Bold & Natural Brows

One of my very favorite makeup looks is bold lips and brows.  There's almost nothing that I love more than a dark & thick, yet perfectly groomed brow, ala-Audrey Hepburn.

This look is easy to achieve with a few tools; brow gel, pencil/shadow, and a good lip color.   And remember, the key to having bold brows that don't look unkempt is getting them waxed or tweezed just enough to pick up the stray hairs and highlight your natural arch.

Here are some tips on keeping up those brows from Madison Mag:

Eyebrows are too often the forgotten facial feature. Show them a little love and they can turn out to be the perfect frame for your face. 

Step one: invest in a professional brow-shaping session – the difference this makes is nothing short of astonishing. Then, maintain the shape by following the outline created by the expert, plucking stray hairs every couple of days. According to beauty guru Bobbi Brown: “You are born with a brow shape that works naturally with your eyes and face. Your brow’s own natural line should always be your guide.” 

If you need some additional inspiration, our favourite brows this season have been sported by Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo and actress Jennifer Love Hewitt. Right now, the trend is to have stronger, fuller brows. To get this look you may need to leave over-tweezed brows alone for a couple of months. In the interim, give yours a good going over with a stiff brow brush or toothbrush. Then, fill in any sparse areas with brow powder using a small angled brush. Alternatively, fine brow pencil strokes in the direction of the hair growth will give the area depth and define the shape.

If you are blonde, use a powder or pencil that is one shade darker than your hair colour. For any other hair hue, opt for one shade lighter than your natural colour. Next, examine the area closely and pluck any wayward hairs with a pair of angled, pincered tweezers – but don’t stray above the brow bone. To set your groomed eyebrows in place for the day, brush a brow gel up and out towards the temples and then down slightly to enhance the arch.

The Tool Kit:

1. Tweezers, $30 plus delivery, by Tweezlight, 1300 762 683. It’s amazing how many stray hairs you will see with this illuminated instrument. 

2. Brow Fantasy in Brunette, $21.95, by Revlon, 1800 025 488. This double-wand eyebrow tool has an easy-to-apply pencil at one end and a setting gel at the other. 

3. Brow Zings Brow Shaping Kit, $53, by Benefit, 02 9695 4800. Keep a compact brow grooming kit close by for regular tidy-ups. 

4. After Tweeze Soothing Cream, $25.95, by Tweezerman, 02 9666 3611. Removes any post-pluck redness. 

5. Essential Kit for Beautiful Brows, $65, by Jemma Kidd Makeup School, 02 9360 7711. This handbag-friendly kit contains angled tweezers, a white pencil to draw the shape you want, a magnifying mirror and an eyebrow brush.