Eyebrows 101 And What You Need To Know

Eyebrows 101: Tips to Achieving the Classic American Brow

The Classic American Brow is popular and here are tips you need to know to have them.

After experiencing many waxing, threading and tweezing nightmares at the hands of others throughout my teens and early twenties, I committed to being the only one to do my own brows from then on.  After the last mishap, I spent almost an entire year growing them back in until I had enough to re-shape.

I use the Classic American Brow model, which of course will look different on each person depending on what you have to start with.

Here is a breakdown of the Classic American Brow

  • Three points:  A – the head; B- the arch; and C – the tail
  • Head is always thicker than the tail, with even graduation
  • Point C should not be lower than Point A
  • On a balanced face, Point B (the arch) is located on the mid to outer iris
  • The brow’s ratio before a direction change is 2/3 or 1/2

Special considerations for the Classic American Brow:  For wide-set eyes, bring Point A of the two eyebrows slightly closer to the bridge of the nose.  For close-set eyes, bring Point A of the two eyebrows slightly further from the bridge of the nose.

Before beginning to tweeze (yes, tweeze – you pluck a chicken!), there are a few techniques that will help make it easier:

Tweezing Techniques

  • Make sure the area is dry to avoid slippage.
  • Tweeze in the direction of hair growth
  • Tweeze from the base of the hair as this reduces pain and encourages proper hair removal instead of breakage.  You may wish to gently pull the skin taught in your working area.  Do not use a lot of pressure as the skin on the face is especially delicate and thin in some areas, such as over the brow bone.
  • It is important to remember that one brow hair that should not have been removed is a mile on the face. So, when in doubt, hold the single hair back with the tweezers to get a visual. You can use a white pencil to cover certain hairs for a clearer picture of how the eyebrows would look if those ones were removed.  It is also helpful for some people to see the total desired shape before beginning.

When eyebrows are trimmed properly, less tweezing is required, resulting in a full, neat eyebrow.  However, it is easy to create bald spots in the brows by over-trimming (TRUST ME).  To avoid that, here are some steps to follow.

The Classic American Brow

Trimming Techniques

  • Comb the hair between Point A to Point B up, trimming excess above the natural eyebrow line.  As you approach Point A, gradually reduce the amount of hair you trim as it is naturally longer at Point A.  Repeat on the hair between Point B and Point C.
  • Brush the hair between Point A and Point B downward and trim the tips.  Use extreme caution as your scissor position is closer to the eye and skin. Proceed with same technique between Point B and Point C.
  • It is better to trim less at first and repeat the procedure until the desired look is achieved.

If you wish to fill your eyebrows in for a sharper, more defined look, or if your natural eyebrows do not allow you to achieve this shape and you want to cheat it with pencil or powder, be sure to use the eyebrow’s natural hair colour as a guideline for choosing a colour to fill with.  If you have black hair, use charcoal grey as black is too harsh.  For blondes, use a medium taupe.  You can use a colour up to three-levels darker than the darkest colour in your hair (with the exception of black).  You may wish to use a lighter hand if going with a darker colour.  Apply colour with small pencil/brush strokes as if you are “growing” the hair.

It is really easy to go crazy trying to get your eyebrows perfectly symmetrical but this can have disastrous results.  Just remember, your eyebrows are sisters, not twins!

 

 

 

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About the Author

Melissa Orlando

Melissa Orlando

Melissa has been following her passion for beauty for over a decade. While specializing in everyday beauty and wedding hair and makeup, Melissa has also worked in Film & Television. In 2015, she was a contestant on The Marilyn Denis Show’s Search For The Next Hair Expert. In November 2016, Melissa and her husband David […]

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