Tip #2: Eyebrows

So the beauty tip for this week is about eyebrows. I remember watching a makeover show with a guy who said "If you don't have time for anything else, at least do your eyebrows before you go out." He felt that the eyebrows are the most critical part of a woman's (maybe man's) face. So after I heard that I started paying more attention to my eyebrows and other people's. First let's start with basic shaping:

If you take a stick and line it up with your nose as shown, you should be able to tell where your eyebrows should start...they should be in line with your nostrils. Some people over pluck their eyebrows in this area so be aware of this rule and it may save you some time. Then for the arch. If you line a stick starting at the tip of your nose, making a diagonal line through the pupil of your eye you should be able to tell where the arch should be. And last, but not least, where should your brow end? Start with the stick at the tip of your nose, and make a diagonal line past your eye (look at the diagram). This is where your eyebrow should end. Once again, this is a major area that people are prone to overpluck (meaning their eyebrows are too short).

So now that we know how to shape our brows, here are a few tips that I learned in my research, and through the years:

• Though people in the profession are expected to know the rules, do not think that they all do. In fact, of all of the times I have ever gotten my eyebrows done there has only been one person who did a really amazing job, and she was a student! So with that being said, sometimes you are better off leaving it to a professional, and sometimes you can do it fine on your own.
• It is better to have a thicker eyebrow than a thinner...if you want to see scary thin look at a few of the girls on the current season of The Bachelor. I have noticed that Keira Knightly keeps her brows thicker than how most people would do theirs, and she looks amazing!
• Most people do not have perfectly uniform eyebrows. Fill in spaces, or length with an eyebrow pencil or powder. I prefer powder because I have had pencil clump up or wear unevenly in the past.
• Generally your eyebrows are naturally darker than your hair. If you lighten your hair, do not lighten your brows to the same shade. If you highlight your hair, keep your brows their natural shade.
• Work with what you've got. Some people are born with a great arch in their eyebrows, other people have almost straight eyebrows. Don't try to warp yours into something they just aren't. Make the most of your natural shap.

K, so we went over the shaping, some tips, and now for a few examples of what I consider to be poor shapes:

After seeing these amazing graphics I did up in paint, I know what you are all thinking. Why did I go into accounting when I show so much promise in graphic art?

Next week's tip will be about dying hair. Pros and cons of DIY.