The £200 annual British brow habit, and how to spend it wisely
British women are spending, on average, £200 a year on their brows - a statistic which left ours, quite frankly, quite furrowed.
According to the British Association of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology, which polled 1,827 women over 18, we’re spending £200 a year on tinting, shaping, threading, plucking, gelling and filling our brows to perfection. Or are we?
We unfolded our furrows and then raised them quickly: we in beauty know that brows aren’t something you can just throw money at, particularly say in Liverpool, where cash repeatedly aimed and missed back in 2012, giving birth to the Scouse Brow (exhibit A, pictured below).
If you’re not sure what a Scouse Brow actually is, symptoms include brows that look too thick, too dark (why not simply go matchy-matchy with your hair tone?), too close together (no one likes a mono-brow), and too heavy (remember there are other features on your face). For anyone suffering from said affliction, save your cash by investing instead in a Groucho Mask mask (exhibit B, pictured below) – a cheaper, removable and slightly less amusing alternative.
You see, like self-tanning, when done well a bit of brow grooming can do wonders - framing your features, bringing out your eyes, and best of all knocking off the years. But done badly it’s just another modern-day beauty faux pas. The reality is, no-one should be able to detect that any brow grooming is going on, instead stopping only to admire your newfound youth, shapely face and wonderfully open eyes.
So how best spend that £200? Take our advice and go for one initial shaping booking with a professional (we rate the therapists at Blink, £17 available nationwide), one pencil or tinted gel to fill in any gaps (Benefit, MAC, Urban Decay and Chanel do great versions), and one pair of tweezers (for emergencies only). All that means an investment of £70, tops. Add to that some annual maintenance to keep up the good, and subtle, work.
Another costly trend is semi-permanent brow treatments, including micro-blading tattooing and traditional tattooing. But again, approach with caution. Costing upwards of £200, it pays to go for reputable experts (we rate Suman, who works out of Errol Douglas, and Vaishaly) rather than techniques, and always ask to see their work on previous clients first.
But don’t spend a penny until you’ve picked up the basics. Here we give you the dos, and definite don’ts, of brow taming.
DON’T…overpluck
“Most brow issues arise from over-plucking, so show some restraint with those tweezers. If you pluck too much for too long, the hair won’t grow back. That’s not an old wives tale, it’s true,” says Laura Mercier.
DO...keep brows full
“In general, full eyebrows are a sign of youthfulness, so consider filling in your brows with makeup if you’ve over-plucked,” advises Mercier.
http://www.queeniebridesmaid.co.uk/green-bridesmaid-dresses
DON’T...follow fashion
“You should never blindly follow extreme fashion when it comes to your eyebrows. Trends by definition are meant to change, and you don’t want to be stuck with a certain shape permanently!” warns Mercier.
DO…use pencils
“I find that brow pencil topped with brow powder is the best, longest lasting combination. The powder holds onto the wax of the pencil,” adds Mercier.
DON’T...go too dark
“Don’t choose a colour that’s too dark. Good eyebrows are slightly transparent and have a neutral colour pigment load so they won’t turn orange or reddish once you apply them,” warns Mercier.
DON'T...go graphic
“Start your brow make-up in the very centre of your eyebrow, not on the top, bottom or inner corner. That will appear too obvious, as will a sharply drawn line. You don’t want to graphically define your brow, unless that’s the specific look you want!” explains Mercier.
DO...see the experts
“Have your brows done by an expert, this is the only way to ensure the perfect brow shape!” says Lisa Potter-Dixon, head make-up and trend artist at Benefit.
DO…use a tint
“This adds extra definition and can really open the eyes,” says Potter-Dixon.
DON'T…go lighter
“Tint your brows lighter, the brows should be the same colour as the darkest hair on your head,” advises Potter-Dixon.
DO...highlight
“Add a highlighter under the brow bone. This lifts the brow giving the illusion of an instant eye lift!” says Potter-Dixon.
DO...follow Benefit's DIY brow-shaping guide
"Look straight head into a mirror. Hold a make up brush at the dimple of your nose straight up to your brow. Mark with a line. Starting here will give a slimming effect to your nose and balance your eyes. Hold the brush from the edge of your nose through the pupil of your eye to find the arch point. This will give you an instant eye lift. Hold the brush from the edge of your nose through the outer corner of the eye to the brow. Ending here will give you an eye opening effect," says Potter-Dixon.
http://www.queeniebridesmaid.co.uk
British women are spending, on average, £200 a year on their brows - a statistic which left ours, quite frankly, quite furrowed.
According to the British Association of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology, which polled 1,827 women over 18, we’re spending £200 a year on tinting, shaping, threading, plucking, gelling and filling our brows to perfection. Or are we?
We unfolded our furrows and then raised them quickly: we in beauty know that brows aren’t something you can just throw money at, particularly say in Liverpool, where cash repeatedly aimed and missed back in 2012, giving birth to the Scouse Brow (exhibit A, pictured below).
If you’re not sure what a Scouse Brow actually is, symptoms include brows that look too thick, too dark (why not simply go matchy-matchy with your hair tone?), too close together (no one likes a mono-brow), and too heavy (remember there are other features on your face). For anyone suffering from said affliction, save your cash by investing instead in a Groucho Mask mask (exhibit B, pictured below) – a cheaper, removable and slightly less amusing alternative.
You see, like self-tanning, when done well a bit of brow grooming can do wonders - framing your features, bringing out your eyes, and best of all knocking off the years. But done badly it’s just another modern-day beauty faux pas. The reality is, no-one should be able to detect that any brow grooming is going on, instead stopping only to admire your newfound youth, shapely face and wonderfully open eyes.
So how best spend that £200? Take our advice and go for one initial shaping booking with a professional (we rate the therapists at Blink, £17 available nationwide), one pencil or tinted gel to fill in any gaps (Benefit, MAC, Urban Decay and Chanel do great versions), and one pair of tweezers (for emergencies only). All that means an investment of £70, tops. Add to that some annual maintenance to keep up the good, and subtle, work.
Another costly trend is semi-permanent brow treatments, including micro-blading tattooing and traditional tattooing. But again, approach with caution. Costing upwards of £200, it pays to go for reputable experts (we rate Suman, who works out of Errol Douglas, and Vaishaly) rather than techniques, and always ask to see their work on previous clients first.
But don’t spend a penny until you’ve picked up the basics. Here we give you the dos, and definite don’ts, of brow taming.
DON’T…overpluck
“Most brow issues arise from over-plucking, so show some restraint with those tweezers. If you pluck too much for too long, the hair won’t grow back. That’s not an old wives tale, it’s true,” says Laura Mercier.
DO...keep brows full
“In general, full eyebrows are a sign of youthfulness, so consider filling in your brows with makeup if you’ve over-plucked,” advises Mercier.
http://www.queeniebridesmaid.co.uk/green-bridesmaid-dresses
DON’T...follow fashion
“You should never blindly follow extreme fashion when it comes to your eyebrows. Trends by definition are meant to change, and you don’t want to be stuck with a certain shape permanently!” warns Mercier.
DO…use pencils
“I find that brow pencil topped with brow powder is the best, longest lasting combination. The powder holds onto the wax of the pencil,” adds Mercier.
DON’T...go too dark
“Don’t choose a colour that’s too dark. Good eyebrows are slightly transparent and have a neutral colour pigment load so they won’t turn orange or reddish once you apply them,” warns Mercier.
DON'T...go graphic
“Start your brow make-up in the very centre of your eyebrow, not on the top, bottom or inner corner. That will appear too obvious, as will a sharply drawn line. You don’t want to graphically define your brow, unless that’s the specific look you want!” explains Mercier.
DO...see the experts
“Have your brows done by an expert, this is the only way to ensure the perfect brow shape!” says Lisa Potter-Dixon, head make-up and trend artist at Benefit.
DO…use a tint
“This adds extra definition and can really open the eyes,” says Potter-Dixon.
DON'T…go lighter
“Tint your brows lighter, the brows should be the same colour as the darkest hair on your head,” advises Potter-Dixon.
DO...highlight
“Add a highlighter under the brow bone. This lifts the brow giving the illusion of an instant eye lift!” says Potter-Dixon.
DO...follow Benefit's DIY brow-shaping guide
"Look straight head into a mirror. Hold a make up brush at the dimple of your nose straight up to your brow. Mark with a line. Starting here will give a slimming effect to your nose and balance your eyes. Hold the brush from the edge of your nose through the pupil of your eye to find the arch point. This will give you an instant eye lift. Hold the brush from the edge of your nose through the outer corner of the eye to the brow. Ending here will give you an eye opening effect," says Potter-Dixon.
http://www.queeniebridesmaid.co.uk
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