Usually, I will try to remain as professional as I can when writing these blogs - impartial, well-rounded and considerate. I can no longer do this - STOP IT WITH THESE BROWS. I have no idea why or how this brow trend has come about, and let's face it, we've probably all been guilty of filling them in and then getting a glimpse of yourself through the train window and thinking "wow, I've overdone the brows a bit today". Myself included. Sometimes it's really hard to put your make-up on at 6am, I know.
Somewhere along the line, somebody has got their wires crossed and so people think that it's ok for your eyebrows to have a perfectly geometric SQUARE at the front of them. It's not. It's also not ok for them to be 3 shades darker than your hair for that matter, or black. Even if you have black hair. There's a reason that MAC discontinued their Velvetone brow pencil.
Here's a few tips to consider when picking a shade for your brows:
- Go cool! - anything with a warm undertone always looks completely false and harsh in the brow. That having been said, if you are a natural ginger, or have red tones in your hair, you're more likely to get away with it. If you don't, then you need to think of colours that have a more grey undertone to them. Trust me, they won't look grey when they're on. If you don't trust me, try it and see for yourself.
- Go for a shade that looks a couple of shades lighter than your hair - this is particularly true if you're picking a brow powder. Brow powders are usually applied with a stiff, angled brush which will pick up and deposit a lot of product. Remember too that it sticks to the hairs, which is going to make your brows appear immediately darker. You'll be surprised how much darker the colour looks after application. This rule is true for brow pencils too. If a client has brown hair, I usually always go for lingering pencil, which is a medium brown from MAC.
- A little can look like a lot - I always usually start by filling in the arch of the brow with a powder. Instantly, the brow looks a lot stronger without getting my ruler out and drawing a square at the front! Sometimes, if the client wants a more defined brow (this wouldn't really work on a softer brow), I will draw a base line under the arch so that the brow has more structure. The front of the brow is always filled in by using what's left on the brush and flicking it upwards to create a soft shadow. Remember this is the part of the brow that has the least hairs and in order for it to look natural, it must look lighter than the rest.
Look at this picture of Rosie Huntington-Whitely...
The top pictures features a lighter brow - the first thing you see is her amazing skin and voluptuous red lip. The focus is not on the brow at all, which perfectly compliments the make up by staying in the background. The brows are a few shades lighter than her hair. The second picture, in which she is still looking super gorgeous, is an old burberry ad that I came across. Her brows are darker, although they still match her hair. They are the focus of that make up though. Even being the focus, they are still a shade lighter than her hair! The overall effect of the first image is that we see the make up before we see her brows. She could have worn a strong brow here but would have to have done away with the flick liner - it would all be too much.
This is demonstrated by this picture, which shows what celebs would look like should they all have what is fondly (can you sense my sarcasm?) known as 'The Scouse Brow";
It completely detracts from the beauty and femininity of these women, making them look harsh. I'm all for filling your brows in but I just wish somebody would stand with a megaphone in Liverpool one and give people some tips! I'm not volunteering by the way! If you've read this, then hopefully, you won't need the megaphone treatment!
Lisa x
