Do you have that one thing that torments you, day in and day out? For me, it’s my eyebrows.
 
I know it sounds ridiculous, but I’ve always had this love-hate (mostly hate) relationship with them. They’re really thick in some places, and too thin in others. Plucking them always sends me into a sneezing frenzy. When I wake up they’re going in all different directions, and sometimes, they even hurt (does that happen to anyone else?)! 
 
I used to be utterly helpless when it came to taming them, until I realized that I couldn’t afford to keep turning to the salon to have them professionally done. So I did a little online research, spent an hour watching tutorials, and experimented with what I had in my toiletries bag. As a result, I’ve become a self-professed master of eyebrows. Read on for a few quick and easy tips on how to show those suckers who’s boss!



 
1. Trim/pluck

 

My eyebrow lady used to scold me for doing this, but I usually go at my brows with a little pair of scissors. I either brush the hair directly downwards, and carefully (read: CAREFULLY) trim them, or I brush them in on themselves, towards my nose and trim whatever hairs look out of place. Once you’ve shortened the forest, start circling in on any isolated hairs. Remember, you are the hunter. You’re eyebrows are at your mercy!

2. Shape

 

If you’ve seen an episode or two of TLC’s What Not To Wear and listened to Carmindy endless advice, this will be old news. The start of your brow should line up with the side of your nose. The end of your brow should go directly diagonal from the end of the eye that’s beneath it. And, lastly, the arch should line up with the outside of your iris. I use this guideline to easily see what areas need more trimming, plucking or filling. If that diagram up there makes it look confusing with all those random lines, I’m sorry! It’s really simple, promise!

3. Fill


Not all of us are blessed with even eyebrows. That’s where filling comes in! You can buy actual eyebrow pencils and powders, but I’m cheap so I just use eyeshadow and a light brown eyeliner. Once you figure out your eyebrow dimensions, you can fill in the sparse areas. Be careful though, cause things could get real crazy real fast up there…

4. Set


(eyebrow gel, beautifully displayed on a stump!)

This step is only really neccessary for those of you who, like me, have seriously wonky eyebrows. I know they sell fancy eyebrow gel, but again, I’m cheap so I’ve been using an old tube of clear lipgloss. A light brushing of the stuff over your brows will keep them in place all day. Just don’t get too generous with the gloss, because you don’t want your brows to look like Pauly D’s hair.

A light mist of hair spray (make sure your eyes are covered!) is also effective for holding them in place!
 
 
Got more eyebrow-taming advice? Tell me!

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