4 Reasons Your Brows Are All Wrong (and How to Fix Them)

Your perfect arches await.

BROWS22

Clear eyes, fierce brows, can’t lose. | Shutterstock.

Forget strobing, contouring, and snail mucus masking  –  the only beauty trend you need to be paying attention to is brows. Big, bold, shapely eyebrows are the new cat eye/red lip/any other classic look you can imagine. Here’s why: Unlike those other looks, you can rock a well-groomed brow every single day with minimal effort. We won’t say you heard it here first, but let this be the final time you walk out of the house looking sparse: tadpole arches are dead and gone; strong brows are here to stay (amen). If you want to feel important, bossy, and in control, a bold brow is your quickest option. Read on to see how you can rock the look like a pro.

THE PROBLEM: “My brows are super thin and won’t grow no matter how long I go without tweezing.”
THE FIX: 
Use a brow serum (which honestly, truly works). One great option is RevitaBrow, the unicorn of brow serums that will make your natural hair grow where it never used to. This product is amazing for filling in bald patches (thank you, cheapie waxes during adolescence), as well as fuller growth over all. (Pro tip: Sister product RevitaLash works on both lashes and brows.) Another great product is NuBrow, which totally transformed our lifestyle editor’s thinning arches.

THE PROBLEM: “I’m a natural blonde and my brows are practically invisible on my face.”
THE FIX: Brow-tinting
. If you are blonde, ask for one shade darker than the hair on your head; for brunettes, aim for one to two shades lighter (too dark tends to look severe). This is also a great option for women with graying hairs who are sick of coating with mascara on the daily. Salons and spas offer tinting services, which typically range from $15 to $30, but make sure you go to a reputable place, as dyes are very harmful if they drip into the eyes.

THE PROBLEM: “Every time I get my eyebrows waxed, I break out like crazy.”
THE FIX:
Try a waxing alternative, like threading or tweezing. I feel your forhead-blemished pain, and believe me when I say ditching wax for good will change your world. In case you aren’t familiar, threading is an ancient Asian technique that pulls out lines of hair by twisting cotton thread against the follicle. Yes, it takes slightly longer, but your pimple unibrow will be nevermore. We highly recommend switching to tweezing regardless, as waxing and threading pulls on the sensitive skin above your eyes, which, for many women, is the first area of the face to droop and sag with age.

THE PROBLEM: “Whenever I try to fill in my brows, they overpower my face.”
THE FIX: Try filling in with eyeshadow instead. Here’s the deal: Even after the growth serums and professional shaping, all brows could benefit from a little cosmetic help. But overfilling to the point where it looks like you took a Magnum Sharpie to the face is not the answer. Of the million brow pomades, gels, pencils and markers out there, we’ve found that filling in with eyeshadow works best for a softer, more natural look. Philly brow goddess and makeup artist Victoria Roggio recommends using a small angle brush to apply a matte eyeshadow close to your natural color (as in non-shimmery shadow  –  no sparkle brows, please), staying close to your natural brow arch.