If you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve probably noticed the upcoming trend of brows in the NY Fashion Week Spring/Summer ’14 Collections. Just what are they? Brow trends for next spring will be:
- the thicker the better
- the darker the bolder
- more intense
- more dramatic.
Well, if you’re more of a natural girl, you’ll be happy to hear that naturally full thick brows will be in starting next spring, and without the heavy makeup. And if your brows are on the thinner side, don’t worry. You’ve got time to get them there. But if you fall short, here’s a quick, as in super quick way to get your brows looking fuller, and natural looking with the least amount of fuss.
Step 1: Using a spoolie brush to brush your brows out and up away from the center of your face. As you brush, check and see how the brows are falling. Are they staying up or falling sideways? This tells you the natural growth pattern of your brows. Most people think their brows grow up all the way across, but they really don’t. They grow up only in the fronts, then slowly grow sideways, and then down from the arch towards the ends.
Key for the new look is to let the brow hairs from the front of the brow to the arch grow longer. No more trimming hairs down to the brow. It’s a more natural look and feel to the brow and the longer the hairs, the easier it is to get the look.
SLANTED EYEBROW BRUSH
Step 2: Using an angled brush, apply your brow color (powder for a soft look, pencil for a more hair like look) in short, hair-like strokes going in the direction that the brow hairs are falling. Only apply pencil where needed and not through the whole brow. This will avoid a too heavy or made up look to the eyebrow.
Hairs too short? You can easily create a longer look by lightly drawing short hair like strokes past the brow line. But just slightly. The more realistic the look, the better. Remember that flicking motion you do when you apply a winged tip to your eyeliner look? It’s the same thing here. With your angle brush, flick the end of the stroke to create a more tapered line to the brow.
Tip: Keep it natural by only filling in in areas where needed only. If the look is too heavy or done, take a brow spoolie brush or mascara wand and lightly brush through to soften the makeup look.
Step 2a: This step is optional, and usually makeup fans will like this step. Either before or after you apply your brow color, apply a clear brow wax (for a harder line) or a clear brow gel (for a softer line) through the brow.
Tip:
- Use a clear brow wax before you apply color to create a sharper look.
- Use after your brow color to set color and set brow hairs in place.
Step 3: Run the spoolie over the eyebrows once (and just once) to soften any harsh lines, but you actually want the brow makeup to look ‘hair-like’. This is the key in creating a more natural brow look.
Step 4: To make your beautiful brows really pop, use a super soft brow highlight underneath the arch on the brow bone to softly bring out the brows. Key is soft. Think more of a sheen, not a frost or a glitter.
Total Time: 1 minute.
Elke Von Freudenberg
