous amount of powder with a powder brush. Wait about 5 minutes, then dust any excess off.
Mix black and brown eye shadows together to closest match your current hair color. You will be using this mixture to draw on the base of your brow. A combination of black with one or more shade of brown tends to look the most natural. A little bit of black powder in a light brown mix will make the lighter shade look more convincing, while some brown will soften the harshness of pure black. Avoid shimmery or metallic eye shadow. This may look pretty around your eyes, but it won't look natural on your brows. If you have red hair, then you might want to add some red eye shadow into the mix. Avoid using flat out black eye shadow, even if you have black hair. It will look too stark on your face. Opt for a dark ash or dark brown instead.
Create the basic shape with the eye shadow mix. Use a small slanted makeup brush to form the base of your eyebrow. Use your brow ridge as a guide for your eyebrows' shape. Drawing drastically away from your brow ridge will make your eyebrows look less realistic. Otherwise, you can experiment with different shapes before deciding which looks right for you. If you don't have a small enough makeup brush, you can use a cotton swab instead.
Use a pencil to add individual "hairs." Use a black-brown eyebrow pencil sharpened to a fine point. Draw small lines from the bottom of your eyebrow outline feathered away from your nose. A few stray "hairs" that don't perfectly line up with your brow outline will keep your eyebrows from looking too perfect and more like real eyebrows. If you have light-colored brow or red hair, a brown pencil might look more natural. Avoid using anything too dark, as it will look fake. Re-sharpen the pencil as often as needed in order to keep the point nice and sharp.
Brush on a thin layer of cosmetics lacquer or sealant over your new eyebrows. The sealant will keep your drawn on eyebrows smudge free for up to 24 hours. If you find that the sealant gives your brows too much of a shine, add another dusting of translucent powder. The powder will mattify and remove the sheen.
Defining Light Eyebrows
Keep your eyebrows well-shaped. Even if your natural brows are all but invisible, it is important to keep them well-groomed. By keeping your eyebrows professionally shaped, you will have more definition to work from. Wax, pluck, or thread them on a regular basis. Even if you aren't happy with your natural eyebrow shape, try taking as many cues from it as possible when drawing on new ones. Drawn on eyebrows based on real brows will look much more natural than brows created freehand.
Brush eye shadow onto your eyebrows. Lightly load an angled cosmetic brush and drag it along your brow. Start from the outside edge and move in towards your nose against the hair grain. Unlike when you're working from scratch, eye shadow here is meant to create the illusion of thickness with your natural brow hairs. You will be working with a much lighter shade here. If your skin is pale and your hair is light, use a neutral taupe. If your skin and hair are darker, use a neutral dark brown instead.
Define your main brow shape with an eyebrow pencil. Use your existing eyebrows as a guide when determining a shape. Fill in your brow using small, light strokes until you're happy with your eyebrows' shape and thickness. It is very important to match your brow pencil closely with your hair and complexion. Try to find one that is close to your natural hair color but a few shades darker. If you dye your hair, it may look more natural to match the hair on your head rather than your existing brows. EXPERT TIP Melissa Jannes Melissa Jannes Licensed Esthetician Melissa Jannes is a Licensed Esthetician and the owner of Maebee's Beauty Studio in Philadelphia, a single practitioner space providing quality services with individualized attention. Melissa is also a National Educator for Universal Companies. She received her esthetics degree at The Beauty School of Middletown in 2008 and is licensed in both New York and Pennsylvania. Melissa won the "Best of Beauty" award from Allure magazine in 2012 for the quality of her bikini waxing. Melissa Jannes Melissa Jannes Licensed Esthetician Use a highlighter pencil to define your brows even further. Draw a line underneath your brow with a highlighter pencil, then blend it down into your eyeshadow. That touch of highlight can make your brows look sharper.
Avoid overextending your eyebrows' tail. Hold an eyebrow pencil from your nostril diagonally to your brow. The point where the pencil intersects with your brow ridge is where your eyebrow should end. Extending beyond this spot will make your eyebrows look less natural.
Fixing Over-Plucked Eyebrows
Grow them back. The first thing you should do to fix over-plucked eyebrows is to stop plucking and waxing. The best way to achieve a good brow shape is to let them grow out for about a year or so. Using a brow razor to shape will help stimulate growth. If you absolutely can't stop tweezing, let your brows grow for at least three weeks before plucking again. Too-frequent plucking can damage your follicles, causing permanent damage.
Fill in patches. Many people have small bald patches within their eyebrows, but chronic over-tweezers may find them particularly worrisome. Use an eyebrow pencil or dust on powder with an angled brush. Pick a pencil or powder that is close to the same shade as your natural eyebrows. Layering with both can create a more natural look. When using a fine pencil, fill in with multiple light strokes to mimic the look of individual hairs. Delicately brush off excess pigment with a clean makeup brush. Add another layer of pigment and do another brush-off. Repeat this process until your eyebrows are as dark as you'd prefer. Set your brows with gel to keep the makeup from rubbing off as you go about your day.
Use tinted brow mascara. Just like mascara for eyelashes, brow mascara (sometimes called brow gel) enhances eyebrows by coating individual hairs, making them appear longer, darker, and more defined. Pick a gel that's closest to your natural hair color, and brush it on going from your nose to your arch. Brow mascara also works to shape your eyebrows and keep them in place all day. Make sure that you use tinted brow gel, and that the color is close to your hair color. Clear brow gel will only define your brows without tinting them.
Comments
0 comment