Do You Need ‘Brow Rehab’?

Posted by Peta-Gai | no comments

This Blog Post was originally published in the Australian Content Magazine.

The power of the haughty arch of a beautifully sculpted brow should not be underestimated. It’s a multi-talented facial feature, which can convey surprise, derision, anger, sarcasm, seduction and everything in between. The women of the 1940s and ’50s knew how to “give great brow”. Lauren Bacall could convey whole conversations with just her brows. Brows can often be an unsung hero on your face and if you haven’t gotten on the brow bandwagon, it’s time you devote some energy to the power of a good brow.

 
Like all things in fashion, what’s “in” or “cool” changes and at the moment, the fuller, thicker and more defined brow is in. I’m not talking about Instagram eyebrows – those are not natural, and really aren’t flattering, no matter how “in” they are. They may be ok if you’re taking close up shots of your makeup, but in person, they just look drag-queenish, heavy and full on. The best brow look is one which follows the natural arch and line of your brow, suits your facial structure, complements your eye shape and creates the perfect frame out of which your gorgeous eyes will shine.

 
Now, if you’re like me, and was a super cool ’90s chick, you may have over-plucked your brows. Sure, it wasn’t as bad as what happened in the ’70s to brows (those brows were plucked within an inch of their lives!), but years of plucking and waxing may have left you a little sparse. As an added complication for my already difficult brows, I shaved half of mine off when I was 10. I thought it’s what you did to get the stray hairs off. I even have older sisters, so there’s no excuse for such a brow travesty. My brows never really recovered, sadly. When I grew my brows back in a few years ago, there’s gaps, they’re too short, they’re uneven and to make matters worse I’ve got naturally curly hair, so my brows are also wild, somewhat crazy with a mind of their own, just like my hair in general. My life changed forever after I attended a workshop run by Jazz Pampling, renowned Brow Artist and Educator (her clients include Naomi Watts and Samantha Harris), who taught me what to do with my own brows, as well as how to assess brows for my clients. I may complain about my “difficult brows”, but if I can tame my sparse caterpillars, then I can sort out others! I’ve learnt the secrets behind Brow Rehab (yes that’s actually a service I provide) and its my duty to share those secrets with you.

 
1. See a professional and get advice on what sort of brow will suit your eye shape, your facial shape and features. Choose a great Brow Technician – the $15, 10 minute eyebrow wax at your nail salon isn’t likely going to give you the level of advice you may need, especially if you have recalcitrant brows. We have a wildly popular “Brow Rehab” Service which teaches you how to get the brows of your dreams and keep them. We even stage an intervention if we have to.

 
2. Put the tweezers down! I was plucking every day, tidying the line, getting rid of stray hairs and making it all look perfect. But in doing so, I was over-plucking. It’s easy to get carried away with tweezers; us women love to pluck, primp and poke at our faces. It’s better to pluck once a week or fortnight, and try not to remove too many hairs at the brow line, if you’re trying to grow them in. (Yes, really, leave them alone and make peace with a slightly untidy line! It’s temporary.)

 
3. When it’s time to pluck, fill your brows in first with a pencil to get the perfect shape and design you like before you pluck anything. This tip was the secret behind my successful growing-in of my brows. Fill in areas that need thickening, lengthen if needed to create symmetry, and darken the hair if required. By creating your perfect shape before you pluck, you won’t pluck hairs that need to be there to help grow in your desired shape.

 
4. Get a great brow pencil to fill in and even out your brows. Feathery, light and soft strokes are always better to fill in your brows, you can always add more if you need to. Never draw hard lines – we call those “Sharpie Brows” in the industry. It’s just not flattering as it’s unnatural and harsh. Our Iridis Brow Pencil has a spoolie on the end, so you can brush out the brows to create lines which actually look like real hair. Never use an eyeliner as a brow pencil, it’s too soft and will result in gluggy brow hairs. Eyeshadow powder can be great too, if you have full brows that just need a bit of darkening or filling, but powder isn’t great if you need to draw on the skin to lengthen or thicken as powder won’t adhere as efficiently as a pencil.

 
Now girls, get your brow on, and get ready to haughtily arch them to express your wit, humour and general awesomeness!

 

 

 

Model: Memphis Black, wearing Iridis Lipstick in Plateaux. Makeup by Peta-Gai McLaughlin, Photography by Zeeshawn Photography.

 

 

Comments are closed.