the new brows.

after my last "comeback" a few readers have noticed that my brows look different now, so i planned to share my new brow routine and some mini reviews regarding this topic.
here is my former brow tutorial - click! - my philosophy about them still remained the same: rather thick and bushy, not to draw beyond the outlines too much and a natural shape.
however, i have added an extra step to my routine which i think makes them look more sharp but natural at the same time, thus i want to share it with you.
i managed to grow my brows (as previously intended) more straight and much less arched than before, i still need to work on the length. i admit that it's much straighter than i initially wanted, but as i embraced the korean "ulzzang" look since last winter, i aimed for the very straight and quite thick brow. i find that it gives me a softer look, brighter and more youthful.

this is how my brows were last year, medium thickness, quite arched, for my taste too short at the front.

growing out the arch back to a straight line was the hardest part of this project (plus realising that my face is a lot more asymmetrical than i supposed - that's what made it even harder). after many years of plucking underneath the arch to get a neat curve, the hairs don't want to grow back anymore, especially not in the right directions - i'm actually still in the process to get more fullness in this area.
i have to admit that, contradictive to my previous statements, i went and trimmed my brows. they grew so stubborn and messy that i was pissed off enough to let the scissors speak. well, it did look very very weird, i disliked it. but i still trim the too long hairs at the very start since i prefer to brush this part upwards now rather than sideways like before.

so this is what i do:


step1

here you can see my bare brows, at the moment the left side is a lot nicer than the right, but i feel like this changes periodically (about once a year it will turn the opposite way).
you can see the hairs are still quite sparse where formerly the arch of the brow was and how they grow quite messily in this area. here i just try to brush them into nice shape and clear the ground and the hairs from excess foundation and powder with a simple spooley wand (#1 in the top pic)

just with foundation on - i think my face looks quite "undone" with naked brows, i find nice brows make such a difference even though everything else is left bare.

step2

now i'd use brow powder or a brow pencil to have a base shading. these days i favour the Shu Uemura Hard Formula Brow Pencil in 02 Seal Brown when it comes to pencil form (will review it later), but more often i use a brow powder.

my brush of choice is the Louise Young L31 Angled Brow Sable (#3 in top picture). it's densely packed, evenly shaped and has a nice flexibility that still lets you get the right curve even though it's moderately firm. picks up the product nicely and dispenses it evenly. i never pay much attention to brow brushes, but am slightly intrigued to try out the Chikuhodo Z6 or a RMK one...

MAC Copperplate - MAC Omega

as brow powder, i alternate between two MAC eyeshadows: Copperplate for a distinct look or Omega for a softer, warmer brow. i much prefer the Matte² texture of Copperplate, Omega is quite hard and has very poor pay off - can you recommend a similar lightish colour from another brand with a bettter quality?

swatched: MAC Copperplate - MAC Omega

today we're working with Copperplate (#2 in top pic): i start at the outer 2/3 of the bottom line and fill in the desired shape and prepare the sharp tail that my natural brows don't have. i would concentrate the saturation in this outer area and only gradually shade in the front for a more authentic appearance. then go over the brow with the spooley again or a MAC 219/medium stiff pencil brush to smudge the colour evenly into the skin.

if i'm in a rush, i could leave it at that, it already looks much neater than without any shape at all.

step3

key product in this step is a liquid brow pen, i was inspired by the fabulous Lisa Eldridge who often uses the SUQQU Brow Pen. the one it have is a cheaper and more widely available alternative: the K-Palette 1 Day Tattoo Real Lasting Eyebrow (#4 in top pic).

i chose shade 02 Grayish Brown, i think it's darker and more ashy than shade 01. i'd recommend the ashier colour for people with undyed natural black hair. this pen contains liquid ink and has a brush tip which is wide and flat. the synthetic fibres are dense and stiff. the brush tip creates very fine lines of a diluted dark taupe colour. i use it with a light hand in short and fine strokes to create the illusion of brow hairs where there are none. needs some practicing, but it's better to only draw in fine "hairs" than to cover the whole brow shape in a solid colour with these pens since you want to fake a full natural brow and not a tattooed one!
i especially like that the ink is very light and the tip is so precise, it delivers a much more natural result than the darker, more intense liquid versions (for example by Gosh or Anastasia etc.) or classic brow pencils. the staying power is phenomenal, even on my quite oily summer skin it looks just like freshly applied even after the whole day.
you can find this on ebay, it costs about 20$ with shipping. i've been using mine for over 6 months now and it still goes strong.

i'd concentrate my strokes on the sparse areas and where my brow hairs are too thin, that's on the arch area and in the front. it adds more structure and definition to my brows compared to just powder alone.

step4

to round it up i use a coloured brow gel. i use one by P2, it's a back up of a discontinued product. my brows are so stubborn that i rather want to enhance the existing brow hairs (especially at the front) than to glue them into a particular shape.
here is the final result:

bare brows vs. done brows

massive eye brow ramble and how i shape & fill them in.

 

some time ago a reader had asked me how i fill in my eyebrows and i have promised to cover this topic in a "basics" series. now i finally come to do it.
brows are such an important feature of your face. you will look bright and smart when you do them properly with a crisp and clean shape but natural result. that's why i could skip eyeshadow, blush or lips, but foundation, brows and mascara are essential to me.
i'm not very brow-confident but i do the best i can with them ;)
i also had a time when i overplucked my brows but in the last years, i like to wear them a bit thicker and more bushy to achieve a youthful and natural look.
the key to a natural appearance really is a slightly thicker shape and NOT do overdraw - always shade your brows within the hair line. you should choose a brow pencil or powder that is a lot lighter than the colour of your hair and does have an ashy tint (not too much red) - you'd only want to use the colour as a shading colour for your brows to appear more dense. so it's ok to colour them in evenly and not struggle too much with drawing on short little strokes. my holy grail brow powder for asian black hair is Copperplate Eyeshadow by MAC. it has the right colour and a fantastic texture. in pencil form i really love the Shiseido brow pencil in GY901 Natural Black. i prefer pencils with a really hard lead so it's a lot easier to achieve an even, non blotchy finish and avoids overdone brows and they stay pointy a lot longer.
it always looks old and fake when you see drawn on colour but no hair texture - the short-strokes-to-fake-hairs-method may apply on pictures or from far away, but never works when someone looks directly vis-à-vis at you. and that's the main part of life for most of us.
for sparse areas i only fill them in a bit more intense and then brush the other brow hair over to conceal it. 
don't rely on your brow pencils or powders, try to let them grow within your desired borders.
to get an authentic finish, i always use a brow gel afterwards (after powdering my face) to give the brow hairs a shiny appearance like they naturally are and to keep them somewhat in shape. if clear or coloured gel is your choice.
if you have dense brows, perhaps you only need to dye them.


how i pluck and shape my brows.

usually i just try to maintain my brow shape. but if you want to reshape your brows, try to take a look at some pictures of your youth (when you haven't started plucking them). the natural brow shape and thickness should always be a guide to the shape that will harmonise with your other features the most. it's best to aim for a clean and only slightly thinner version of your initial eyebrows. too thin, too short, too rounded or edgy or too high laying brows always appear odd in your total appearance. or if they begin too far outside.
the best way to not overpluck is to use a sharp dark eye pencil and draw your desired shape on your brows and fill it. then only pluck everything that lays outside of that shape.
if you have dark face fuzz like me, a brow shaver can do wonders. you can get them in most drugstores. i like to carefully shave the hairs on my temples and forehead (just around the brows) - it brightens up your face immediately (i really want to try waxing or threading some time). but please be careful with them.

i'm also not a fan of trimming brow hairs. i find it looking very weird when you can see brow stubbles.
if you are insecure about the shape, i would recommend you to invest into a consultation with a trustworthy esthetician or make up artist to get an initial shape that you only need to maintain further.
for my part i'm not very satisfied with my brow shape at this time. i try to grow them longer (to the ends and also at the beginning) and want to slowly shape them less arched and more straight.
normally, i pluck my brows once or twice a week. i use normal slanted tweezers, nothing fancy. you (or your male friend) can form them yourself to get a better grip. it's only important that the branches lay on each other 100%.
another very important tip is not to pluck too often and not to look into a big magnifying mirror. you will want to pluck even the tiniest hair and dig out every soon-to-come-stubble and this can turn into a bad habit which will ruin the skin on your brow bone.

now on to the "tutorial"

this is what i will use :

Shiseido Brow Pencil in GY901 Natural Black - common spooley wand - Alverde clear brow gel

some other very helpful tools:

MAC 219 - cosmetic q-tips

the 219 is great to smudge out the colour in small circular motions for an even shading. i love the fine end of cosmetic q-tips to adjust the shape - they are great to define your brow endings.


i do my brows right after foundation & concealer, then powder my face and then brush through my brows with a brow gel to remove powder residues.
this is how it looks undone.

left side done - right side undone.
you see the difference is not very impressive, the "done" side just looks groomed and elongated.

both sides done

first, i draw a line on the bottom of my brows - within my brows - to get a crisp shape and lengthen the ends.

from there i fill in my brows with shorts strokes evenly within the hairline.

i go over this with my spooley wand to brush out the pigment and disperse it evenly. as a last step i just brush through my brows with a clear brow gel.

if i feel like, i will use a slightly pearly cream shade to highlight directly under the brows for an extra bright and clean look. i use MAC Shroom and my Hakuhodo S121G. 

you only need the smallest amount and rarely touch the pan.

on the inner parts to brighten shadowy areas

directly under the arch to get an extra lifted effect

this is the final result:

again, to compare:

if you prefer video tutorials, Jen from FromHeadToToe recently did a great one!!!
click here to watch it.