(photo credit: Vafa-Coffman Photography)

I was surprised to find that many of you had commented about my eyebrows after my first makeup post.  “Brow envy” was even a phrase that was used!  The ironic part of this is that I have insanely sparse eyebrows . . . like, barely any hair.  If I could go back in time to talk to a younger version of myself, I would tell her to STOP.  PLUCKING.  YOUR.  EYEBROWS.  They won’t grow back.  Really.  My middle school self was going crazy with the tweezers (for some reason super plucked brows appealed to me?) and my adult self would pay for it later.  SO, the fact that ANYONE is liking my eyebrows is AWESOME.  Because of my lack of “real” brows, I’ve had years (YEARS) to perfect faking them.  I have gone through COUNTLESS products . . . I’ve practically tried them all.  Brows are THE most important part of your face, but are often overlooked.  See how this woman looks totally different depending on the way her brows look?

I’ve put together some makeup tips and tricks on this topic: two methods to fill in brows.  The first method is what I’ve been doing it for the past couple of years – it’s easy (fairly easy), and uses Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz, brow pencil.  Keep in mind that this is the way I do it, but you may not need to do all of the steps yourself, depending on what kind of brows you have.  For example, if you’re lucky enough to have thick brows already, you may just benefit by brushing Anastasia’s Brow Gel over them to keep them in place throughout the day.

Method One

Skill Level: Beginner

This is what my brow looks like before I’ve done anything to it.  I’ll pluck the stray hairs every few days, being sure not to over-pluck any part of the actual brow (I did enough of that when I was younger).

Step 1: Brush your brows into place using the brush that comes on the Anastasia Brow Wiz pencil.  I’m so glad they decided to put the brush right on it . . . it makes it very convenient as you’ll brush them a few times.

Step 2: Use the pencil end of the Brow Wiz* to fill in your brows.  Make sure you follow the general shape of your own eyebrows, filling in spots that may be more sparse.  You can see here I’ve followed the general arch of my brow, going a little higher to accentuate it and filling in the front of it to look fuller.  *In this photo I’m using the “taupe” color.

Step 3: To help “set” the pencil to make it last longer and to make it a bit more realistic (I don’t like the pencil lines you can see in the prior photo), I use Clinique’s Brow Shaper (in soft brown here) over the pencil.  This product is a powder that comes with it’s own applicator brush that works really well.  This product lasts a very long time, so you won’t have to purchase it over and over again.

Step 4: To emphasize your brow bone and make your eyes appear more open and lifted, use a highlighter underneath the brow.  One of my favorites is Benefit’s High Brow, which is a chubby pencil.  It’s EASY to use . . . just apply the pencil directly under the brow . . .

. . . and blend.  This is an example of how highlighting can really change the look of the features on your face.

Step 5: Brush your brows into place with Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Gel.  This stuff not only holds your hair in place all day, but it acts as a sealer for the products you have on your brow . . . they will stay on and not smudge, which is important if your eyebrows are as sparse as mine!

Pros of Brow Wiz:

• It’s easy to use (mistakes can be fixed easily with the swipe of a q-tip)
• Looks good
• Comes in lots of colors
• Brush is attached

Cons of Brow Wiz:

• It can smudge (which is why I use the Brow Gel over it)
• The pencil doesn’t last as long as I’d like for the price (replacing it can get expensive)

Method Two

I have been hearing about Anastasia Beverly Hills DIPBROW Pomade forever.  I don’t know why it took me so long to try it, but I wish I had earlier!  This stuff is like my Holy Grail brow product.  I think I waited to try it because it seemed fussy and I had tried Anastasia’s Brow Genius Kit and was not impressed.  There was WAY too much fussing and putzing (and this is coming from someone who LOVES doing makeup).  I also didn’t want to have to buy the brush separately . . . so . . . I didn’t.   I finally gave in a few weeks ago and am happy to share that it.  is.  AWESOME.  There’s definitely a learning curve to this product, but once you master it you’ll be left with amazing brows that will stay . . . not smudge, not budge . . . even two days after.  Yes, I took the ultimate test for you, dear readers, and didn’t wash my face for two days.  Dedication.  😉

Skill Level: Advanced

Again, this is my brow before anything is done to it.

Step 1: You will need to buy the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brush #12 to use with the DIPBROW Pomade.  The reason you can’t use, say, an eyeliner brush that is shaped similarly is because you need the brush to be stiffer.  The #12 brush is the perfect size, shape and texture for this product AND it comes with a spooly brush on the other end.  So, again, the first step is to brush your brows into place.

To use the product, dip the brush lightly into the product.

Using the lid, swipe both sides of the brush off so you have only a little bit of product left on the brush.  You want to use a minimal amount of the product.

Step 2: Begin filling in your brows from the front to the back.  You can see that I had too much product on my brush because of the excess product on the front of my brows.  Remember, a little really goes a long way.  

Working fairly quickly, fill in the rest of your brow . . . the reason I say fairly quickly is because the product will dry along the way.  Once it dries, it’s difficult to make any changes or fix any mistakes.   (Unlike the Brow Wiz, which is easier to fix mistakes but can also smudge throughout the day . . . so you have to decide which pro or con is better for you.)

Step 3: To enhance the actual hairs of the brow to make the look appear more realistic, I swipe Benefit’s Gimme Brow (in light/medium here) over the pomade.  This product also keeps the hair in place like the brow gel I used in the first example.  Again, if you have nice thick brows already, this might be a good product for you.  The brow gel in the first method is clear, and Gimme Brow comes in two shades: light/medium and medium/deep.

Step 4: Same as the first example, using a highlighter to make the eyes appear more open and lifted.  In this second example I used my other favorite brow highlighter product, Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Duality (in Matte Shell/Lace Shimmer here).  This product is easy to use just like High Brow (it’s a chubby pencil too), but comes with both a matte and shimmer end.  I like to use the matte during the day and the shimmer at night.  (I also use the shimmer end on the inner corners of my eyes to make them appear more rested.) Apply it directly onto the brow . . .

. . . and blend.

Pros of DIPBROW: 

• It LASTS forever (you won’t go through it nearly as fast as Brow Wiz)
• Is waterproof and STAYS on
• Lots of colors
• The best product if you really need to fill in lots of brows

Cons of DIPBROW:

• It’s difficult to master
• You have to buy the brush separately

So there you have it!  Two ways to fake gorgeous brows.  I wish I didn’t have to fake mine, but I take the extra time to do so because it makes such a difference.  Brows and concealer are my two “can’t live without” products.  If you need any more proof that brows make a huge difference, check out these pictures of Jared Leto.  Yep.  The difference a brow can make.

XO,

Scotti