Tools of the trade
It's always easier to do a good job if you have the right equipment, and shaping eyebrows is no exception. We've complied the ultimate list of what's worth investing in.
Table of Contents
EYEBROW BRUSHES
A grooming must.
Just like head hair, some brows can be hard to manage (yes, your brows can have a bad-hair day). Enter the brow brush. This handy little tool will help you groom and style your brows every morning. Brushing also helps remove dirt and dead skin particles that get trapped under brow hairs.
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If you have long brow hairs that won't lie the way you want, a mascara-wand style brush will give you more control than a straight brush. If your brow hair is very thick or so coarse that it appears almost brittle, the hairs probably won't bend around a wand-style brush. In that case, your best bet is a brow comb. In a pinch, an old toothbrush can be reborn as a brow brush, provided the bristles are strong and the toothpaste is long gone.
A WHITE STICK
A roadmap for your brows.
This stick (available on our website, amazon, or in stores), makes it easy to mark which hairs you need to get rid of - think of it as a Wite-Out for your brows. Use it to sketch the outline of the shape you want (even easier if you use stencils - see below), and white out the hairs you want to remove. You can also use concealer applied with a cotton swab or a small brush. If your brows are so light that you can't see the white pencil, use a black eyeliner pencil instead.
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The white pencil also works as a fantastic way to waterproof brow powders and stamps. Apply the white stick first, and follow with powder over top.
EYEBROW STENCILS
Provides perfect accuracy.
Used since ancient Egyptian times, stencils take all of the guesswork and stress out of trying a new brow shape. All you have to do is follow the outline and, voila! Stencils also make it much easier to properly fill in sparse or over-plucked brows with pencils and powder. Perhaps most important, stencils ensure that both brows turn out precisely the same way. After using the stencil on one brow, simply flip it over to get a mirror image of the other brow.
EYEBROW PENCIL
For precise application.
This is another must-have brow tool for many, although those with light hair should skip this all together. But for those with medium or dark hair, an eyebrow pencil is great for darkening and coloring brows without adding volume the was that powder does. It provides precise application for filling in blank spots. For the artistically inclined, it can even be used to draw on realistic brow hairs. And since it adds color to both hair and skin, it makes it easier to define the edges of your brows so they look super smooth. Sharpening a brow pencil can be tough, however. The trick is to place the pencil in the fridge overnight or the freezer for ten minutes to harden it.
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But even though many beauty gurus and magazine articles say you must use pencil to define your brows properly, the truth is brow pencils don't work for everyone. On some - especially those with strawberry blonde or greying hair- they can look too harsh. If you're one of those, the secret is to forget pencils and use brow powder alone. It stays on just as well as pencil, and will give you more realistic looking results. What a relief! You'll wonder why no one ever told you this before.
EYEBROW POWDER
Provides color & a natural finish.
Simple to apply quickly and evenly, colored brow powder creates a soft, natural-looking eyebrow. Like pencil, powder can be used to create a nice smooth edge. Powder also adds volume to the brows- a real plus if yours are sparse or overplucked. In fact, it can be used to essentially "paint" on a pair of brows if there aren't any there at all.
BROW GEL
Provides volume and hold.
Designed to help style brows that resist cooperating on their own, brow gel is applied with a mascara-like want and comes in clear or colored versions. It not only sets the hairs in place, but also moisturizes them, making them more pliable and easier to work with. If your brow hair is sparse, consider a colored gel which can help give the appearance of more volume.
TWEEZERS
For hair removal.
Even if you mainly use another method of hair removal, you still need tweezers to remove those annoying stray hairs that seem to pop up overnight. And if you regularly shape your brows by plucking, a really good pair is an absolute must. Tweezers should be able to firmly grab an individual hair and pull it out easily. Often, badly made or old tweezers don't grip properly. There's nothing more frustrating than finally grabbing hold of a big ol' ugly hair just top have it slip out of your grip as you are getting ready to pull! But when you have a good pair of tweezers that can pluck the little sucker right out....ahh, that's satisfaction. It's like repeatedly missing your golf swing, only to finally connect and hit a hole in one. So if your tweezers aren't doing the job, toss 'em and get a pair that will.
BROW SCISSORS
For trimming long hairs.
It's a great idea to slightly trim hairs that hang over the edges of your brows. If your brows are thick and wild, it's probably wise to do a little extra taming before you start to shape them. Here's how: Brush your brow hair straight up. Trim any hairs that extend way above the brow line. Caution: Do not trim these hairs even with the top of your brow line or they will be too short when they are brushed back into place - and even harder to control. They should still extend about three-eighths of an inch beyond beyond the top of the brow.