We chat to the experts at the Blink Brow Bar to give us the low-down on their complete eyebrow guide.
Over the last 15 years since their inception, the Blink Brow Bar has become an institution and is one of the go-spots for many of us to get our eyebrows done. Now, let’s be real for a second. I think you all would agree, we would choose a bad haircut over a bad brow result any day! In fact, not even a botched facelift can compare to a really bad set of brows.
This fear lives with us all and the wrong advice can make you look aged, angry (that downward tilting dark brow look we all point and giggle at) and sometimes just downright unattractive.
Well, we had a chat with the experts at the Blik Brow Bar to give us their essential eyebrow guide on everything from threading and shaping all the way through to daily eyebrow care.
How do you know if you should wax or thread your brows? Is it preference or to do with eyebrow shape/style?
Threading is a method of hair removal that will not only remove every stray hair and shape your eyebrows with perfect precision but will also add definition and smooth finish that no other method of hair removal can achieve. Plus, threading is completely natural and obviously chemical-free.
What are your tips when it comes to eyebrow plucking? What are the mistakes people commonly make? Is there a shape to aim for that best frames the face?
Over plucked brows are one of the most common problems we find our customers are concerned with, which is why we recommend steering away from plucking, as you can get carried away if you don’t know how best to shape your brows and what works for you. One of the key benefits of threading is how kind it is to your skin as it doesn’t pull or nick like waxing or tweezing can.
However, if you can’t resist shaping at home, we recommend drawing a perimeter around your brows with a white cosmetic marker. It is so easy to get pluck happy and this will remind you how far you can go. Remember keep the fullness and the length.
To achieve the perfect shape we recommend measuring your brows with a pencil to ensure that the start is at the bridge of your nose, balance the pencil from the bottom of the nose to the end of the iris (rather than the centre of the eye) to map your arch and end just beyond your eye.
Eyebrows that are too close together or too far apart can actually shrink your eyes in a way that makes your face look imbalanced rather than effortlessly gorgeous.
One of the most important aspects of any eyebrow guide is maintenance. How do I go about keeping my brows in good condition?
We often say the key to a healthy brow is sticking to a good routine. To keep your brows in good condition and nourished we recommend applying our Nourishing Brow Oil before bed. It’s packed with Organic Rosemary oil, which is really known to not only aid hair growth but make existing hair glossy and shiny.
BBB’s Nourishing Brow Oil helps to keep your brows conditioned and looking healthy.
What is the best way to define the brow? What products would you recommend and how is best to apply them for a completely natural look?
If you are looking for a ‘completely natural’, groomed, glossy brow then the BBB London Clear Brow Gloss is fantastic for taming unruly and wayward brows. A Gel product should always be nourishing, moisturising and should add a subtle gloss, whilst fixing the brows into their natural shape. When using a Gel, start at the middle point of the brow and brush in the direction of the hair growth towards the tail end. This will give the most natural finish.
If you want bolder, more shapely brows then try a richer, more pigmented product such as the BBB London Brow Sculpt, which is a gel-cream hybrid that will create an incredible supermodel brow in seconds. Apply your product of choice slowly and build up in thinner layers to ensure you end up with your dream brows.
Is there a common mistake that people make when it comes to brow shaping/defining?
A common mistake we find is people over-plucking, which often leads to losing your natural brow shape. When it comes to shaping we suggest leaving it to the experts who are trained to remove every stray hair and shape your eyebrows with perfect precision.
The definition is much easier to achieve at home and really depends on your brow shape and hair type. For thin brows, a ‘buildable’ product such as Brow Build Gel will give that fuller, more luscious appearance – it contains microfibres which coat tiny baby brow hairs and literally help you ‘grow’ and build your brows. For a subtly defined, natural brow – especially for a beginner, a pencil such as our Ultimate Arch Definer is your best friend.
How do I keep my brows in place without them getting a mind of their own?
Every brow needs a touch up whether it’s a brow gel to tame and keep the hairs in place or the addition of colour with a definer or sculpts to fill in those gaps. To keep your brows in place all day we recommend our Clear Brow Gloss. – it’s easy to apply for touch-ups on the go and requires zero artistry skills.