Shaping our Eyebrows

Properly shaped eyebrows are unequaled in providing a frame to show off your face. They make you look younger, while at the same time drawing attention to your brow bone and your cheekbones. No matter whether you have thick or pencil-thin eyebrows, you need to pluck regularly. Tweezing eyebrows is an art form, but if you adhere to these guidelines you can have attractive eyebrows quickly!

Find a professional before you start. For the first or second times, consider having your eyebrows professionally done. The majority of salons as well as spas provide this type of service for around $5 or under, and a lot of them will offer this on a complimentary basis with the purchase of different services. Pick either waxing or plucking. Going to a professional is a good idea for a number of reasons. Firstly, it won't be as painful and may be completely painless. Hey, it's true: you're using a tweezer to snatch hairs off your face - you may end up pinching skin if you haven't worked on small, precise areas like the upper eye with tweezers before. That is painful also.

Secondly, the nerves don't react as much when a professional plucks your brow, she will grab the hairs quickly and precisely enough. After a few visits, the region loses its sensitivity, thus if you try tweezing your brows by yourself, it isn't as painful anymore. Another factor in favor of seeing an expert is that it provides you with a template for the shape. It makes it simpler to obtain the brow configuration that you want, after which you only need to tweeze brows as they regrow. You'll need to pluck every half-week, as required by how fast your hair grows. If you do that, you won't grab too many eyebrow hairs while you try to mold the shape you want. You just need to search for the tiny hairs that have grown in so that you maintain your brow shape. Watch carefully when you pay a professional to pluck your eyebrows and soon you'll be able to do it yourself.

Appropriate implements. Before you begin pulling out hair, select a good tweezer. The best tweezer is made by Tweezerman. It is worth around 18-20 dollars. This investment will last a long time as you will be able to sharpen your tweezers. Browse through Tweezerman brand tweezers, they come in a variety of colors – choose a vivid color that will be easy to see. A slant-tip tweezer may be better for a beginner - pointy tweezers are most likely to hurt you and may even draw blood. They are best for hairs that can't be grabbed in any other way and even for experienced "pluckers" may not use them all the time. To grab most hairs, grab a slant-tip tweezer and sharpen it the best you can.

Among the recommended cosmetic tools for your eyebrows is an eyebrow brush. Find a generic toothbrush and you'll have no problems. Try Anna Sui's eyebrow brush, it'll give you great dexterity with a tool shaped like a mascara wand. Another alternative is to wipe off an old mascara applicator with baby oil when you get finish your mascara. Effective mascara wand applicators make effective brushes to groom eyebrows. To avoid infection in the upper eye area, keep some antibiotic ointment on hand in case you do accidentally pluck any skin.

Eye-liner. Find an eyebrow color you like, then grab the eye pencil that matches. Fill in the gaps if you overpluck.

Mirror. A mirror of good quality should be used. Set it on a table top where the light is right, preferably under natural light. By resting your elbow on a steady table, your hand and wrist will stay put.

Ice cubes. Ice your brow bone for 15-20 seconds and if you're concerned about pain, get an ice cube in a washcloth. The area will feel a bit numb after doing this. Ensure that your brow is completely dry. Also, creams used for numbing teeth and gums are good, they are available at drugstores. This will work great if what stands between you and regular removal of hair from your eyebrows is the sting. You must take care to ensure that the area is not completely numb, otherwise you may unintentionally pick up skin without being able to feel it.

Groom your eyebrows with the brush. You should brush your eyebrows up with your eyebrow brush. This allows you to see the recent growth along with any stray hairs that need to be tweezed.

Tweezers. Holding the tweezers halfway up, slide the slanted side under the hair. Carefully close the tweezers and tug the hair firmly and gradually, in the direction of your temple, till you pluck the hair out. Working under the arch of your brow repeated for all the new growth. One good method is to alternate between eyebrows. Tweeze a few hairs from each one, then try to match the effect on the other side.

One eyebrow across your forehead. It is highly recommended that you pluck the hairs that grow between your brows. A few of these brow hairs grow upward rather than outward, thus as you pluck them, grasp from overhead and pull upward. Pay extreme attention when plucking hairs in the forehead region - those close to the beginning of your brows can have a major effect on the appearance of the placement of your eyes. When you pluck them too much, it makes your eyes appear too widely spaced and your nose appears wider too. In the event that you tweeze the region too much, fill any spaces using a cosmetic pencil coordinating with your brows and allow them to regrow.

Above the eyebrow area. This is a controversial step. Tweezing above your brow is not recommended by most professionals. However, as long as you are cautious and stay away from your real browline, it's ok to tweeze these hairs. As you become more of an tweezing expert, you can get closer if you wish and just stay at least an 1/8th of an inch away from your "true' eyebrow and you'll be safe. Once you have done the hard part of plucking under the arch, you may have a professional wax the area above the brow for a neat, sharp shape.

If you miss. If you have torn any flesh or are bleeding, clean the region with antiseptic and apply a triple antibiotic to the area. This doesn't happen much once you have some experience.