Glam Slam: Makeup Mondays — Bold Brows That Wow!

A strong bold brow (like Penelope or Kim K’s!) is always gorgeous, but “especially for the winter season,” according to the “Queen of the Arch”, celebrity eyebrow designer Eliza Petrescu, who has shaped some of the most famous brows in Hollywood, including Jennifer Lopez, Oprah, Kim Cattrall, Cindy Crawford and Salma Hayek.

But creating the perfect bold brow isn’t just about trimming, waxing and tweezing, Eliza says. “It’s about creating a distinctive look, an elegant style, a confident feeling.”

Here, Eliza answers any — and I mean any — question you may have about how to achieve the perfect bold brow:

1 – Have Patience and Let Them Grow! Stop tweezing and waxing for 4-6 weeks. We use tweezers, not a magic wand, so if you don’t have anything to shape, you’re not going to see dramatic results

2 – Know your age! Look around you at women whose brows you may admire and want – BUT know your age and what is realistic for you. Bold and Heavy Brows are NOT good for everyone, especially people over the age of 60. As you get older, groom brows as much as possible

3 – See a professional! It’s always vital to first seek the expertise of a professional and word of mouth goes a long way. Allure Magazine’s Best of Beauty issue is a great source to find the best experts in your city.

4 – Grooming at Home! For those of you who are unable to see an expert, here is some practical advice that will help you to create your own ideal brow shape and style at home:

3 Steps to Determine Ideal Shape:

Step 1: Determining Eye Space: The space between brows should be in accordance with the shape of your nose, the distance between your eyes and the width of the actual eye. The farther apart your eyes are, the closer to the nose the brows must be to create an elongated illusion. Hold a brow pencil parallel to the upper bridge of the nose on each side (see arrow 1). Tweeze above the nose in between the 2 parallel lines.

Step 2: Determining the Arch: To locate the high point of your arch, hold the pencil parallel to the outside corner of the iris (see arrow 2).

Step 3: Determining the Length: To determine the length of your ideal brow shape hold the pencil diagonally (at a 45° angle) from the nostril, following the outside corner of the eye to the temple (see arrow 3). Where the pencil ends is where your brow tail should end.

Tips:
1 – Trimming should always be done before tweezing. Use Curved Scissors for precise cutting and a Spiral Brow Brush to brush the hair upwards. Trim any excess hairs above the brow line but make sure not to cut the hair too short.

2 – Tweezing should be done after a shower, when the skin is supple, in good lighting. Brush the eyebrows upward. Gently pull the skin from the outer edge of the eye area and pull one hair at a time. Use Slanted Tweezers or Pointed Tweezers (for tweezing pros) to remove one hair at a time with a quick motion in the direction of the hair growth. Don’t overdo it and check to see that your brows are symmetrical.

3 – Accent your brows with a colored pencil to define the shape and give them a polished look. Using a pencil that is darker than your natural hair color with a steady hand and light feathery strokes will help create an illusion of fuller brows. A pencil with a powder consistency (Eliza’s Chunky pencil) can turn up the volume on your shape and give more uniform density in sparse areas. Using this kind of pencil is easier than powder alone, to prevent powder falling on the cheek bones. However, you can still use loose powder to fill in the bald spots or sparse eyebrows after you outline the shape and extend the tail with the pencil. Using a stiff angled brush, start by applying a small amount of powder with light strokes then build up (ONLY IN SPARSE AREAS THAT NEED IT). To finish, always set with a clear gel….to groom unruly brows into submission.

For more info on Eliza or her Madison Avenue Boutique, “Eliza’s Eyes”, go to www.elizaseyes.com.

— Ryan Patterson