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Tell me about your eyebrow routine

Traci

Veteran

I haven't really given my eyebrows much attention since the 90's when I overplucked them. My brows are pretty moderate, not too pale, not bushy enough to need constant attention and they arch on their own.

But lately, with all the browcentric make up looks, my brows look boring to me. I don't even know where to start. I can get them threaded and shaped to clean them up a bit, but I feel like they'll still need a bit of shaping and filling in to have that really crisp brow look I'm seeing all around.

So, fabulous ladies of the internet, what is your brow routine?

General

41 replies

Latest reply was from annagybe

Style Fan

Veteran

I didn't pluck my eyebrows very much back in the 60s, 70s, etc. I am extremely thankful that I didn't. I have decent eyebrows.
I have had my eyebrows waxed a few times. I don't recommend it. I think it pulls the skin too much. I have also had my eyebrows threaded. But really I don't need it. I don't have obvious stray hairs and the few that I have are clear coloured. I find eyebrows threaders take off too much and reshape my brows.
My eyebrows are a nice shape and I don't do anything to them in terms of the shape. I use a product by Benefit to slightly darken them. It is like a mascara. It is very light brown. Benefit has a whole eyebrow product counter. Amazing.

Sisi

Veteran

No brow routine, ever. My eyebrows have always had a nice shape and I like them natural. Only rarely I give some satisfation to some hairdresser or esthetician who insist upon plucking them, but I don't let them go too far, hehe.

Traci

Veteran

Style Fan, that sounds like exactly what I need. I'll check out benefit's offerings the next time I'm in sephora.

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

I don't do much, and I'm glad that more natural looking brows are in fashion again. I clean them up with a tweezer probably once a month or when I notice stray hairs.... I just have a few. I use a creamy pencil to fill in and darken daily.

Traci

Veteran

Do any of you use a stencil? Or do you just fill in the shape you already have?

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

No stencil here. What I concentrate on is the lower, thin part of my brows, as that sort of fades away.

Banoffi

Veteran

About 2 years ago I started going to a woman who specializes in brow shaping (she just tweezes - never waxes) and tinting. I never thought I needed this until I got it done the first time. I was amazed at the difference it made. In between appointments I tweeze stray hairs, but I'm scared to trim the unruly and long ones on my own, so I leave them.

Traci

Veteran

Banoffi, does the tinting dye your skin under the brows too? My actual, individual eyebrow hairs are plenty dark, but I'm thinking they'd look more groomed if they were filled in. I've had them shaped a few times and I like the look okay, but it's really a very subtle difference on my particular brows, they basically just clean a few hairs from the bottom edge.

I'd love an option that didn't have daily upkeep!

crazyone

Veteran

I have very thick, unruly eyebrow hair and shaping makes a big difference for me. It's been more than a month since I got mine professionally shaped and I feel a bit unkempt because of it

Liz A.

Veteran

I'm so particular about my eyebrows. I never used to let anyone touch them, but the upkeep became too much. Now I get them threaded every 12-14 days. They will get overzealous about how much they take off if I don't watch them. The threading takes care of the stray hairs, but then I still fill in the sparse areas with this product. Oh, and I trim as well, maybe once every week or two.

Anonymous

I get them threaded once in awhile, and since they're so light, I use a tinting product that Angie recommended to enhance their visibility. I also use MAC Big Brow Pencil to give them some definition.

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

I use a light brown brow pencil to define them some, then brush up and outward with a mascara type wand that is on the other end of the pencil, and then use a soft powder that is slightly lighter than the brow color as it seems to look better for me.

One Little Momma used to have a really good video to show how she does hers but I can't find it now. I did find this:

http://www.onelittlemomma.com/.....r-red.html

Suzanne (ambergreen)

Veteran

I use a Wet n Wild pencil that is actually marketed as an eyeliner...but it has enough yellow in it to work well for me as opposed to the much redder pencils that tend to occur in the "blonde" or light brown category, which don't suit. Sort of a no stone unturned thing, and I think it was about a dollar! I brush brows into place, fill in with pencil lightly, and finish with clear mascara to keep things where they are. Caveat: the clear mascara doesn't stay clear since it picks up some of the pencil, but that doesn't bother me.

Aziraphale

Veteran

I'm not much help. My eyebrows have a natural decent shape, but are so blond you can barely see them, especially in the outer half. No point pulling out hairs you can barely see. I darken the outer half a little with a eyebrow pencil if I'm going out. I have to be careful not to use a heavy hand, though, or I'll look like a clown. It doesn't go with my skin and face. I might look into that product that Style Fan recommends (thanks, style Fan!).

I'm hesitant to give you any eyebrow recommendations without knowing what your eyebrows look like. Eyebrows do define your eyes, and if they are naturally dark they you might benefit from professional shaping. I'm not a fan of obvious eyebrow pencil to crisp things up, though.

salt-sea

I figured I needed to start with a good shape first, so I searched yelp for the best brow shaper in my area. I had previously been going to someone who kept waxing them too thin and arched.
Turned out the person who came up the most in yelp results was no longer at the spa, but I asked them who their best brow shaper was and booked an appointment. I told her I didn't want thin brows and asked her to give me a good shape for my face. She's great. I go to her about once every 4-6 weeks, depending on my work travel. I pluck carefully to keep them clean, no more than once or twice a week. Everyday I fill in my brows with an Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz - a very thin pencil - about $20 at Sephora, Ulta, Nordstrom in a color a shade or two lighter than my hair. That's my brow routine!

Ivy

After trying waxing & threading over the years, I now just do my own tweezing a couple of times a month & fill them in slightly with a brow pencil from Sephora (I can check the brand if you're curious). That's it for me! I'm actually happy not to depend on anyone else for brow maintenance these days.

marianna

Veteran

I get mine threaded every 6 weeks or so. Then daily I fill them in with brown eyeshadow.

BlondeAmbition

I used to do very little with my eyebrows until a friend took me with her for a threading. That's when I realized that eyebrows make a huge difference in how I look. Mine are blonde and by enhancing them a little my face just pops. I go a little darker for when I'm on stage. The thing about eyebrows is that they are so expressive and that should be visible.

I get them threaded every 6weeks or so and daily I use this brow mascara to enhance their color. This is product is so easy to use and there is no drawing involved. It also doesn't smear. https://shop.riteaid.com/eyest.....up=gPLA25p

Joy

Veteran

Mine have stopped growing or get wild overnight with gaps and 2-3 inchers. I'm not sure what to do. I trim the long ones as I'm afraid to remove any more, use a little pencil and brush over it.

Staysfit

Veteran

I have thin and fairly light brows. I'm lazy about upkeep. I have some eyebrow powder to darken them and I think it looks natural when I use it. When I remember, they look best if I have them tweezed into shape so they are symmetric. Otherwise I think one side is a bit thicker than the other. My eyes aren't good enough anymore to do it myself. Maybe that's good because I can't really tell if they look bad!

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I plucked my thick eyebrows for years to give them a bit more arch and shape, but barely need to anymore -- I do pluck the occasional straggler, but I like the basic shape I have. As I've reached a certain age, they are starting to thin a bit, so my routine is to 1) tweeze the occasional stray, 2) trim any longer bits that start to look unruly, 3) fill in a little with a very dark brown brow pencil, and 4) use a small brow brush to smooth them into place. Pretty simple, and most days I don't even need to bother with 1-2.

Anonymous

None. Hangs head in shame.

minimalist

Veteran

Regular threading. Only by someone who doesn't overdo it.

In Suzanne/Ambergreen's "no stone unturned" category: If you want the skin filled in, the right brush, dampened, used to apply the right eyeshadow, can work.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I am a HUGE proponent of making the most of your brows. They frame the face and need TLC. Extra polish and a great feature to highlight.

Despite my light nordic complexion, I have a strong brow line and like to accentuate it to the max. My brows carry my bold specs and big eyes. My brows are meticulously groomed, dyed and shaped by me. I use Anastasia brow pencil for more definition. Nothing else works as well.

Aziraphale

Veteran

One thing to note: dark, full brows make small eyes look smaller. This is why some women -- like Angie and also you, Traci -- benefit from darkening their brows, which other women (like me!) do not. I tested this out once when I was young, when the woman who coloured my eyelashes one day suggested I might try dyeing my eyebrows, too. It was a very humorous and memorable mistake.

I think everyone benefits from a little shaping, but for some of us that just means yanking the odd stray (Janet, I do the same thing).

Joyce B

Veteran

-Angie, what do you use to dye your eyebrows?
I am also a fan of Anastasia products.
This is a very good topic, Traci.

lisaflex

Veteran

i get em waxed - used to go every 4 wks - now i can go up to 8 wks between...i dont like to pluck or do my own....they are thinning the older i get. mine have a good shape but get a bit raggely (is that a word...lol) looking so she does a bit of waxing, a bit of trimming and a few plucks. and walla, all good to go again.

on a daily basis - i just smooth some facial moisturizer on them after showering to put them all back in place. works for me!

Style Fan

Veteran

I use to get mine tinted but I moved. I don't trust any of the spas in this area to tint them. I really liked them tinted. So easy. I don't remember the skin being tinted.

I don't use a stencil but I have heard there are some good ones.

Traci

Veteran

This may be trickier than I thought. I borrowed dd's eyebrow pencil and filled in and looked like a super villain. She adjusted the shape a bit and it looked skittle better. I know there is some adjusting of the eye required, but it seems with bolder brows the shape becomes even more important.

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