Wow for Brows! When I’m doing a clients makeup, I always start with the brows. I always ask the client, “Do you ever fill in your brows?” 90% of the clients say, “no,” and gives me a look like she’d scared I’m going to make her look like Groucho Mark. But after the full makeup is done, she always thinks her brows look fabulous!

Since the brows essentially frame the eye area, it is critical to pay attention to your brows. Especially when women become older, the brows tend to thin out, and become lighter in pigment. I always tell my clients about 50 years of age or more that the simplest and fastest way to take 10 years off your face is by filling-in your brows.

Jose Villa Mexico Workshop

That said, there are do’s and don’ts when it comes to brows.

DO’S:

-Go to a professional to have your brows shaped, if you have not had them shaped before

-Bring in a photo of a model or celebrity whose brow shape you like when going to a professional

-Consider having your brows tinted to match your natural hair color

-Use a matte powder like Smashbox Brow Tech, in a color that is one shade lighter than your hair color, to fill in the brow area in the most natural way possible, using an angled brush to apply the powder

-If tweezing at home, only tweeze below the brows and not above. Feel free to tweeze any hairs in the middle (a.k.a. the “uni-brow”)

-Do use a brow wax to tame the brows (apply with the same brush you would use to apply the powder). Again, Smashbox has a great product called Brow Tech that has both the brow powder and the brow wax.

DON’TS:

-Do not “over-pluck” the brows because they rarely grow back.

-Do not let professionals talk you into the following: shaping them too thin, cutting your brows (unless they are really long).. and if you’re unsure, DON’T TRY IT AT HOME!!

-Do not use a pencil to fill-in the brows. Brow pencils are oil-based, and leave too dark of a line. You don’t want the brow to look like a line. It should be a subtle “filling in” of the brow area. That is why matte powders are best for filling in the color!