Because we’d love to fill you in…

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By contributor Hannah Baxter, Deputy Editor at The Zoe Report.

My brows and I had a rocky relationship in the beginning. They’re bountiful and not constrained by things like aesthetics or the edge of my eyelids (thank you, genetics) so it took me a little while to learn how to groom them properly. I’ve come a long way since I was 12 and took my mother’s razor to the inner corners — which resulted in a bizarre mid-eye, oval shape that still makes me cringe when I see photos of my preteen self. However, with time, and plenty of guidance from beauty editors, brow artists, and the occasional YouTuber, I found the best shape and products that work for my brows. I also happened to become a beauty editor in the process — it’s funny how life works, isn’t it?

In a perfect world, I’d be able to visit my brow guru, Joey Healy, every 4-6 weeks for maintenance. That entails his incredibly precise tweezing of errant hairs, customized tinting (I like my naturally reddish/light brown brows on the darker end of the color spectrum), and dermaplaning around the edges to get rid of any peach fuzz. However, life is busy, and coupled with the pandemic, I just can’t make it to his Manhattan studio as often as I like. That means I have to take care of my girls on my own most of the time.

I never touch the tails though (I’m still in the process of growing out the ends after legendary makeup artist Tom Pecheux told me they would look better if they were longer). Then I brush them up with a clean spoolie and trim any hairs that extend beyond the natural shape.

That’s the bulk of my general brow maintenance. As far as day-to-day goes, it depends on how much time I have. Most mornings I swipe on a coat of tinted gel to hold the hairs in place and add some color and definition. The Kosas Air Brow, Glossier Boy Brow, and Kjaer Weis FeatherTouch Brow Gel are all favorites. But if I have the time to spend 10 minutes on my brows, I love the look of a pencil. The Gucci Crayon Définition Sourcils, Kosas Brow Pop, and Anastasia Beverly Hills Perfect Brow Pencil never fail me here. The trick is to draw short, hair-like strokes in the direction of your natural hair growth, and then lightly brush though with a spoolie to blend. I always keep a cotton bud nearby as the pigment will smudge at the edges as you brush. Then I finish with a clear brow gel to hold the hairs in place (Joey Healy’s Brow Structure Clear Set is my go-to), brushing upwards for a fuller effect. Then I use my finger to smooth the ends, check the overall blending in natural sunlight if I can, and then I’m out the door.

Just remember that your brows are sisters, not twins, so don’t go crazy trying to get them to look perfectly identical. And when in doubt, grow them out. You can do a lot more with ample brow hairs when it comes to shaping or tinting, so just keep your tweezers in a drawer and resist the urge to pluck away if you’re looking to change your brows at all. Big bushy eyebrows will always be in style in my book, no matter what the current trends are, and with a little expert guidance you can find the shape that compliments the rest of your features. It took me over half my life to get my brows straightened out (or rather, arched to perfection) so be patient and try a few different treatments and products to find the right one for you and your brows.