Have you had a bad eyebrow waxing or threading experience? Want to take your brows into your own hands? If you prefer tweezing to the alternatives, there are a few things you should know before you pluck. Follow these tips from Dino Dilio, Author of Let’s Face It, CityLine Beauty Expert and The Bay’s National Makeup Artist, to help you achieve a flawless brow.
Have the right tools
Pick a high-precession pair of tweezers to make sure you get the best results. A magnifying mirror and good lighting also helps! Try: Tweezerman Professional Point Tweezer, $23, available at major drugstores.
Prep your eyebrows
Start with a fresh face without any moisturizer or makeup. Dilio says a clean canvas is the best starting point. This ensures no slipping, reduces mistakes and unnecessary infection caused by creams or makeup migrating into open hair follicles.
Thick or thin
If you have larger eyes you will want to keep your eyebrows fuller, whereas smaller eyes look best with a delicate brow. The thickness of your eyebrows also affect the appearance of your forehead, thinner brows will make a forehead appear bigger, and thicker will make it smaller. Actress Camilla Belle’s full eyebrows help frame her large eyes and give the impression her forehead is smaller (see top photo).
The head, arch and tail
Dilio looks at brows in three parts: the head, arch and tail. The head begins at the side of the nose and is an ascending angle that can be rounded or squared. The arch is the highest point of the eyebrow, in line with the outer edge the of eye’s iris. If you have a wider face it can be extended to the outer edge of the eye. The tail is a descending angle and should end in line with the outer eye. The direction of the tail can change the look of your face making it appear longer, slimmer, shorter or wider. This season’s eyebrow trend is a natural shape “ thick at the head, tapering off in the arch and tail.
To trim or not to trim
Those battling long eyebrow hairs it may want to trim them once in a while. If your eyebrows look too heavy and have hairs sticking out too far, a trim will lighten them up. Dilio takes the following steps to properly trim his client’s brows. Use a clean mascara wand to brush hairs down. Cut hairs that surpass the bottom form of the eyebrow with small straight facial scissors. Brush the hairs back up to check that you trimmed off enough. Try: Tweezerman Professional Brow Shaping Scissors and Brush, $25 available at major drugstores.
Set your brows
Invest in a clear gel mascara for grooming you eyebrows, it will lift, set and hold the hairs in place. When using the gel, Dilio suggests brushing upwards at a 45 degree angle from the head to the tail. The hairs should sweep up and off the face towards the temples, he says.
Tweeze in the evening
Avoid tweezing before going out or in the morning as you might experience redness or swelling. Plucking before bed allows your skin to calm and cool during the night before you wake up. If swelling doesn’t subside, apply a cold compress. Do not apply makeup to the plucked area directly after tweezing.
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