Makeup by Yetty Bames, Photos by James D Barnes (left), Collette Bonaparte (right)
By now you know that perfect eyebrows can change your entire face for the better. We also know that women are holding on to more brow hair and plucking less. Back in the 90s over plucking was the norm -- the slimmer the arch the better. But the perfect arch is all about knowing the right technique and defining your brows to create the best shape for your face. So how do you determine how to shape your eyebrows?
Yetty Bames, Brow Specialist and Beauty Stylist at the prestigious John Barret Salon in Bergdorf Goodman, where she's affectionately called the Brow Whisperer, says first things first, recognize that uniformity isn't a must.
"Brows are like fingerprints and no two brows are the same," she says. So it's okay to have them appear slightly different.
Here are a few brow facts to live by:
How Much To Take Off
"A person's arch is already built into their face. An eyebrow arch is like a haircut for the brow," Bames explains. "You want to give the person the most attractive [shape for the brow structure that already exists]. Because we are living in times where women want to hold on to as much hair as they can in that area you take out as many rows of hair that need to be removed until there isn't any sparseness. The first sparse area of the brow should be removed. If the next row of hair isn't as sparse, I would probably remove that row simply for vanity. Those would probably be the only two rows that I would need to remove."
Where To Begin Your Arch
Begin by looking straight ahead in a mirror. Then look for where the outer white part of your eyes. "I determine where the arch is on a person's eye where their iris ends," says Bames. The peak of the arch should be aligned where the whites of the outer eye begins. Based on that, you can always tell when a person's arch is in the wrong place. The reason that's so important is because it can throw your face off."
The Importance Of Brows
"Brows and eyelashes are basically umbrellas for the eyes. That's why they cover the entire eye area. The brow is supposed to begin where the bridge of your nose stops. So any time you remove hair from the endings or the beginnings it throws the brows off. Anytime you put that arch in the wrong place, it throws the brows off. So basically you have to do the brows based on measurement."
Repair and restore
If you've over plucked or damaged your eyebrows or if you want to grow a fuller brow, you do have options. But not every method is best for every person. Find out where you fit in.
Method: Growth Serums
Best Candidate: Growth serum should not be used to grow new hair or hair that never existed. "The best candidates for growth serums are people with over plucked brows," says Bames.
Try the NeuBROW Brow Enhancing Serum.
Method: Brow Tinting
Best Candidate: "The best candidates for brow tinting are women with light eyebrows who want to create more visibility, women whose eyebrows are lightening due to age, and Women who change their hair color frequently and they need their brows to match one shade up or one shade down."
Method: Eye Brow Extensions
Best Candidate: Brow extensions are great for women with thin brows who are looking for a quick fix for a special occasion. But don't think of them as a long-term solution. "Eyebrow extensions are new age, but the brows are in a sensitive area and it can cause hair loss because of the glue used to bond the fake brow hair onto the area," says Bames.
Method: Brow Implants
Best Candidate: If you want a permanent solution for thin or non existent brows, this is a great option, but costly (starting at $5,000). There are two types of eyebrow transplants. Follicular Unit Transplant or FUT, which requires that a small section of the scalp is removed from the back of the head to dissect each hair and transfer them into the new area of choice. The NeoGrafting method is reportedly less effective. The procedure is done with a machine that sucks hairs from the scalp without leaving a scar.
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