My Brow Routine

Ah, eyebrows.  The most gruelling yet I would have to say the most important part of any woman's beauty routine.  Let me tell you from experience, I have bad eyebrows.  You know the super thin, over-plucked brows that we though were cool back in 2008.  Ya... I fell prey to that.  Not a good look.  A good set of brows can do wonders for your bone structure.  Amazing how two little lines of hair on you face can really make you or break you.  So here is my eyebrow routine:

The first step in any brow routine is finding your right shape.  I pluck my own brows at home because I'm a bit of a perfectionist and a control freak and I do not want anyone messing up these babies that I have been growing out for years.  They say the beginning (inner) part of your brow should start at your tear duct.  I like mine to begin a little before.  I know, such a rebel, breaking all the rules.  But I'm a fan of big, thick brows.  Think Cara Delevingne.  YES!!!  They also say your arch should be right above your pupil.  Who are these they people? Beauty experts who think every woman has the exact same eyebrow.  I think these are great guidelines but are not going to work perfectly on everyone. Just find the shape that works best for your face. And keep those babies plucked... hair where it should't be is never a good thing.

Now, lets get into the products.  This is just my preference.  I love pencils.  They are easy to use.  And for me I think they give the most natural finish.  Also lets just talk about this for a minute... I like natural looking brows.  I don't want mine to look like they were drawn on.  So if you do like the drawn on look, this post isn't for you.  But use whatever you are comfortable with.  There are so many options out there to choose from, just find what you like best.  I always use Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz to fill out my brows.  These pencils are my holy grail.  They are life changing.  The tip on them is super fine - perfect for creating tiny, natural looking hairs.  I use 2 colours: taupe and soft brown.  You can find Anastasia at Sephora and Nordstrom.  Those are the two places in Canada at least that I have found it.

To get the best shape for my brows, I like to comb all the hairs up with a spoolie.  I just use the spoolie on the other end of the Brow Wiz.  Using the lighter colour - taupe - I draw a line from the start of my brow to the arch.  Still using taupe, I then draw a line on the top from the beginning to my arch.  Some days I make my arch more pronounced than others - which is done simply by making more of an angle with your lines that you draw.

I then fill in that first part of my brows to the arch with taupe.  I do not fill in the beginning part of my brow at all.  When I first started experimenting with brows I always filled in the entire brow including the first little bit.  I think it's really hard to get a natural looking brow if you fill that part in -  it always ends up looking too squared off.  Plus I'm a huge fan of the ombre brow and like to go from lightest to darkest so this really lends well to that.  Use small flicks with your pencil, or whatever you are using, to create the most natural looking brows.  I start out very light-handed towards the beginning and press a little harder as I get closer to the arch.

Next, using the same method as for the beginning of the brow, I draw a line on the bottom from the arch to the end of the tail and on the top from the arch to the end of the tail.  This time though I use the colour soft brown which is just a smidgen darker than taupe.  I fill in the tail using small flicks, but pressing quite hard so that it is darker.

This step is very important ladies!  Do NOT skip this!  Using the spoolie on the opposite end of the Brow Wiz I comb through the entire brow making sure it is all blended together seamlessly.  Good makeup application is all about blending. BLEND, BLEND, BLEND!!!

This next step I never realized how important it was until I started doing it.  Carving out the brows.  After doing it once, I've never looked back.  This great for if you messed of you lines or you've coloured outside of the lines.  This cleans everything up and just makes the brows look so much more put together.  I just use my Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Custard or Vanilla (depending if I've self tanned or not) with any concealer brush and draw a line from start to finish of the brows.  You can also do this along the top of the brow.  I don't usually do that step, but it's all personal preference.  Then using your brush just blend in the concealer so that you don't have a harsh line. Seriously though, doing this step will change your life!

Last step I like to incorporate into my brow routine is the use of a brow gel.  I use this Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel to lightly comb through by brows.  This stuff is like glue.  Your brow hair will not budge with this stuff.  The hairs in my brows like to fall or do their own thing but with this stuff I don't have to worry about runaway hairs.

And voila!  Your brows are complete.  Just add a brow highlight -  I like mac Shroom.  I know brows are tedious and it may seem like all these steps must take forever but I promise it only takes me about 5 minutes.  And it will make you look so much more put together!