Beauty & the Brush: all about eyebrows

We’ve all heard the saying “the eyes are the window to the soul.” But, what many don’t realise is, the eyebrows are the curtains that decorate the said window.

No matter how much one adorns one’s eyes with shadow, liner and mascara, they will always appear seemingly bare if the eyebrows are left untamed.

The women of the early 1990s had this concept down pat. Magazine covers displayed thick, pencilled-in brows, while the Lux models on Pakistani billboards stared back at us from under dark, furrowed tufts of hair.

Today, however, women have turned toward a more minimalistic approach, choosing to tweeze, wax and thread their eyebrows out of existence rather than to highlight them.

We understand the urgency to do away with the feature that constantly threatens to turn into a scary unibrow. We also commiserate with women who shy away from unnatural looking fillers and powders. But in order to maintain your look, whether you go pencil thin or caveman bushy, it’s important to care for your eyebrows just as you would any one of your features.

You make sure to beautify your lids, cheeks and lips, why not also the lines that frame your face?

If like the rest of us, you don’t have the time to pluck, snip, and colour in your brows, there are other steps you can take before heading to your next GT. Because the youthful, fresh look is in this summer, we turn to simple products that define our brows in an easy, cost effective way.

Most ladies keep hairspray at hand to subdue flyaways. The brand doesn’t matter - a pricier can won’t work any better than a low-cost one. Lightly dampen your brows and spritz some of the product onto a toothbrush. Gently sweep it onto your brows a little at a time while shaping your hair into the look you desire. Applying the product on damp hair will prevent the crunchy effect. The spray will keep all your hairs in place while temporarily deepening the colour of your brows without having to use a pencil. Best of all, your brows will appear soft and shiny.

A better option for the summer, and one that we love, is to replace the hairspray with Vaseline. Once again, using a toothbrush, comb a little product into your brows. Start with a little and build your way up. Like the spray, Vaseline will hold any stray hairs in place, while making your brows shine and appear naturally darker. Another great benefit of Vaseline? If you were too tweezer-happy during your last grooming session, the product has been said to stimulate hair growth.

If you can’t deal with the mess, opt instead for clear mascara, available by most beauty brands. Clear mascaras are pitiful on lashes, but work wonders on eyebrows. They do the same job as hairspray and Vaseline, but in a tidy, compact way. They are cheap to buy, dry fast, and come with their own brush for easy application. You can also throw them in your purse for touch-ups.

Once you get into the habit of highlighting the most expressive feature on your face, you won’t be able to do without it. Of course, defining your brows won’t hide the stray hairs that have found their way onto your upper lid. If that’s the case, you may want to make an emergency appointment with your salon for an emergency threading session!

Maria Saadat is author of the popular desi beauty site Lipstick Masala.

QUESTION TIME

Do you have a question about make-up? Can’t figure out a hairstyle for an upcoming wedding? Do your attempts at smoky eye make-up leave you looking like a raccoon? Have no fear! E-mail your questions and issues [e-mail] and Maria Saadat will respond to them in an upcoming column.

Published in the Express Tribune, June 4^th, 2010.