Welcome to Beauty School! Every Monday, JET experts will teach you how to preserve your sexy. This week, make-up and hair expert Dre Brown shares her favorite tips for creating beautiful brows.
In my line of work, I get the pleasure of chatting about beauty with women from all walks of life. The makeup mavens who lovingly “beat” for blood, the naturalistas that boast a buffet of basic balms and butters, and plenty of others in between. But, without fail — whether she’s a cosmetic connoisseur or bare-faced bohemian — one “hairy” issue finds its way onto her priority list … the battle of the brows!
So, I figured, why not do a frugally fab haul dedicated to those undeniable details that seem to make or break a flawless face. Check out some of the below bargains for beautifying your brows and tips on how to use each to avoid common brow blunders. Enjoy!
Prickly situations
Whether you choose to wax or thread, heading to the salon for the those mandatory moments of painful pruning isn’t always easy. Grooming the brows by removing stray and unruly hairs creates an instantly more polished look. But if the sting has you stalling, opt to groom your brows between salon visits with a gentle shaping razor.
Try Ardell’s Brow Precision Shaper for gentle at home maintenance. ($3.99, Target Stores)
Tip: If grooming between waxings or threading appointments, look for the prickly new-growth and use the razor to clean up those areas only in effort to maintain your salon-designed shaped.
Tone it down!
Lighter shaded brow hairs have you looking a little “barely there?” Opt to darken the tone of your brow hairs with a deeper shaded solution that will amplify each strand to stand out!
Revlon Brow Fantasy Pencil and Gel ($6.50, Walmart.com) offers tone enhancement and definition in one handy tool.
Tip: Use the pencil end as if you were writing, lightly deepening the present strands with short strokes in the direction of hair growth for the most natural effect. Brush in the gel for added tone, blending and setting.
Let there be light …
Half the battle in designing beautiful brows is proper creation of contrast. By highlighting the area below the brow, you can achieve a cleaner and more defined look instantly! Many options are available for illuminating the brow-bone — concealers and luminous neutral eye shadows are common go-tos.
But, if you’re a brow novice and want more control, try Milani Brow & Eye Highlighter sticks ($6.50, CVS stores). The pencil structure offers ease in defining brow lines and contours. The smooth texture blends with ease for a polished finish.
Tip: Use your choice of shade to line the lower brow to create contrast. Then blend the pigment down onto the brow bone with a small shadow brush to soften.
Arch Advantage
For the more seasoned, creating the ultimate arched brow (even where very little may exist) is a science of sorts. With precise shaping and strategic shading, a “slayed” brow can be a matter of brush strokes away.
If you’re up for the challenge, give Sonia Kashuk’s Arch Alert kit a try (9.99, Target.com). With 4 creamy contouring brow pigments, you can sleekly style your brows to their boldest potential.
Tip: Opt for a slightly lighter shaded pigment than your natural hair for optimal blending and more natural result.
