Any woman who has teetered on the edge of a tweezer disaster knows the value of a well-shaped brow. Whether it’s over-plucking, creating uneven brows or taking to a resilient hair with scissors, a sculptured brow can be sabotaged in minutes with inexperienced tweezing.
According to Gold Coast brow specialist, Amy Jean, a perfectly shaped brow can change the overall look of
the face.
"Balanced brows create symmetry and give life to the eye," she says. "Getting them waxed can open up the eye because you have a newly polished area that is fuzz-free."
Finding the best brow is like searching for the ultimate haircut – everyone suits a different style – and after many years in the brow business, Amy Jean is well versed in tailoring brows. "As soon as I look at a person, I’m already analyzing their brows," she jokes. "So many factors come into consideration, you have to look at skin tone, hair colour, nose shape, brow colour, but most importantly,
face shape; it’s an art form."
She says the sign of a well-groomed brow is soft, untrimmed brow hair that sits flat to the skin in an
upward, outward direction.
And to achieve that beautiful brow? Amy Jean recommends leaving it to the experts. "Eyebrows are such a central feature to our face that professional maintennace will always keep you looking refreshed."
She advises seeking a professional consultation for initial sculpting and balance, then revisiting the salon every four to six weeks for re-shaping and maintenance.
"It’s so important that people get that expert advice,"
she says. "If a professional can re-create a perfect, low-maintenance brow in one visit, you might be lucky enough to be able to simply follow the line at home, but most of my clients have put their tweezers down
and told me their eyebrows are my territory now."
If people want DIY eyebrows, Amy Jean says a quality
pair of tweezers is a must, along with mindful plucking. "Tweezing should always be done after a shower with a clean face and as much natural light as possible," she says.
"People need to be careful to find an individual hair and only pluck the one they're are aiming for rather than a whole cluster."
Correcting unruly brows with scissors is the ultimate faux pas and Amy Jean says snipping an eyebrow could create long-term brow drama. "If you trim an eyebrow, it will look neat for all of three to five days but by then, you have kick-started a brow nightmare. Eyebrows can often become coarse, deeper in colour and start to protrude forward from the skin and this often prompts people to
cut them again." The only sure-fire way to achieve an eye-catching brow is to ensure brows compliment an individual’s features and suit their face shape.
While Amy Jean shies away from mimicking celebrity brows, she says the latest trend in Hollywood is for
natural, thick and lightened brows.
"Lightening softens dark brows as they can appear too harsh or even masculine for some women," she explains. "It’s huge right now. Think of celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce and even Jennifer Hawkins. I always remind my clients that the perfect brow isn’t about requesting a celebrity lookalike, it’s about what suits you."
The eyebrow expert shares some tricks of the trade that will keep eyebrows neat and tidy, without tweezing. "Use a brow powder and an angled brow-defining brush to give the illusion that brows have no gaps and are perfectly polished with crisp 'tails'".
As for the secret to a perfect, professionally sculptured brow, Amy Jean says it all comes down to artistic ability... Oh, and a top pair of tweezers. "You’ve got to find tweezers that feel comfortable in your hand; mine
have become finger-extensions," she jokes.
Article originally published; Illawarra Mercury 13
October 2010
