Eyebrows have become all the rage in today's makeup and beauty world. People everywhere have dropped the thin-brow look for natural, full-bodied eyebrows.
While natural-looking eyebrows are easier to maintain, they can also cause stress if they don't look exactly the way you want them to. The biggest trend in eyebrows right now is thick, filled-in brows that make a statement on a woman's face.
Whether you like the natural look or a slightly more polished, clean look, you probably spend a good amount of time trying to make your eyebrows appear just perfect. Brow expert Jared Bailey says that the shape and thickness of your brows can completely change everything.
Although eyebrows seem like they should be easy, they can actually be pretty high maintenance with tweezing, plucking, waxing, threading, filling in, defining, highlighting, etc. — but are you really doing these things correctly?
Scroll through the list below for 12 things you should never do to your eyebrows. Are you guilty of doing any of them? Let us know in the comments, and don't forget to tell us if we forgot anything!
Please SHARE this article with your friends on Facebook — their eyebrows will thank you!
Thumbnail sources: Wikimedia, Public Domain Pictures
1. Trying To Make Them Match Perfectly
It's easy to forget when you're in the middle of plucking or doing your eyebrow makeup, but eyebrows should be thought of as sisters, not twins. They should have a similar shape, but don't be afraid to let them look a little unique.
Almost nobody has a perfectly symmetrical shape, so your brows don't need to be symmetrical either. Plus, trying to make your brows look identical often leads to over-plucking, and that can be a hard problem to remedy.
2. Using Dirty Or Old Tweezers
Not cleaning your tweezers might seem like no big deal, but it can actually be very harmful. When you pluck your eyebrows, you leave pores open, so if there is any bacteria on your tweezers, they can find their way to your pores.
But don't worry, all it takes is a quick rinse with antiseptic liquid and your tweezers will be good to go!
Old tweezers can also carry bacteria, but the bigger problem with them is that they may not be able to grab hairs as tightly, making plucking more painful.
3. Doing Them Before The Rest Of Your Makeup
You might be thinking, "What difference does it make in what order I do my makeup?" You'd be surprised to know that it can actually change things a lot. After you've put on foundation and/or blush, your complexion may look different, so if you're plucking or doing brow makeup before you use foundation and blush, you're actually doing your brows for a different face!
4. Tweezing Before Showering
Tweezing before showering might seem like a great way to go, since you can wash off any plucked hairs that landed somewhere else, but this can actually be a terrible plan!
Hot water can loosen your hair follicles and cause eyebrow hairs to slip out, changing the shape of your brows after you pluck.
Instead of plucking before showering, do it afterward — your follicles will be loose, which means plucking will be even less painful.
5. Trying To Match Your Brow Color To Your Hair Color
Making your brows the exact same shade as your hair can often make them look too harsh. Instead, use a slightly lighter color for your eyebrow makeup — it will make your eyebrows seem much more natural.
6. Waxing After Using Anti-Aging Cream
Some anti-aging creams can make your skin very sensitive. Any anti-aging retinoid creams will make the skin around your eyebrows much too sensitive for waxing — not only will it be more painful, it can also cause skin bumps. Creams should always come after!
7. Over-Widening Your Brow Gap
If you naturally have hair between your brows, it can be easy to go a little tweezer-crazy trying to get rid of your unibrow. If you over-pluck the hairs between your brows, they can end up looking unnatural.
To make sure you pluck the right amount, hold a makeup brush parallel to your nose, running up to your eyebrow — don't pluck past that point!
“Over-plucking brows is akin to mutilating them, and you have to do hard work to get them back. It’s an exercise in patience and experimentation," says Maribeth Madron, NYC brow specialist to the stars.
8. Using A Magnifying Mirror While Plucking
Magnifying mirrors can be great for skincare and makeup routines, but you shouldn't use them while you're plucking. Magnifying mirrors distort the way your brows look, which can lead to over-plucking.
“It’s easy to over pluck if you only look up close,” eyebrow expert Kristie Streicher says.
9. Using Brow Stencils
Brow stencils have become all the rage recently — they seem like a great solution for people with unsteady hands or a lack of confidence in their brow makeup skills.
But stencils can make your brows look unnatural if they aren't the exact right shape for your face. Instead, visit a professional if you're trying to change the shape.
10. Picking The Wrong Makeup Brushes
If you use a powder or cream filler to accentuate your brows, you need to make sure to have the right brush. A thin, angled brush will make your brows look much more natural than a brush that is too wide or flat.
11. Tweezing Above Your Brows
While plucking a few stray hairs above your brows can clean up your face, you shouldn't try to shape them around the top. Plucking or waxing too much from the top of the brow can ruin the appearance of the arch. Instead, shape from the bottom.
12. Skipping The Trip To A Professional
If you're trying to dramatically change the shape of your brow, you should always visit a professional! Beauty therapists, waxers, and threaders will all know how to give you the right brow shape for your face, and can give you insider tips and tricks for how to keep your eyebrows looking great.
Did we forget any eyebrow no-nos from our list? Let us know in the comments, and please SHARE with family and friends!
