Style pros tweak and tweeze eyebrows

By Al Varela

Dear Al: I have two teenage daughters and they are having problems grooming their eyebrows. One of them has very bushy brows and the other has thin brows. What can they do to get their eyebrows to look natural and groomed like the models in magazines all seem to have?

The problem that your girls are having is very common in the beauty world. Be assured that the models in the magazines also have the same problems with their eyebrows. Most of them have probably been groomed by professional estheticians and then pampered by makeup artists.

You can however attain very natural and professional eyebrows by following a few simple steps. There are many forms of hair removal available in salons such as waxing, sugaring, tweezing or plucking. Consulting an esthetician to determine what method is best for your particular problem is a good first step. Together you can decide on what look is best for you.

The bushy brow is usually the more difficult situation to remedy without visiting a professional to remove the excess hair and shape the brow. To enhance and make a thin brow appear fuller, a makeup artist can teach you different methods of makeup application suited for your individual look.

Many women with thin eyebrows are reluctant to use makeup to correct the problem since they fear the "Joan Crawford" look. This can be avoided by using short, feathered strokes with an eyebrow pencil starting from the center of the face outward. Then take an eyebrow brush to brush over the brow to remove any excess wax left by the pencil.

Always choose a color of pencil that is a few shades lighter than your natural hair color to avoid an exaggerated look. There are also eyeliner powders available that are applied with a specially designed brush to define the brow without the appearance of pencil strokes.

For the client with thick eyebrows we first determine the desired look of the brow. The brow is then shaped from the bottom of the brow upward to avoid flattening the brow resulting in a more natural arch. Once the basic shape is accomplished you can maintain the brow by simply plucking any unwanted hair.

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