Yesterday I was sitting in a coffee shop sipping my favorite seasonal pleasure a pumpkin latte and people watching. I watched women walk past with every Size, Shape, Color and Style of Eyebrows imaginable. Some were works of art and some were horrible train wrecks. All this people watching made me realize one thing: Most women, and men for that matter, do not know how to properly shape, tint and maintain their brows!
When I think of eyebrows the first thing that comes to my mind is Anastasia Soare the Beverly Hills Celebrity brow Guru! She is the leading authority on brows! Trusted by such celebrity clients as Oprah, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Naomi Campbell, Jada Pinkett Smith, Penelope Cruz, and others.
Anastasia developed her own specific system for shaping and coloring eyebrows.
I sat down with Anastasia to discuss some of the most common brow problems and questions women have.
Q:I see women with all kinds of brow shape! everything from an arch to a comma and even uni-brows! What is the perfect eyebrow shape?
AS: The perfect brow shape is an individual concept, it incorporates your bone structure and natural growth shape in the process of creating the perfect brow for you. (see Anastasia’s Golden Ratio below)
Q:How does one determine the thickness their brows should be?
AS: This is comprised of two factors a) how much hair you have to work with and b) following the stencil cutout.
Q: After getting the perfect shape what is the best way to maintain your brows?
AS: For home use the safest way is to tweeze its easy to go hair by hair and maintain a line, waxing is best for salon brow shaping.
Q: What color should your brows be in relation to your hair?
AS: Dark hair: one or two shades lighter than your natural hair color. Light hair: if your hair is dyed very light maintain a shade that’s one or two shades darker for a natural look to your brows, you don;t want to look washed out and no one looks natural with platinum brows!
Q: What is the best way to “color” your brows?
AS: Brow tinting is difficult even from professionals, dark hair always wants to turn orange. I created a simple cosmetic product called Tinted Brow Gel which comes in six shades that cover all the hair tinting needs of my clients.
Q:I know many ladies that have had tragic waxing or tweezing accidents, what is the best way to correct this?
AS: This is the most common problem, and my theory is that great brows aren’t just about the shape they are also about the product. The majority of women you see with terrific brows fill them in daily with powder or pencil for their desired look. The same concept applies to over tweezed brows, while you are growing your brows out fill them in for a polished look.
Q:Many men are either too scared to do some brow maintenance or they over-do it. Any tips for the Gents?
AS: I don’t blame them, I have seen some super arched brows on males that make them look feminine or cartoonish! For men less is more clean up the middle to start. The way to determine how far a man’s space should be cleaned up between his brows is by placing the thumb between the brows and marking the space between. Only remove the hairs inside the marks.
Anastasia’s brow systems are available at Sephora, Ulta, Nordstrom and online at http://www.anastasia.net/home.php
This week Anastasia has teamed up with me to give my readers some brow relief!
1 lucky winner will receive: The Kit for Perfect Brows and Eyes from Anastasia! (see image below)
To ENTER:
First, if you haven’t already subscribe to this blog. (you can subscribe at the top left of sidebar)
Then
Leave a comment on this post between Oct. 30 and Nov. 6 telling me a crazy eyebrow story, this can be something you experience or witnessed or even soemthing you saw in passing.
For additional entries repost this link on Facebook and Twitter. Good Luck!
Last weeks lucky winners are: Symira H., Yvette C. and Jamie D. Congrats and Thanks for Reading!
11 Comments
Heart Anastasia, Christie. Nice interview. Eyebrows make a woman’s face, and I admire a set of killer eyebrows.
Very Good Advice here!! As someone with naturally thick brows I wish I’d known more about brow grooming as an adolescent! Thanks Christie!
You always have such interesting postings! I look forward to reading every one! Once a long time ago I had a portrait made. I took it to my best friend and said, “I should have used a brow pencil for the picture, but I never use one.” She gravely said, “You should.” Ooops. Leave it to a best friend to be brutally honest. Needless to say, I started filling in the spaces with teeny strokes of a brow pencil, and I’ve never looked back!
Thank you, Christie! Don’t know how you have time to find such interesting things to say, but you’re my favorite blog!
I am a procrastinator when it comes to brow maintenance!! I hate tweezing…so about a year ago I used a razor to get between my brows and slipped!!! I shaved off half of one eyebrow!!!! OMG…what to do….brow pencil looked awful!!!So I had to suffer until it grew back….now I do tweeze…but it is still on the bottom of my things to do list…I need help in finding ways to make this job eaiser!!! Love your posts…keep up the good work!!!
Christie, What a great blog. It is the most overlooked item on women’s faces when they do their makeup. Great eyebrows are essential for amazing makeup. Love reading your blog!!! Thanks for always making it such a must read : )
I used to know a couple of roommates. They both had horrible hair, and one had the worst unibrow I’ve ever seen. They bickered all the time, and you would think that at some point it would have been in regards to this horror of eye hair, but no. I wish Ernie would have hooked Bert up with thus info.
Thanks Christie!
;P
Hey, Christie,
I waited a while before finishing my thoughts on brows! I wasn’t shamelessly plugging to win AGAIN! (BTW, I love my teas, and think of you every time I see the box or enjoy a cup)
2 things. First, I much prefer brow threading to waxing. There’s NO chance of getting the “fresh hamburger meat” look that’s a possibility with waxing. It’s really, really cheap, too! It is $4.95 at the closest location near my house!
Second, in Shape Magazine this month, the writer suggested using a lighter brow pencil or powder nearer the bridge of the nose, and a darker shade on the last 1/2 of the brow. I’ve been doing that. No one has stopped me for my brows, but, hey, I’m TRYING MY BEST HERE!!!!
First of all, my favorite fall beverage is also a pumpkin latte. 😉
My stylist tweezes my brows whenever I get my hair cut, and I do my best to maintain (i.e. not completely screw up) the look in between. At my most recent appointment, she was alarmed to find she did not have her eyebrow kit with her. (She shuttles back and forth between salons in two cities.) She unlocked a cabinet to retrieve the backup, her wedding kit, only to discover it missing. (Another stylist had borrowed it without telling her.) So I returned the next day for a free brow shaping with all newly purchased tools!
First of all the first time I had my virgin brows plucked was by a jaded, sassy, dry and overworked make up artist. I was speechless and in so much pain as she yanked brow and little chunks of skin I am sure were not supposed to go that way. Nightmare on elm street…[insert Halloween scary face here]. ROTF. True story.
I will vouge- this stuff is awesome!!
Krystle has been telling me for a long time that my makeup is never finished until I do my eyebrows. She is so right. I started plucking my eyebrows in my teens as I really only had 1 brow that went all across my face with no split inbetween. Total caveman look. Now, my brows are so out of shape and the hair won’t grow back in. She gave me a quick lesson, but I never get it right. But I still do them every time I put on my makeup. Practice hopefully will get me close to perfection some day.