Stepping up my brow game for AW14. Eyebrows have really come into their own in the beauty boxing ring as of late. Beginning with Cara Delevingne's infamous set, they’re the frames to a face and really help to draw a make-up together. And I’m forever in awe of Suzi’s insane brow skills. I must admit that I neglect my brows a lot by way of filling them in and all that jazz, but now that autumn has wound round and make-up steps back into my morning routine, I thought I’d divulge a few notable mentions about my own routine.
The Shape ;; When I turned 13 (or it could have been 14…) my Mum pinned me down and shaped my eyebrows for me while watching that evening’s episode of Eastenders. Sounds horrifying - it was not. I became the proud owner of two groomed, lightly arched brows. She taught me all about the upkeep and I duly tweezed away twice or thrice a week underneath the brow to keep things tidy yet full. Thankfully I only ever had one above-the-brow situation and never ventured into the Land of Thin Brows. A few years later, I was a dedicated threader and today I am back to the tweezers, albeit with a thinner brow shape than desired. My ideal brow is kinda like IU’s, soft and arched yet full and straight.
Filling In ;; My eyebrows are pretty temperamental meaning that depending on which side I’ve slept on, I’ll need to tame them in a particular way. I begin with a quick brush through my brows using my Japonesque Brow Brush and then position myself in front of a well lit mirror. Then comes one of three options, depending on occasion and mood:
Shu Uemura H9 Formula Eyebrow Pencil in 9 Seal Brown (£16.50) - This is my natural shade choice for filling in my brows. The closest match to my natural colour, I love this eyebrow pencil in that it has a sturdy pencil tip that only releases pigment when working alongside the natural oils in the hair. The Shu Uemura pencil gives naturally defined eyebrows while still letting you create precise lines and it lasts all day for me. I personally wear this for work days.
Sho-bi Corporation Brigitte Eyebrow Pencil & Powder in Yellow Brown (£20.20) - I picked the Brigitte eyebrow pencil up on a whim at HyperJapan. In a light brown-blonde colour, I wear this for a super soft, lighter look on my brows. It gives a more youthful look and I tend to gravitate towards this for weekends and date nights. One side features a precise nib pencil that twists up, while the other has a cushioned tip with powder. I find it to be super long-lasting and waterproof.
HD Brows Eye and Brow Palette in Vamp (£25) - The most expensive and least used of my collection, I have fond memories of finding this in my Glossybox and subsequently finding a whole new make-up avenue to obsess over. My Vamp palette is great for defining the brows for both day or night looks, but I find it doesn’t last quite as well as my pencil choices.