Brow Beating

By Patty Kovacs

Our eyebrows indeed frame our face. Beautiful brows can add strength and definition not only to our eyes, but to our entire face, enhancing our appearance remarkably.   Take a look of some of the gorgeous movie icons and you'll see beautifully defined brows that make those classically beautiful faces so memorable. Greta? Ingrid? Sophia?  Arches through the ages remind us that our best brows are the ones we're born with.
We need to take care of our brows and going to a professional brow artist is the best way to get on a road to real brow beauty. But if you want to do some at-home maintenance, be careful and take a conservative brow plucking approach. I'll share some basic ideas.
First, if you take medication or use aggressive skincare with retinol, be ever so careful. Redness can occur. Some people prefer to pluck at night so skin can rest while you rest. And always best also not to self pluck just before an important event. For that, try to get to a professional artist. Pictures tell the story. Some of us need only take a look at our old prom photos just to see what brow nightmares can occur with a bad home brow job.
According to Sonja Reid, one of the four fabulous owners and Spa Director of the prestiguous Brow Lounge La Jolla,in ... where else? ... La Jolla, California, having a professional brow shaping is the best way to establish a brow design that most compliments your face. "It's really best to get a professional shaping with a well trained brow artist. Every artist here at Brow Lounge must continue regular, on-going training in shaping brows so always to provide the highest level service to our very discerning clients. We're about a classic, timeless look. Trendiness is not best when it comes to brows. And pencil thin brows rarely look good but are what we all too often see by non-professional brow shaping. Try to allow brows to grow in at least two weeks before a brow appointment." Reid explains. Sonja ought to know. Brow Lounge, formerly Anastasia Beverly Hills, has already expanded within its first year of operation. San Diegans are flocking to Brow Lounge La Jolla to get the best brow shapers in the city. www.browlounge.net
Back to ‘at-home’ rules:
Pluck eyebrows in bright, natural, good lighting if possible. When shaping your brows, your arch should line up with the outside of your iris.
Draw an imaginary line from the outside of your nose upwards to determine the inside of the brow and another line diagonal from the outside of your nose towards your temple to determine the end of the brow. Use a white eye pencil to mark if it helps.
Now repeat 3x before plucking: "Less is more."
Brush all your brow hairs with a brow brush back and forth in both directions to remove loose hairs and to prepare your brows. Next brush the hairs you want to keep in an upward direction and downward on the ones you wish to remove. Using a pair of quality slant edge tweezers (which grip hairs a bit more easily), pluck hairs between the brows and any stragglers that obviously look like they're not part of the main brow. Best not to remove hairs from above your eyebrows. And remember again: be conservative. Over tweezing is regrettable. You can always take away more. Replacing the 'oops' gaps caused by over tweezed brows will require makeup until the hairs grow back.
Pluck each hair individually, very close to the root, working your pull in the direction of the growth. Ok, last time, I'll remind you - AOP - Avoid Over Plucking. Less is more. Just plucking a few hairs can make a huge difference in terms of opening up your eyes and making your face come alive.
To color and define your eyebrows choose quality brow tools. A brow powder or a brow pencil in a shade similar to your natural hair color is best to define your brows. Use a slanted brow brush and smudge. A stencil helps tremendously and should be part of your basic essentials.
If you use a brow pencil to add color, you should apply it in small, feathered strokes. Start at the inner corner and work it gently outwards. Then, blend, blend, blend the color softly with a brow brush.
To tame stray hairs, use a dab of hair gel or spray your brow brush with hair spray then comb through your brows to neaten them.
Keep in mind, no two brows are alike. Every person usually has something 'quirky' about one brow.
I highly recommend you continue professional brow shaping appointments whenever possible. A professional brow artist encourages a long-range, methodical approach towards brow plucking goals to help your brows best frame your eyes and your entire face in the most flattering way possible.

Remember, your eyes are the windows to your soul. Make your eyes beautifully framed with beautiful brows.  

Happy Browsing,

Patty

Patty can be heard LIVE every Monday on her radio show of over 6 years, The Health and Beauty Revolution Show on wsRadio.com. Listen to Board Certified and Certifiably Handsome, Dr. Will Kirby, from E Channel's Doctor 90210,  tell Patty about his new retinol endorsement.
www.wsRadio.com/HealthandBeautyRevolution