It’s no secret, our brows are one of our most important facial features, but also the most challenging to get right. Let’s face it, we’ve all experience one (or many) make up melt downs due to overplucking or overlining our arches. After all, all it takes is single stroke to go from matched to mismatched…
To ensure you always achieve a sister set, here at Cult Beauty we’ve done the hard work for you and answered all your most commonly asked questions on how to do your brows. It’s time to finally conquer your beauty archnemesis.
WHAT IS BROW MAKE UP
In short, brow make up emphasise your arches, which in turn draw attention to your eyes while frameing your face. Whether your arches are naturally sparse, you’re wanting to grow your eyebrows, or you’re missing a few hairs from overplucking, waxing, or threading, this edit of cosmetics helps you achieve your ideal look within seconds.
WHAT TYPES OF BROW MAKE UP & TOOLS ARE THERE
When it comes to defining your brows, the possibilities are endless. With so many types of products and tools to choose from, we’ve decoded which ones to use when and defined each and every make up bag essential below…
Brow Brushes – From spoolie wands to angled tips, brow brushes come in a variety of shapes and sizes. However, featuring stiff bristles and ultra-fine liners, they all have one thing in common – their purpose. Designed keep brows tidy and brush them into your desired shape, they’re a trusted tool needed in every cosmetic case.
Brow Gels – Typically clear or tinted, fibre-infused eyebrow gels temporarily thicken the look of your brow hairs by coating and locking them into place. While the clear gels lift, set and separates your brows, tinted iterations add a hint of colour while providing a firm, durable hold. Plus, formulas that feature long-wear polymers create a waterproof seal– making them both smudge-proof and transfer-proof too.
Brow Growth Serums – While technically not make up, brow growth serums are just essential as the pigmented products themselves. While they won’t necessarily make your brows grow quicker, they strengthen and condition your hairs to give them a thicker, healthier appearance.
SHOP ALL BROW GROWTH SERUMS >>>
Brow Pencils – Arguably the most classic eyebrow product to date, brow pencils can be used for everything from filling in your brow line to creating faux freckles. Defining your arches without having to blend or blur, they’re easy, efficient and provide precision, thanks to their ultra-thin tip.
Brow Pomade – Brushed onto your eyebrows to help shape and add concentrated colour, pomades are thick, creamy mousses that help define or create a new silhouette. Typically housed in a small glass pot and paired with an angled brush, they can transform barley-there brows into bigger, bolder arches.
Brow Powders – Acting as a multitasking marvel, brow powders are highly pigmented to not only fill in sparse spaces, but to also aid in setting your hard work. Creating dark shadows beneath your brow line, they give the illusion of a thicker finish and can be used over your pencil to maintain your look.
Tweezers – Specially shaped with slanted tips to grip the tiniest, teeniest hairs with ease, tweezers can be used for everything from tidying up your arches to keeping stray strands at bay.
Brow Wax – Aptly named, brow wax freezes your hairs in place when looking for a full, fluffy and feathered finish. Specially designed with a bristle brush, it evenly deposits a light layer of wax throughout your arches before drying them with a clear, matte finish.
HOW TO SHAPE YOUR BROWS
Now we know the ins and outs of the best brow make up and tools, it’s time discover the not-so-secret secret of how to shape your brow line. Cue: brow mapping – AKA the skill of pinpointing the start, arch and tail of your brows.
- Start by identifying where your eyebrows should begin. To do this take your brow pencil or finger and draw a faint line straight from the ball of your nose right up to your brow line.
- Then, place your pencil on the tip of your nose and angle it diagonally towards your eyes – marking it wherever it meets your pupil, right in the centre of your eye.
- Next, to mark where your brows should end, you’ll need to angle the pencil diagonally from the outside corner of your nostril to the outer corner of your eye – this is called the tail. It’s important to not overextend this point, as long tails can drag the eye down.