My mama has taught me lots of very important things — always be on time, be nice to people, “Wear a pretty color!” — but, one of the most valuable lessons that she taught me was how to groom my eyebrows properly. My mom was a model in the eighties, when Brooke-Shields-esque thick brows were all the rage, so she mastered the art of grooming her similarly thick brows so that they always looked polished, but never overdone.
Naturally, when I came of age, my mom taught me the keys to keeping my own brows full, but groomed — and, aside from a few rebellious waxing appointments in my teens, I mostly listened to her. Her advice? Brush brows up and out; tweeze only very obviously stray hairs in the middle and underneath; add a tiny bit of clear gel only if necessary. (Isn’t it nice when doing less is the answer?) In my 20’s, however, I’ve started to appreciate how a bit more definition and color on the brows can majorly add to one’s beauty game. So, I’ve tracked down some of the best newfangled products that help create perfect arches — don’t worry, they’re all totally foolproof!
featured image photographed by terry gates via grazia
Not to start with the holy grail or anything, but this brow gel totally and completely changed my brow game. I used to fuss with trying to distribute taupe eyeshadow through my brows with an eyeshadow brush to define them — but with this nifty product, one swipe literally leaves perfect brows in its wake.
Brows That Wow by Alima Pure
On the other hand, if I do find myself with the time and desire to create more defined arches these days, I love to use this nifty little set from Alima Pure. The set includes both an angle brush and a brow brush, which perfectly distributes the mineral-based powder (much better than the fluffy shadow brush that I was using).
Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara from Maybelline
If you’re a brow-grooming novice, I’d definitely recommend this super-light brow gel from Maybelline. I was honestly afraid that a drugstore brow product would appear way too unnatural — but, I was pleasantly surprised to see that this gel is only subtly tinted. (Just build it up as needed if you’d like more color!)
Brett Brow Duo-Shade Pencil by Brett Freedman Beauty
So, here’s my problem — on a day-to-day basis, I like my brows to look pretty natural. But, when I’m dressing up and wearing a bit more eye makeup, I like to glam up my brows accordingly. That’s why I love this dual-sided brow pencil: simply choose the lighter side for day, and layer on the darker shade for nighttime.
Gimme Brow by Benefit Cosmetics
If you’re dealing with sparse brows and want a fuller look, this high-tech gel is where it’s at. Tinted fibers cling to hair and skin, literally adding extra heft to your arches with almost zero effort.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz by Anastasia Beverly Hills
Are you a perfectionist who will accept nothing less than perfectly defined, symmetrical arches? Then, you simply must add this product, which is considered by many a brow aficionado to be the crème de la crème of brow products. A super-fine tip means that you can actually draw on faux hairs with this pencil using short strokes — simply blend with the attached brush to ensure that your handiwork is totally undetectable.
Strays Away Set of 4 Mini Tweezers from the Sephora Collection
The worst: that moment when you catch a glimpse of yourself in a mirror in stark daylight and realize that you somehow missed ALL OF THE HAIRS when you last tweezed. My (albeit a little crazy) solution? Having extra tweezers both for my daily makeup bag, as well as for my travel bag. This set of mini tweezers is totally ingenious — for ten bucks, you’ll have a different shade of cute pluckers for every one of your favorite bags.
