[Eyebrow Routine] Groomed but natural-looking brows!

Hello everyone! :-)

Wooo, my first real post! *does happy dance* Nevermind. Let's start with today's topic!

Brows (aside from contouring -- uh sorry, I meant strobing, of course! Contouring is sooo 2014) are ZE hottest thing on Instagram right now and have been for quite a while. Of course, I've tried the super-defined ultra fierce Sharpie brows that look totally fetch on pretty much everyone. Except me. When I did it, I looked like I'd drawn big black bars on my forehead. Definitely not cute. They made me look like a man, the products I tried were way too dark for my pale skin (even though I have very dark hair). I was frustrated and abandoned the field. I caked my face, smoked my shadows, winged my liner but my brows stayed naked, feeling lonely and forgotten... And out of place.

A few weeks ago, I decided that I had neglected my poor eyebrows for too long and decided to give the whole "brows on fleek" thing another shot. This time, I picked a lighter color to draw on fill in my little babies, and BOOM -- it worked!




I immediately loved the look. My brows looked groomed yet natural, kind of like Girl Next Door but New & Improved. (A look I strive to master every day.) They look über glamorous with a full face of makeup and naturally flawless when I do a nude look and throw my hair up in a ponytail. In other words, they always fit the occasion. SOLD. Totally diggin'. :-)

So ever since I discovered my Catrice Longlasting Brow Definer in the shade 020 flASHy Brows I've been regretting the day I decided to give up on my brows. Why didn't I try to win the fight against my Sharpie brows? Sobs in a corner over the wasted, naked-brow-days that could've been lived differently... Tragic.

Now I'm all about spreading the word to everyone else who feels frustrated about their brows; everyone who looks at Instagram pictures of all the famous MUA's and thinks: How do they manage to pull of big dark caterpillars on their face? And why can't I do the same?!
Well, there's a brow look for you too! PERFECT BROWS FOR EVERYONE! *throws confetti and glitter* *gets vacuum cleaner*

Now, my main piece of advice for you is to pick a shade that isn't too dark. Shades that are too light may make you look washed out and aren't right either, but there's really nothing worse for your brows than making them too dark for your face. You'll look serious at best and downright angry at worst. Really. Try going for a medium shade. (Unless, of course, dark shades suit you. Then use those. But if you've been using dark shades and they look odd on you, that could be the reason!)
Also, I always go for ashy shades. Reddish brown shades make my skin look irritated and don't go well with my cool-toned complexion. So try finding out whether your skin is warm- or cool-toned prior to picking out your brow products.

Now let me show you my brow routine. Sorry for the lack of makeup by the way as I am not planning on leaving the house today:

My brow. Naked. I woke up like this, I woke up like this... Flawless!

I pluck my brows using this super cheap pair of tweezers I got at TK Maxx (European version of TJ Maxx. I'm mentioning this because I was surprised when I saw that K instead of the usual J.) that I basically only bought because it's pink and it sparkles. Sigh. I know, I know. Quality over cuteness, right? Easy in theory, borderline impossible when it comes down to it. I've been thinking about getting a decent pair of tweezers for a while now, as my current pair gets the job done but it is kind of hard sometimes. I mean, it obviously works, but I think plucking my brows would be much easier with quality tweezers. If only they weren't so expensive, right?

Anyway, this is the first step: I pluck out any pieces of hair I don't like. Then I comb the survivors with my spoolie wand. Which is also pink. Who would've guessed! At least it works properly.

Tweezers from TK Maxx, spoolie from a cheap brush set I got on Amazon a while back.

When I'm done prepping my brows, I highlight my browbone using a (limited edition *sobs*) highlighting pencil from Essence. It was part of the Brit-tea (what a name) Trend Edition, so unfortunately that means it's not available anymore. I know. It's so sad. But other companies have highlighting pencils too, if that makes it any better. It doesn't have to be Essence. Basically all you need is a creamy, matt, very light, slightly pink-ish jumbo pencil. 

I just rub some of it on my brow bone.

Waking myself up! :-)

Once I'm done applying my highlighting shade I blend it out with the tip of my ring finger until it looks like my brow bone area is naturally lighter. This makes my brow look lifted and I therefore look more awake. And that's always a good thing! Unless you're starring in a zombie movie. Then you might want to step away from brow bone highlights.

Swatcheeees! left: Essence brit-tea duo highlighter pencil
right: Catrice Longlasting Brow Definer 020 flASHy Brows

top: Catrice Longlasting Brow Definer 020 flASHy Brows
bottom: Essence brit-tea duo highlighter pencil

The last step is filling in any sparse areas in my brows and shaping them. I don't have a scheme when it comes to this part, I more or less just freestyle. (That makes me sound so cool! Like, I don't care for rules. I just do my own thang. And it always works.) The only thing I always do is extend my tail and make it look really sharp and defined, because it instantly makes my brows look 120% more groomed. I feel like a nice sharp tail adds so much definition and just looks really great and polished. And then I'm done, that's it! So fast! :-)

The finished project! Doesn't it look so natural? Sorry about the different angle, by the way.

So, that was it, my full brow routine. I hope you liked it, and maybe I was even able to inspire you to try out the Catrice Sharpie brow definer in case you haven't found your Holy Grail brow product(s) yet. I think it's a lovely product, really natural-looking and lasts for quite some time on my skin. It does fade throughout the day, but there's still product left when I take off my makeup in the evening, so I would recommend checking it out. It is really inexpensive, after all, so trying it won't hurt!

Now, what are your favorite brow products? And what tweezers do you use? Have a great day!

addingsomeglitter

DISCLAIMER I purchased all products myself, and all opinions are my own. After all, it would be weird if this post was sponsored, as it is my first. Duh.