Ask Mz. Eyebrows! “The Architecture and Execution of the Iconic Brow” Part One

How do I pick the right shape and style of eyebrows for my face? Can you educate me on how to do it myself?

Signed, Brow less

 

Well HELLOOO Brow less!

Now that’s a question indeed! One near and very dear to my little heart. This question is SO dear that it’s going to take multiple posts, tons of Pinterest Eyebrow Icon images and deep philosophies to answer this wonderful question thoroughly!  Mz. Eyebrows becomes quite obsessed talking about this beloved facial arch!  If I am to divulge, I must go all the way! This big ol’ post will be in fact the first installment of Ask Mz. Eyebrows, “The Architecture and Execution of the Iconic Brow.”

And with that being announced, lets talk about where to start…

 

The Architecture of the Eyebrow.

Here’s a little basic diagram for you.

 

On the left, the natural brow

On the right, the manicured brow…

1) The Base of the brow (closest to nose) is the intensity of the brow. You need to assess the bridge and ocular bone shape for placement. The hair in this area should be full and manicured, if it’s not, then this “full” look is what you are striving for. Whether it be soft or super strong and defined, like Mz. Eyebrows’ bows, this little area sets the whole “attitude” of the brow which is very important for the overall feel.

2) The “Arch Peak” is the invisible line that runs from the side of the nostril up through the outer ring of the iris, in a straight line up through the hair line. This magic line will denote where the arch peak should lie.

3) The Tail Ending is the length of the brow. Be it long or short, it’s the femininity of the brow. Curved up or down, swept straight back or razor thin. This little area of the brow is capable of creating any mood with this tail ending.

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Now that you know about brow placement and what each classic part of the brow means, Mz. Eyebrows wants to take it a step further…. Remember I said I was a bit obsessive 🙂

Look at the actual brow now.  Notice the shape. Inside this brow shape there is a space, that space has parameter lines that have names and particular meaning to your application.

1) The Bottom Brow Line is the area of the actual brow that gets penciled or powdered with the base hair color or darkest color. I like my pencil nice and sharp to get this crisp and precise. I also prefer a sharp angled brush from Cinema Secrets with my powders.

( I will demonstrate my techniques on using an angled brush in my upcoming tutorial)

2) The Center of the Brow is filled in with a slightly lighter color. Changing this color as your hair color changes will keep you looking young and fresh.

For example, Mz. Eyebrows has black hair, most assume that I use a solid black to fill in and shape my brows. Not true. I use a black at the bottom brow line and a medium neutral brown to fill in the center brow blending the two colors as I go.

Take a look at the Eyebrow Icons Pinterest board I made for you guys!! http://pinterest.com/AltaMakeup/eyebrow-icons/ Hopefully this will inspire you to change up your brow routine!! SO SAYS MZ. EYEBROWS MUAHHAHAHAH!

OK! Education DONE! The analysis is the NEXT step in brow-nirvana. So…before I even analyze a face to determine a shape, you need to answer Mz. Eyebrows personally probing questions:

-Can you fill in your brows utilizing your existing hair?

-Do you need to create hair because you currently have none?

-Are you the proud owner of the half n half? Half hair, half baldy brow…

I hope you have your answer!

Now, lets turn to discover the products at hand. What in the DEVIL are you working with in that bag, honey?!?  One lil ol’ brow pencil is NOT going to do the trick. You need to get your arsenal right! So with your above question answered, hopefully, lets break down the products.

 

For my “fill-them-in girls”:

-a shadow or brow powder is going to do the trick.  Please remember if you are rockin multiple hair colors on your head, you will need MULTIPLE brow COLORS.

 

For my “bald beauties”:

– pencil or pen (not sharpie, my little cholita) is going to fake the funk for real

– Mother Flecker! Use a “flecking motion” to create little “faux hair strokes”…say what?! (Mz. Eyebrows will demonstrate in her tutorial coming soon kiddies. For now, use the side of the pencil softly dragging in short strokes to create shape and reality.)

 

For all my “hot Halfsies” out there:

-you need both of the above.

Fill in with powder in the hair section, utilizing multiple colors or techno colors if your hair is indeed a Technicolor extravaganza! Let me explain. Ahem.

Example: If your hair’s base color is a dark brown with a caramel highlight and blonde highlights, your brows are gonna look bomb if you start with the dark brown color at the bottom brow line, blending the medium caramel shade toward the middle and down the tail, with the blonde shade in the brow base.

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You now have your chart and explanations, you understood all that, right? YAY GOOD!