So let’s talk brows. Or more specifically, how to get the perfect brow. Because as I’ve said before, if there is one single thing you can do to make you look polished — even if you wear no other makeup — it’s making sure your brows look great.
In fact, I so fell in love with the Boom Boom Seamless Brow pen, that I reached out to its creator, eyebrow queen Malynda Vigliotti — also known as Boom Boom, founder and namesake of NYC’s Boom Boom Brow Bar — to give us her tips for how to get the perfect brow.
Read them. Learn them. Live them. –Liz
Related: 7 drugstore beauty products that are better than the expensive stuff
BOOM BOOM’S TOP 5 ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR GETTING PERFECT BROWS
A big, bold, longer brow with a slight arch is the shape that’s going to make every tired momma look better. The contour lifts and frames eyes to really make them pop, which means you’ll look less tired. And since lots of moms don’t want to spend the time to apply a faceful of makeup each day, a beautifully sculpted brow is the quickest and easiest beauty fix to make you look and feel better.
1. Grow your brows for a month.
Just let them be, no tweezing, threading or waxing. Really.
There really is no magic way of getting fabulous brows if you don’t have any hair to work with. You need time on your side to fix those thin brows that look dated and make eyes look tired. Growing hair back will make them look fuller without having to apply makeup everyday.
If you need help, you can apply a brow growth serum daily to your browbone, concentrating on sparse spots and areas that you want to promote growth, and you will usually see results in 4–6 weeks.
2. Shape brows only once a month, preferably by a professional.
It’s hard to do your own brows! So…don’t.
They should be proportionate and similar, compliment one another and frame the face. But not identical. In other words, you want them to be sisters, not twins. I know this is a hard concept to grasp when you’re staring into a magnifying mirror.
The key is to get all your brow hair on the same growth cycle, so when you’re shaping your brows, hair is being removed and growing in at the same time. It will keep them looking better, longer.
Related: The best beauty tips from my mother, and the other beautiful women in my life.
3. Find your arch.
After years of abuse, many people lose their arches. They instead turn into rainbows, paisleys, sperm and tadpoles. You know what I’m talking about.
To find your arch, hold a brush parallel to the outside edge of your iris, or the colored part of your eye. The point where the brush meets the brow is where the highest part of the arch should be.
A pro can help identify the areas of your brow that need to grow back to get your arch back on track.
4. Fill in your brows.
If you don’t have naturally thick, full brows, having the right shape is very important. Filling in brows with a powder or brow pencil or pen can hide the gaps, craft a shape, camouflage bare spots, and hide imperfections.
Start by brushing brow hair up and out to frame eyes. Then use a brow powder (of course we recommend our own Boom Boom Boostiers brow powder, which comes in several shades) with an angled brush to make hair-like strokes of color where needed.
Pencils and pens work well too, but a powder looks the most natural.
And be sure not place your brow color more than one-quarter inch away from where your natural hair growth stops, or it will accentuate the fact that there is actually no brow there.
Related: One time-saving beauty product you have to know about!
5. Consider a brow tint.
Tinting is great for people who want fuller brows and for those whose brows don’t grow that much, because it gives the effect of more hair.
A tint can beef up brows by coloring even the tiniest of baby hairs, so there is more to work with when shaping. It helps defines brows and makes them look much fuller, so you can say goodbye to filling in your brows every single morning.
Plus, the process is breezy!
At Boom Boom Brow Bar, we use an amazing vegetable tint known as Reflectocil. We love it because it’s gentle and effective, and only deposits color on the hair shaft. Because it doesn’t penetrate the follicle like a regular permanent hair dye, it’s safe to use around the eye area. Plus, it wears away naturally, lasting about a month.
It also comes in a variety of true brow colors, making it very easy to match brow to hair color or, ideally, to go a bit darker than your hair color.
When you notice that your brows are losing the fullness and luster the tint provided, that’s when you’ll want to tint again.
So there you have it — the 5 essential tips for the perfect brows.
Just remember to strive for the perfect brow for YOU! The one and only YOU! Don’t try to mimic a picture you’ve seen, a trend, or a celebrity brow. Just go for what is going to look the best on your beautiful face. –Boom Boom
