brows

Should You Shape Your Own Brows?

Written on January 30, 2012 at 3:45 pm , by Fitness Magazine

Straight, curved, angled: Arches come in all different shapes. I’ve always had thick eyebrows with hardly any hair on the ends. It just doesn’t grow there (weird, I know!) After years of waxing, my crazy brows have inevitably thinned out, so I recently began filling them in for the a fuller look— and the illusion of having hair where there isn’t any. The results? Amazing!

Eyebrows frame your eyes and grooming them can make such a difference. My technique:

• Brush the hairs upward and trim any that extend beyond your natural arch.
• Take out the tweezers and pluck any unwanted stray hairs.
• Use a brow pencil as close to your natural color as possible to lightly draw in individual hairs.
• Top with a coat of eyebrow gel to set and polish off your look. Try Revlon Fantasy Pencil and Gel, which comes with both products in one package.

Tell us: Do you shape and fill in your brows, go au naturel, or visit a pro?

-By Wanda Rosa, beauty intern

Hot Rocks

Written on October 17, 2011 at 4:22 pm , by April Franzino

Makeup shaped into pretty pebbles and pearls has been popping up everywhere recently—and it’s easy to see why. Not only do these faintly shimmery bronzer, blush, and highlighting powders give cheeks a gorgeous glow when applied with a brush swirled over the multi-tonal pigments, but they can also multitask. We’ve experimented with using individual beads as eye shadow, lip color (topped with gloss or balm), and luminizer on the inner corners of eyes, under the brows, and on the cupid’s bow. They’re just plain fun to use, like makeup should be! Here, a selection of showstopping spheres:

Pür Minerals Pür Rocks

Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Talc-Free Correcting Pebbles

The Body Shop Brush-On Beads

Guerlain Meteorites Pearls

 Tell us: Have you played with pebble-shaped makeup? If so, how did you use them and what did you think?

Benefit’s New House of Beauty

Written on September 26, 2011 at 1:50 pm , by April Franzino

Last week, Benefit Cosmetics opened the chandelier-clad doors of their flagship boutique in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood. When we arrived for our tour of the three-level beauty emporium, we were greeted by a display featuring the first-ever Benetint Rose-Tinted Lip & Cheek Stain (right) created 35 years ago from pressed rose petals by the brand’s founders Jean and Jane Ford. The precious original vial was transported via armored vehicle (!) from Benefit’s home base in San Francisco for the occasion.

The boutique not only stocks the brand’s full line of products, but is also home to an On the Spot! Beauty Bar, offering a full menu of primping services, including:

• Lash and brow threading, shaping, and tinting
• Face and body waxing
• Body and face airbrush tans
• Faux lash and makeup application

The best part: You can drop in at your leisure, no appointment necessary.

Benefit Boutique SoHo: 454 West Broadway between Prince & Houston St., New York City

Free Birthday Brow Shaping from Benefit!

Written on March 17, 2011 at 1:02 pm , by April Franzino

Today’s our birthday, so we’re letting you in on a special gift: Starting this month, visit a Benefit Cosmetics Brow Bar on your birthday, and receive a free brow service—just present an ID with your birthdate. Find the location nearest you (there are over 300!) here.

Wow Brows!

Written on February 17, 2011 at 11:41 am , by Fitness Magazine

Famed makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury once called eyebrows “the pillars of the face.” And the Fashion Week gods agree: We’ve been seeing full, thick arches all over the fall runways. Here, a few tips for getting your best brows:

• Always get a professional brow shaping and be specific with the technician about what shape you want (bring a photo of your favorite brow look if that helps), then use a tweezer like Tweezerman Slant Tweezer to grab strays in between visits. Money-saving bonus: Tweezerman offers free sharpening for life when you purchase their tweezers.
• Then, use a powder or soft pencil (such as Anastasia Go Brow Universal Brow Pencil or Benefit Brow Zings Kit) in light, feathery motions to fill in any sparse spots for a full, perfectly-shaped look.
• Slick a bit of brow gel over hairs keep them in line—both tinted and clear versions do the trick.
• Finish with a dab of highlighter, like Smashbox Eye Beam Double-Ended Brightener, under browbones to conceal any strays and give arches a flattering lift.

—By Maite Gonzalez, beauty intern

Thrifty Thursday: Clear Mascara

Written on October 21, 2010 at 10:38 am , by Fitness Magazine

I switch out beauty products like I switch out shoes—way too often. But the one product that has managed to stick around in my makeup bag is Maybelline New York Great Lash Clear Mascara. It goes on smooth, and never gets dry and flaky. I use it to tame my eyebrows, and under mascara as a base coat to make my lashes pop. My lashes are naturally curly and can go a little crazy on their own, so I use it alone during workouts to keep them groomed but natural. The best part: It’s under $5! What’s your favorite thrifty find?

-Kari LaPrade, beauty intern

Tweeze in Style

Written on September 28, 2010 at 11:13 am , by Fitness Magazine

Tweezerman is making eyebrow shaping a little less painful. Its special edition line of tweezers feature decorative artwork, and include designs by Betsey Johnson (left), Agatha Ruiz de La Prada, and Benefit Cosmetics. There’s a design to fit every personality: wild animal prints, kitschy patterns, girly florals and even edgy skulls. These mini masterpieces make great gifts, and like all Tweezerman tweezers, they come with free sharpening and lifetime guarantee! The Betsey Johnson and Agatha Ruiz de La Prada designs are sold exclusively at Sephora, and the Tweezerman for Benefit collection can be found at Macy’s.

Would you trade your ordinary tweezers for one of these eye-opening designs?

-Nina Ramadan, beauty intern

Eye Candy

Written on September 9, 2010 at 1:46 pm , by April Franzino

Makeup artist Taylor Chang-Babaian‘s new book, Style Eyes, explains how to achieve almost any eye look, from contouring to crazy colors. A few of her pearls of wisdom:

-Add brow powder on top of brow cream or pencil for longer staying power.

-Apply a highlighter or eyeshadow color lighter than your natural skin tone to accentuate the arch in your brows.

-When tweezing brows, if some hairs are questionable, move them around using the tweezers (don’t pluck) to see how removing them would look, then tweeze as necessary.

-Use beige or off-white liner inside the lower rims of the eyes to cut redness and brighten. This opens up the eyes and makes them appear less fatigued.

Raising Eyebrows with Landy Dean

Written on July 20, 2010 at 12:51 pm , by Fitness Magazine

From murder mysteries to underage affairs, ABC Family is raising eyebrows with the new drama, Pretty Little Liars. For Lucy Hale, star of the hit show, hers also happen to be perfectly groomed.

“The thickness of her brows really compliments her features and the size and shape of her eyes,” celebrity makeup artist and eyebrow expert, Landy Dean said. “She has a modern, yet classic shape.”

I wanted to achieve the same look, but after years of tweezing, waxing, and over-trimming, I was afraid it was too late. I met with Landy at the Marie Robinson salon in New York City to see if he could work a miracle (or two).

“It’s going to take a lot of time and patience to grow them out fully,” he told me. “But you’ll get there.”

Landy, a favorite among beauty editors and celebrities, is best known for his natural approach to brows.

“Most of the problems I see are man-made — over-tweezing, waxing, trimming, etc,” he said. “I’ve never had anyone come in who was all-natural and I say ‘yikes.’”

Before you pick up a pair of tweezers, consider the impact it could have on your face. Landy pointed out that most of us aren’t comfortable cutting our hair at home, yet we continue to shape the most dramatic part of our appearance.

“The eyebrows have such an impact on your face. You need to ask yourself, ‘is this something I want to do at home?” Landy said. “I would at least recommend being advised by a professional.”

Considering I’m no better at cutting my hair now than I was at five (sorry, Mom!), I’m leaving my brows to the experts from now on. After 30 minutes with Landy, my friends immediately noticed the difference.

Now if only I could find a way to snag Lucy’s gorgeous English teacher — she’s too young for him anyway!

– Catherine Q. O’Neill, beauty intern

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