Sunday, March 18, 2012

EYEBROWS PART ONE--The Shape Of Things



Hey again.  I’ve had some people ask me questions lately about eyebrows.  Is it that important to groom them?  Which method of maintenance is best?  Well, brows are such a small part of you, but when they are trimmed and shaped well, they can make a BIG difference in the way you look.  Just frown and furrow your brow.  The shape and position of it will change.  Not something you can or should help, but some folks have brows that naturally grow into a shape that makes them look sullen and melancholy.  And some have big fuzzy caterpillars that need to be trimmed a bit…or a LOT!  Further still, some people have skimpy, wimpy, or short brows, which may be naturally that way or a result of years of over tweezing. Okay, so let’s determine what type of brows you have.

FULL BROWS--As a general rule, if your hair is thick and plentiful on your head and body, then you will have full brows.  Those from the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Native American and many Latin American countries are blessed ( or as some have told me cursed) with lots of hair.  Full brows are great because they can be shaped into a great arch and there is enough there that cosmetic enhancements need not be done.

THIN/SPARSE BROWS—these usually start off fairly sparse and then really “peter out” toward the ends. There are many reasons why brows are thin.  Genetics and/or certain conditions or medications can cause them.  Over tweezing, over waxing, or over shaving can damage the hair at the root so that it refuses to grow anymore.  If you have thin, wispy or cottony hair that doesn’t grow either long or thick (or neither) on your head, usually you will have thin or sparse brows.

INTERESTINGLY”SHAPED BROWS—are genetically determined.   Some have very straight ones without a natural arch (usually they have flat foreheads and deep set eyes), or short ones or brows with minds of their own.  Remember actress Raven-Symone when she was a child actress on the Cosby show.  Her brows were actually bi-level or S shaped.  (She has since had them shaped up). People of African or Caribbean descent may have curly brow hairs and lashes.

The best way to get started on the journey the better brows is to have a professional shaping.  Go somewhere where they take time to shape them correctly and teach you how to maintain them.  Have an actual esthetician wax them, or get them threaded (ancient eastern technique of catching hairs between cotton threads) by a reputable salon tech. Or you can have them professionally tweezed.  Anastasia Soare, queen of celebrity brows, has brow bars nationwide with a line of care products and trained professionals to tweeze those brows into perfection (try Nordstrom, and Ulta stores).  Professional shaping should run between $8 and $15 not including tip.

THE DIVA’S TIPS FOR HAVING YOUR BROWS DONE—

1. Tell your tech not to go too thin, and to be conservative the first time.  Some estheticians are wax happy. Look at their brows, if they look jacked up, RUN DON'T opt for waxing if you have used major exfoliator creams like Retin-A or Renova.  DON'T attempt yourself if you haven't been trained or you may end up with 1/4 of an eyebrow. Bring a mini mirror and watch as they work.  (Except when threading- you will have to help by pulling skin taut.) Expect that one brow may be slightly shorter…that is how we are made.  A brow pencil or powder can fix that.

2.  GET that SPACE between those brows, por favor!  Unibrows make us look angry.  If your man has one, I suggest dragging him along too.  As a rule of thumb, if you drew an imaginary line from the inside corner of your eye straight up, that is where your brow should start.  A tad further out makes close set eyes look farther apart, but brows that sit TOO FAR APART look “cartoonesque”.

3.  NO TADPOLES! The shape should gradually thin to an arch.  Don’t over thin the ends or your brows will look like they belong in a pond.  If you have straight brows, do not have them attempt a big arch!!

4 To trim or not to trim?  Some pros do not like to use scissors to trim because they can make coarse (especially Asian) brows stick up.  But if done subtly on long or unruly hairs, it can make them look uniform.  If you are over 35, you may get some super long coarse, or curly whisker-like white hairs.  Have those removed please! Going grey is a matter of choice, but just because you are a silver shining star doesn’t mean you need white brows.

You should be pleasantly surprised that such a small change can make a big difference in your appearance.  Neat brows frame the face and don’t draw attention away from those shining eyes or the attractive smile.  If you want suggestions as to where to go or not to go, or you want to maintain them yourself after that initial professional shaping, contact me first so I can give you tips.  IN PART TWO WE WILL TALK COLOR AND HOME MAINTAINENCE.

 Love, Bronzediva

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