Different Types of Brow Products, As Told By The Trajectories of My Eyebrows

Something I wish that I had learned earlier is that the eyebrows truly do frame the face. I have to admit that my eyebrows are the most time consuming part of my routine…because they truly make a difference!

Without my eyebrows, I just feel…”un-Chrissey.” Which makes me laugh, because the eyebrows used to be the laziest part of my routine.

I think that at different trajectories of my life, my brows definitely have been…different. And as you can see from the following pictures, different products have different looks and effects.

And also, my selfie game has definitely improved over time.

Chrissey, aged 18

The beginning of the makeup game…which meant that I used brow powder to very lightly fill in my eyebrows. Which are definitely over-plucked during this stage of my life! I think that everyone goes through a phase when they over-wax or over-pluck their eyebrows!

Brow powder–the most natural of brow looks, brow powders give a very light and natural look.

Chrissey, aged 19

I cannot stand this picture.

Because there are so many makeup sins in this one photograph, and no one told me that I was walking around looking like this dusty ass ghost! The too-white foundation, the cakey foundation, the overlined bottom lip…the uneven eyeliner. But the cherry on top is those brows.

Uneven, unnatural, angular, too-dark, and weird.

I used brow pomade during this time, which is absolutely wonderful if you want the Instagram brow look, and a bulletproof brow. However, the problem with this brow product is with a heavy hand, mistakes or uneven-ness is super noticable, and it is SO easy to go unnatural and over-do your eyebrows!!

I cannot believe my friends and (then) boyfriend let me walk around looking like that. Jerks.

Chrissey, aged 20

 

“Why is the lighting in this picture so terrible?”

“Why is this selfie so yellow?”

I don’t know, y’all. I wish I had answers for you.

My brows at this point were lazy again, and I used eyebrow gel.

I don’t think brow gel is bad, as I still use it to this day. But the thing with brow gel is that although it creates more volume, and helps fill in sparse brows…it doesn’t shape your eyebrows. So, if your brows are sparse they will definitely look more full. But if your brows are shaped terribly, they will still be shaped terribly…but at least they’ll be more full and less sparse?

Chrissey, aged just-turned-21

 

I was always intimidated by eyebrow pencils, because they seemed so intimidating and scary…but they are definitely my favorite products for brows!

…Just not this type of pencil.

An actual eyebrow pencil (non-retractable), does define your eyebrows and does help shape them and fill in sparse areas. However, the tip is so fat and the pencil is so creamy that it ends up over-filling brows, making them a completely solid and unnatural kind of color. Brows should really be a gradient–darker at the ends, and lighter in the front. And although conventional eyebrow pencils do a good job of filling in brows fast, the look is a lot more dramatic and full..and a less natural one.

Chrissey, a few days ago (aka 21)

Okay, I’m a little biased because these are my current eyebrows. But they are my absolute favorite! I’ve learned not to overpluck or overdraw my eyebrows, and to enjoy how they (somewhat) naturally look.

I pluck my own eyebrows, but only the underneath, middle, and upper parts. I follow the same plucking shape that I’ve done for a long time… I know how my true natural brows look, but I’d rather not tell all of you.

Just kidding, I tell you guys everything.

They look like an isoceles triangle. I have natural triangle brows….so I initially did a lot of brow shaping. But now I just follow the general shape I like!

I use a retractable brow pencil with a very fine tip (L’Oréal® Paris Brow Stylist Definer, review coming soon! I just switched over from the NYX one!). This is super important because the fine tip allows for you to make small, natural strokes and to very lightly fill in and define your brows! This allows you to achieve a much more natural and genuine kind of eyebrow look! I personally prefer how my brows look with a fine-tip brow pencil, but that’s just my preference!

And to groom and set my eyebrows, I use a brow gel! That’s it.

Also, yes, that is a bag of hot cheetos and a wine glass in the background…

ALSO.

Mucho importante.

In looking up brow quotes for this blog post, I found this little image on Pinterest…

PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. It is so, so , bad. Please don’t.

DO NOT.

What is your go-to brow product? Or your biggest eyebrow faux-pas?

Chrissey