The Taming of the Brows

You can tame your own eyebrows. Instead of tweezing with a hope and a prayer that somehow you'll create perfect eyebrow arches (or at least two fairly symmetrical ones) I want to tell you the proper way to design your eyebrows. Start by cutting out pictures from fashion magazines of models with eyebrows that you want. If you have sparse eyebrow hair, the exact shape might not be possible but you will have an idea of a good eyebrow blueprint.

Get a good pair of tweezers and mirror. Make sure your mirror is not overly magnified, because you need to see the big picture. When you look in the mirror you may realize that your eyebrows are not symmetrical. Relax that is normal.

Remember eyebrows are siblings not twins.

Don’t be tense. It’s important to relax your facial muscles, so they don’t affect the positioning of your eyebrow design. Sometimes one eyebrow will look higher than the other due to a strong muscle above the higher eyebrow. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and then open your eyes with a relaxed face. Take an eyebrow brush or clean mascara wand to brush the eyebrows in their natural growth direction.


Place an eyeliner pencil on the side of the nose, where the nostril flares, pointing the pencil point up towards the eyebrows. Make a small mark at the end of the vertical line above the eyebrow where the pencil falls and where it lines up with the inner corner of the eye. This is the starting point of your eyebrow and there should not be any hairs before this point.


Take the same eyeliner pencil placing it at the side of nose angling diagonally toward the outside corner of the eye and mark where the eyebrows should end. This is the tail of the eyebrow. Now imagine a horizontal line at the bottom of the eyebrow (closest to the eye) that connects the start of the eyebrow to the tail of the eyebrow. In between those two points is the arch or the peak of the eyebrow. The arch should be higher than this horizontal line in order to give the eyes the illusion of a lift. The tail of the eyebrow should taper down from the arch. To determine the correct arch placement, align the eyeliner pencil next to the outside of the pupil (near the tail) and place a mark above the eyebrow. Repeat all steps on the other side.

Now that you have marked the correct measurements of the eyebrows, you can sketch the eyebrow shape. Look at both eyebrows to see that they match and make sure they are balanced with your other facial features. Whether you prefer thicker or thinner eyebrows is up to you. You can buy eyebrow stencils from Sephora or Anastasia that will give you a basic outline (thick or thin) to follow. You can download free eyebrow stencils from www.yestheyrefake.net/eyebrow_stencils.htm.
If stencils are too challenging for you, try these eyebrows stamps from www.stampmefabulous.com.

When shaping your eyebrows, it’s imperative to remember the motto “less is more". Do not over tweeze your eyebrows. You should try to tweeze the stray hairs twice a week to preserve the original design. If you are spending more than 10 minutes grooming your eyebrows, but down the tweezers and step away from the mirror. It is easy to over do it. Trimming your eyebrows is also part of maintenance or your eyebrows could start to look like Andy Rooney’s eyebrows. Using an eyelash comb or small fine-toothed comb to brush the hair up and trim the hair one millimeter with small manicure scissors.

As we get older our eyebrows naturally thin. If you're trying to grow back your eyebrows, and you want them to grow faster you may try some of the new over-the -counter eyelash growth serums such as RevitaLash® at www.revitalash.com

To complete the process of brilliant eyebrows you’ll need some additional tools. You should get an angled (slanted) brow brush to fill in the eyebrows. Instead of eyebrow pencils that can look too harsh, I advise you to invest in some eyebrow powder to fill in and define your eyebrows. Another essential tool is a highlight powder (similar to eye shadow) or concealer in a white-cream color. You’ll use this highlighter under the arch of your eyebrow on the brow bone to emphasis a clean, sharp appearance. Then sustain the eyebrow design throughout the day with a brow gel (clear mascara) or brow wax.

Smashbox offers a tutorial video on shaping your brows and they have fantastic brow tools. Check it out at http://www.smashbox.com/Brow-Tech-Videos.

Remember the easiest solution is to leave it to the professionals.

Come see me @ Customized Beauty.

"Safe tanning" an oxymoron or is it?

Summer is here, which means fun in the sun and tanning for most people. Growing up in Texas, our summer ritual involved slathering baby oil over our bodies and spending hours in the sun. Sometimes we would use reflective surfaces like a car sun visor or the pool to get more of the sun's rays. We would lie out on the roof to get "closer" to the sun. LOL! Rarely did we use any sun protection. In fact, our idea of sun protection was to use the Hawaiian Tropic oil with SPF 2, which was only used when we were already sunburned. My friends would get a dark tan and I would fry like egg whites on a griddle. Tan was rarely an adjective used to describe me. Red, then splotchy peeling, and back to white again was closer to my color palette. It didn’t help that most of my friends had a “base tan” and were naturally darker from their ethnic heritage. I wanted to be golden-brown too. In college I considered moving to Japan, where my ivory skin would fit right in. In many Asian countries the porcelain doll look is not only accepted, it is coveted. The look of “Casper The Friendly Ghost” has not always been well received in a culture that values the bronzed-goddess look.
Being an esthetician (skin care professional), I know the dangers of sun bathing.

Ultra violet radiation from the sun or tanning beds damages the skin and changes the DNA in our body’s cells.

Because of the harmful UV rays, there is no such thing as a safe tan in these conditions. I’m not here to discuss sunscreen (I’ll save that for another blog). Nor can I promote my slogan "Pale is the new tan" (it's catchy, but a worthless cause). Rather, I can tell you about my new obsession—sunless tanning! Self tanners take time and maintenance similar to getting and keeping a traditional (UV) tan. However, you can look good and your skin will be healthier. First, before you apply any self tanner you must make sure you exfoliate all of the dry patches and dead cell from your skin. If you use a scrub it should not contain any oils, since the oil will keep the tanner from penetrating evenly into the skin. It’s best to rub vigorously with a wash cloth or hand mitt. Next, use a non-tanning lotion lightly on your knees, elbows, feet, and any place that tanner can build up. This lotion will act as a barrier cream to protect over saturating these areas. It is wise to wear latex or non-latex gloves when applying self tanning lotions. This keeps your hand from turning orange, which is a fake tan give away. If you don’t have any gloves just put extra thick lotion on your hands as a barrier before you apply the self tanning lotion and after apply self-tanner wash them quickly. Some people like sprays, some like tan towelettes, and others like lotions & gels. My personal favorite sunless self tanner is Decleor’s Hydrating tinted self-tanning gel-cream SPF 10 ($36).
Even though I am familiar with many of the Decleor products I had not tried the sunless tanner until, Gia (the Harpo Spa Director of Oprah’s private spa for her employees) introduced me to it. Now I love it (thanks Gia)! For a somewhat equal department store self tanner try Clarins Self Tanning Instant Gel.
Drug stores have the best bargain, with L’Oreal’s sublime bronze. I prefer tanning gels because they dry faster, allowing you to get on with your day. Use a tanner that has a bronzer, to give you a color guide, ensuring even application. Some men do not like the shimmer that is in some of the bronzers. The newest innovation in sunless self tanners is a water-activated mousse called Diana B. 60 Second Instant Miracle Tan. The mousse is to be applied in the shower after cleansing with the application gloves (included). The foam is rinsed off after 60 seconds. The product, which works with the pH of your body, is said to be streak-free, aloe vera based and chocolate scented. If you’re still worried about streaking or mess-ups try the over-the- counter-gradual tanners, like Jergen’s Natural Glow. Just apply every day or every other day for a subtle tan. It’s a slower process, but almost goof proof.

Happy SAFE tanning!