There should be no such thing as a bad brow day and no excuses for leaving eyebrows either non-existent or as an unruly bush when out in the public eye.
Brow grooming should be as important as hair styling, believes Benefit Cosmetics’ Jared Bailey. “Women who have never had their brows professionally done don’t know what it can do for them. Brow shaping can be the simplest way to take years off their appearance as eyebrows are telltale signs of youth. The shaping is an instant beauty solution to open and lift the entire eye area for a fresher look.”
Founded in 1976, the American cosmetic company emphasises the importance of customised arches, attainable at its Brow Bars. Bailey started out as a make-up artist, whose prowess in perfecting brows made him an expert and a trainer in delivering Benefit’s signature service.
“The best part of doing people’s brows is doing one side and giving them a mirror to see the ‘Now-to-Wow’ difference. It’s always a good ‘aha’ moment for me,” he said.
Basically, every woman needs to find her best brow shape regardless of what’s trending; whether tweezed retro-thin or a big and boyish style.
“Not everybody can wear Brooke Shield’s or Angelina Jolie’s brows,” Bailey said. “Today, we’re embracing natural brows. Firstly, you have to get the right brow shape to give the face a flattering frame. The styling can then be done in a certain way to get the look that you want.” A session at the Benefit Brow Bar begins with a consultation, which involves brow mapping to identify three points: the start, the highest point of the arch and the end.
“Based on these three points, we can map out the best shape for you brows, which maximises a lifting effect and the openness of the eyes, creates a slimming effect on the bridge of the nose and balances the face overall,” he explained. “You try to create a symmetry on the face but the brows may not be exactly alike since they are sisters, not twins.”
The consultation requires signing a medical consent form before waxing. The waxing is combined with plucking, which does the precision work to get the required shape and then followed by styling to ultimately achieve awesome arches. “Once you have got the brow makeover, you don’t need to think about it for about four weeks. Then you need to come to the Brow Bar again for the waxing to keep it in shape. In-between, you have to do your brow make-up every day, like filling them in for a fuller appearance,” he said.
The practice of volumising has been done for hair, lashes and now brows with Benefit Gimme Brow, a fibre gel that serves as a quick-fix to put volume and texture back to brows. According to Bailey, this is particularly important for Asians, who tend to have finer brows than Westerners.
“Filling in and highlighting are key steps in brow make-up that will help you look younger,” he advised. “By using a High Brow pencil under the brow following the arch, the highlighting gives an instant lifting effect and an overall polished look.”
Benefit Brow Bars are located at its cosmetic counters at leading department stores and Sephora stores.
Lined, black and smudgeless
Cat-eyed girls can’t live without their eyeliner, the innovation of which goes far beyond ancient kohl cosmetics. Now, the competition is on for making the blackest and easiest to use liners, without the fuss or the smudge.
Get the blackest impression with Mac Penultimate Eye Liner in Rapidblack, with the liquid formula providing a deep carbon shade. Or try Bisous Bisous Chateau de Glamour Deep Black Smooth Eyeliner with micronised pigment.
The Bisous Bisous retractable pencil also features a built-in sharpener, which has become a standard product design seen in Make Up Factory Metallic Eyeliner and Bobbi Brown Perfectly Defined Gel Eyeliner, the latter promising resistance to water, sweat and humidity, with 12-hour staying power.
Conventionally presented in a pot, gel formulas are said to be easier to apply. Pen and pencil versions now allow a quick and steady stroke with effortless precision.
Benefit Cosmetics claims to have made the first ever lash-hugging gel liner pen with a soft, angled AccuFlex tip enhanced with micro-dose technology to control the release of the matte black gel formula, with They’re Real! Push-Up Liner. The beauty instrument allows a closer application to the lash line, while the innovative tip makes it easier to draw a wing for a sultry, cat-eye style.
