I started shaping my eyebrows with makeup recently when I noticed they’ve started to thin out. I played around with several brands of makeup, tricks and ideas, and here my favorites. I’ve also included how to use them properly to achieve that perfect, lush, eyebrow shape that’s going to frame your face.
- Eyebrow pencil: Maybelline NY Define-a-Brow. Retail price: between $3 and $5. Its thin, firm tip makes it easy for you to extend shorter brows and define an uneven shape. Use the pencil first to draw the shape you want. Remember, eyebrows are naturally different from each other, so don’t try too hard to make them the same.
- Eyebrow powder: NYX eyebrow cake powder. Retail price: $5.99. This small inexpensive kit includes two shades (one darker, one lighter), setting gel and an applicator brush. The rich tints are easy to apply and remove if you don’t like the results. Start lighter and add more as necessary. This is should be your second step. Use the applicator brush to darken brows following the shape you’ve already drawn with the pencil. Make sure you don’t overdo it. Unnaturally dark-looking brows will make you look angry and odd. The key is to make your brows look fuller, not painted on. I don’t use the setting gel because it’s too thick, and I prefer the effect I get with an eyebrow gel.
- Eyebrow gel: Anastasia tinted brow gel. Retail price: $22, but you can experiment with other lower-cost brands. This one comes with an applicator brush similar to an eyelash brush. Once you have the shape and shade you want, use the applicator brush to brush the brows to your desired final shape. You could brush them up or with their natural horizontal growth. I prefer to brush them up on the inner eye corner and horizontally from the middle of the eye toward the end. This is going to set your brows and keep the powder and pencil from smearing and fading throughout the day.
