I wasn’t planning on writing another post today, but one of my cousins asked me a question about eyebrows and what do I do to mine and I’ve been inspired! So, I’m going to share some of my favourite eyebrow products with you and explain how I use them, because, hey, why not!? 🙂
First things first – I need to get a couple of things out of the way before I delve into my fave eyebrow enhancing products. Number one, I was going for a super simplistic vibe for the photos in this post, but my mom caught a glimpse of the preview just now and she told me that they look boring. So, I apologize if you think that these photos are boring but sometimes, in my opinion, simple is very visually appealing.
Secondly, we need to talk about the basics of brows. Your eyebrows, if you didn’t know, are one of the most important features of your face. Not only do they rise and furrow with each and every expression that you make, but they frame the face. Therefore, it’s always important for your brow game to be “on fleek,” and I’ve started to enjoy modifying my brows (well that just sounds creepy, haha…but you know what I mean) so much that I sometimes do a little something to them even on minimal or no makeup days.
I’ve never done anything to my brows in terms of shaping or waxing or tweezing or plucking, but I inch closer to making a decision to do so with every passing day. While I have managed in my life so far without any hair removal above the eyeball, I’m sometimes curious if my face would look a little better with a definite shape to them (because right now, they’re kind of just straight and blah). However, I often wonder if it would be a waste of time, as I am quite happy with my “blah” brows as they are and I don’t want to be sucked into the “well now they are growing back so I have to fix them up every 4 weeks” vortex. No disrespect or any kind of offence meant to the gals who do choose to maintain their brows on a regular basis, because hey, more power to you, but I’m choosing to stay away from making such a choice (for now).
Okay, so now that I’ve given you a little bit of brow history, if you will, now let’s get to the good stuff, the wardrobe! 🙂 I’m an avid fan of filling the brows in, and trust me when I say that even if you have what one would consider “thick” or “bushy” brows, filling them in can make a world of difference. “Filling” the brows in adds much more than volume; depth, shape and control/uniformity can be attained by filling in the brows. You don’t even need to use a super pigmented or dark colour to achieve brows that wow.
Let’s take a closer look at some of my faves:
The Pencil Fill – Essence Eye Brow Designer in #2: Dark Brown
Pencil products are some of the easiest products to use on your brows and are a personal favourite of mine (what can I say, I’m lazy). They provide minimal fuss and can honestly take your brows from drab to fab in a matter of minutes. All it takes is a few short, sharp movements (to mimic actual hairs) and your brows will look more defined and full. When I discovered Essence’s eye brow designer pencil a couple of years ago, I unknowingly stumbled onto one of my most used and most loved products in my entire makeup collection. It’s just the right colour, somehow needs sharpening less than any other pencil I’ve used (I don’t get it), and costs less than my morning coffee. Score!
The Cream/Gel Fill – MAC Dipdown Fluidline
Maybe it’s just me, but I feel as if filling in the eyebrows with a cream or gel product has soared in popularity lately. Regardless, I’ve long been a fan of filling in my brows with a heavier product, but it has to be the correct occasion. For instance, if you want to fill in your brows with a cream or gel product for daytime, you have to be very careful, as it doesn’t take much for your brows to get way too dark really quickly. However, for more dramatic occasions and/or evening wear, go for it! Oddly enough, it seems like it would be very difficult to fill in the brows with a cream product, but it’s actually the opposite! It takes a bit more time, though, I find, to really highlight or add shape to the brows this way, but light, consistent strokes are key here! After you’re done application, I find it best to run a clean spoolie through the brows to further define the shape that you’ve created and get rid of any excess colour. This technique really makes your face look complete and your eyes pop, without making you look (or feel) like a caterpillar. 🙂 Just be sure to use a matte product here, as you don’t want any shimmer actually on your brows! My go-to choice for this is, ironically, not even specifically formulated for brows, but it does the trick. MAC’s Dipdown Fluidline has long been a favourite eyeliner of mine, but when I started using it for my brows a few months ago, I fell in love all over again. Talk about perfect colour and texture (it’s technically a gel but it feels very creamy and soft to the touch), long wear time (as are most cream or gel brow fillers) and easy application, or, in other words, total loveliness!
The Powder Fill – MAC Diamond Dove Eyeshadow (limited edition, similar here)
Powder products, whether it be eyeshadow, brow powder (is there a difference though? I never know) or bronzer (yes, my friend Eliza does this to her brows and her brows look great, so don’t knock it ’til you try it ;)), are some of the easiest products to use on your brows — once you get the hang of it. Though it takes a bit to get used to, powder on your brows is simple and almost effortless and can quite quickly give you brows that make it seem as if you’ve spent tons of time on them, when you’ve really spent as much time as it takes to tie your shoe. Just make sure to use a completely matte powder and one that isn’t too dark (no black here!) and you’ll be good as gold. My personal favourite powder is MAC’s Diamond Dove, which is a velvety smooth and pigmented medium-cool deep brown colour that I use with any clean angled brush to add some depth and dimension to my fairly sparse brows.
The Subtle Fill/Seal The Deal – Benefit Gimme Brow
If you’re having a lazy day (which, for me, is erryday — see above) or are going for the super trendy “no makeup” makeup look, I highly recommend checking out a tinted brow gel. These nifty little products somehow possess all of the great qualities of the aforementioned products, all while managing to keep your brows on lock. I’ve never had unruly brows or anything, but I have noticed that since I’ve started using tinted brow gels that my brows look much more streamlined and therefore I look a bit more put together when I have used one. All it takes is a quick flick to define, shape and give the brows an oh-so-subtle tint and you’re good to do. I’ve used plenty of other tinted brow gels, but Benefit’s Gimme Brow is the best. It adds just the right amount of volume without giving my brows the muddy look that some tinted gels can. It’s not the cheapest product of the pack, but I find it worth it because a single tube has lasted me over 8 months now (and it’s still going strong, baby)! Love it!
Overall, these four brow products are my most used in my not-so-large brow makeup collection. I know that one of these four can provide the look I’m trying to achieve, with minimal fuss and effort. In general, my tips for achieving “wow”-worthy brows are simple: experiment a little, and once you find a few products that you enjoy using, stick with them. After all, the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” cliché exists for a reason! I find that rocking a great pair of brows is more about you feel aobut them than anyone else, anyway. So what if the girl at the checkout couldn’t stop staring at them? She might think they’re too thick or too straight, but it doesn’t matter as long as YOU like the way they look (as with makeup in general!). Plus, she’s probably just jealous, anyway, because with these tips and tricks, you’ll be rocking some pretty dang awesome brows in no time! 😉 😀
I hope you enjoyed that post, everyone! Thank you for reading!
Do you fill in your brows? If so, what are your “holy grail” brow products? Sharing is caring! ↓
Until next time,
S♥
