Let's raise some brows pt 2: Different Techniques!

Now that we know HOW to groom your eyebrows, lets talk more on the different ways, or techniques, you can play with. Remember, nobody is going to be perfect overnight. PERFECT practice makes perfect =]

 

Tweezing!

The easiest way to groom your eyebrows is tweezing. It gives you the best control to pluck off hair, one by one. But one must be careful doing this, because over-plucking is possible! and it isn't the most pleasant look.

The goal is to AVOID this look! YIKES!! at this point, it's best to just wax them all off and start over. Or if you are a patient person, you can grow out the over-plucked areas, while maintaining the little hair you have left. (I have been in this position before, and it SUCKS!!)

  Waxing!!

Now, unless you have been grooming your eyebrows for a while, I do not NOT suggest waxing them yourself for the first time. Have a professional do it for you the first few times. If you can, ask the stylist (or whoever is doing your brows) to talk your through the process, and look in the mirror. That way, you can sort of see, and hear what they are doing. 

When you buy an at home waxing kit, do not cheap out. If you buy dirt cheap wax, you are going to get exactly what you paid for. Research before buying. And read the manual! 

Here is a short step by step waxing guide:

1. Make sure your eyebrows are long enough. The hair should be at least 1/4'' long for this to work properly. otherwise, the wax will not be able to grab on to the hairs. 
2. pull back your hair, or pin it out of your face. This is obvious, but you would be suprised how many people don't do this, then complain when they get their hair stuck in the wax. DUH!
3. Trim your eyebrows, if needed. How? Brush your eyebrows straight up, and if there are any hairs longer coming out of your natural shape on top, then you need to trim. Use a fine-tooth regular comb or an eyebrow brush to push eyebrow hair up, and then just trim what is outside the shape with small scissors (preferably eyebrow scissors). If you have long or very bushy eyebrows, they may need more bulk removed. 
4. CLEAN AROUND THE AREA!! For the love of god, PLEASE!! You are pulling many hairs out at the same time, which leave the pores wide open. This leaves the area open to infections. And you don't want infections all over your freshly waxed eyebrows. (I am telling you this based off experience. It. Hurts. Like. HELL!
5. Apply wax evenly in the direction of hair growth using an applicator (A wooden stick is ideal. It should come with your kit) to the hair shaping the underneath of your brow. Be careful! You want enough wax to thoroughly cover hair, but not so thick that the wax seeps onto hair that you don’t want to remove.
6. Apply strip in the direction of hair growth, leaving some leftover strip at the end not attached to hair like a tab. Press and firmly smooth hand over strip in the direction of hair growth a couple times, to ensure wax is attaching to hair and has slightly cooled. If you pull it off too early, it will not work! so do not rush this part!
7. Grasp onto the end of strip that isn't attached to hair. Hold skin taut with one hand, and remove strip in opposite direction of hair growth in one quick pull, all the way to the other side. Don't pull up, which might be your natural inclination. 
8. Clean up any missed hairs with tweezers. 
9. Clean up left over wax.
10. Repeat for other eyebrow!

 

Threading!

 I, personally, am new to the threading scene, but I have been getting into it. It's a great alternative of hair removal. For those who have never heard of the process, threading is a way of removing hair (for eyebrows and other parts of the face) using thread as opposed to wax, tweezers and the like.  Also known as khite (Arabic) and fatlah (Egyptian), it is an old Asian beauty treatment done a lot in Indian communities and is now being discovered by the mainstream. I HIGHLY suggest getting this professionally done, unless you are PERFECT with grooming your eyebrows with the other methods.

For those brave enough to try this on your own brows, here is a short guide:

1. Have a 24-inch cotton thread at hand, and then tie up both ends to form a loop.
2. Tighten the loop by winding it around your fingers about ten times.
3. Form the loop into a rectangle with your fingers, twist it and catch the unwanted hair in the loop. Pull up the hair from its follicle and you have effectively removed the excess hair.
4. Use dry cotton wipes to take out superfluous hair and apply some astringent to the red areas to reduce skin redness.

It is hard to really explain in writing. If you are interesting in learning how to thread more in detail, you can always go to www.youtube.com and search for "Threading". There are hundreds of amazing "how-to" videos that will walk you through the process. (I, myself have yet to master this skill. it is difficult, so do not get discouraged if you are determined to do this yourself!)

So there you have it! The main ways to groom your eyebrows and the techniques!

Let's Raise Some Brows

Grooming eyebrows can prove to be a very tedious job. With the plucking, the filling, the waxing, the shaping. If you over-pluck, it will throw off your entire look, so enter the fillers. If you let your brows grow out, you'll have little misplaced hairs all over the place, and it just looks like one giant mess!
So how do we avoid grooming mishaps? I'm here to give you some helpful hints, and tricks to keep those brows looking fabulous!

 ~Shaping~

This is one of the biggest problems area for most people when grooming their own eyebrows. Some people trim them too short, too thin, or the wrong shape for their face. If you don't know what the right shape for your face is, then experiment! It's just hair, it will always grow back! (eyebrow pencils are amazing for hiding mistakes while you are growing out the hair in wrongly groomed areas. eyeshadow can work just as well if you don't have the pencils)  

• What is the best way to shape my brows?

You will need some sort of colored liner (Don't use the same color as your eyebrows, or you will get very confused.) the best thing to use for this part is a white eyeliner or concealer. 

1. Start by taking a straight, thin object, like a pencil, And line it up with the corner of your eye, right by the tear duct. This is where your eyebrow should start. Draw a straight line to mark off any stray hairs on the other side of the line.
2. Carefully angle your pencil so it aligns with the outside of your iris. (please, for the love of god, be looking straight into the mirror and not at an angle. Otherwise your eyebrows will be ruined.) This is the highest part of your brow! Mark it off!
3. Finally, angle the pencil diagonally from your nostril to the outside corner of your eye will tell you where your brow should end. Mark it baby!
4. Begin tweezing or waxing accordingly. Remove no more than two rows of hair to maintain a natural effect. You may also need to remove just a FEW hairs from the top of the outer edges to create a subtle downward slope. If you have thick brows and want a more dramatic arch, remove an additional row from under the peak of the brow to create a more pronounced arch and to keep it from appearing straight and flat.

~Daily Eyebrow Maintenance~ 

   ~This should be done by everyone, everyday, whether or not you have your eyebrows professionally shaped. All you need to accomplish this task is a good pair of tweezers and a brow brush. As strays grow in, you should pluck the hair to keep your brow area looking clean and neat. I do not suggest tweezing along your arch line however, because this could interfere with your shape. Focus on removing the stray hairs that grow within the areas of your eyelids and in between your brows.


 ~There are a few ways to manipulate your brows with makeup. If you have full and dark eyebrow hair, use a brow gel to keep them in place. If you are the opposite and have very light or sparse eyebrow hair, use a brow pencil or powder to darken the color and strengthen your shape. When using a brow pencil, you can achieve a more natural look by using very short and soft upward strokes to mimic the look of real hair. Never completely color in your eyebrows using a pencil, or else you will end up looking like King Tut! Another great way to bring attention to your eyebrows is by using a highlighter on your brow bone. There are both powder and pencil eyebrow highlighters, ranging in color, that are made especially to brighten and open up the eye area.

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Makeup 101

HI! And welcome to the Beauty Chronicles!

My name is Josie, and I will be taking you on a journey to teach you about, you guessed it, Beauty!
Let's get started!

~Makeup Basics!~
       Step 1: Even out your skin tone!

If You Want a Basic Look: Use Concealer

• Using a fine, densely bristled brush, apply a small amount to the inner corner under the eye.
• Draw a crisscross over any redness or discoloration that needs to be covered. (This distributes color more evenly.) Cover the top of a pimple rather than the area around it.
• Using your index finger, blend with a light tapping motion 

If You Want a Boost: Use Foundation

• Look for areas that are discolored or need evening out.
• Using a flat foundation brush, a wedge sponge, or your fingers, lightly dab a small amount of the product in the center of these areas only (not the whole face).
• Blend the color into your skin working in downward and outward strokes so that fine hairs on the skin lie smoothly in the direction of their growth.
  
  Step 2: Highlight The Eyes!

If You Want a Basic Look: Brush on Mascara

• With a tissue, blot excess mascara from the wand tip.
• Holding the wand vertically, brush back and forth along the tips of the lashes to separate them.
• Starting at the outer corner of the eye, position the wand horizontally at the base of the lashes and sweep upward to the tips. Repeat as you move in. It's a natural tendency to move from the inside out, but moving the brush outward in will apply the most mascara at the outer corner, where lashes are the longest and need more color

If You Want a Boost: Sweep on Eye Shadow

• Run a small brush (or a cotton swab) over the shadow. Tap off the excess and apply the color from the lash line to just slightly above the crease.
• Blend the color on the rest of the lid, brushing horizontally.
• Make sure the color fades as it moves toward the inner corner of the eye, so that the shadow creates contour.
• For added drama, sweep the same color under the bottom lashes, one-third of the way in from the outside corner of the eye.

And Last But Not Least......

       Step 3: Add a little color!

If You Want a Basic Look: Apply Lipstick

• Using the stick itself, apply lipstick starting at the center of both the lower and upper lips and moving out to the corners.
• Press your lips together lightly and rub them against each other to distribute the color and help absorb the pigment.
• Apply more color using your pinkie or lip brush (to control the amount of product you use). This second coat will provide a longer-lasting effect.

So there you have it! you're very first taste of The Beauty Chronicles! Keep checking back, for next time, I will go over eyebrow shaping, and techniques <3 MMMWAH!