ask scb: how do i fill in my eyebrows?

let’s get down to business. i try to leave my brows alone because i like the shape, and fill them in meticulously because i love a good strong, thick brow on a face – especially to help pull off some badass lipstick and generally be prepared to take over the world. it all goes hand in hand. so, here’s how i start out…

first of all: base makeup. i’ve made up my full base face for this so we can focus on the brow situation. i did this last night, and put my MAC BB cream all over and blended down through my jaw line (do not be that girl who still doesn’t manage to blend that line. seriously.) and then used a bit of their concealer under my eyes. I watched one beauty tutorial that made a good point about how kim kardashian (god bless her need to constantly look beautiful) highlights under her eyes to balance the shadow she puts on, and i like the theory for an even more natural, lighter look – just don’t go overboard. I use my pinky finger to blend in and out and then finish with this laura mercier powder. i’m currently using up my sample of benefit’s stay don’t stray as a lid primer, which will be relevant when i talk about highlighting. i also brushed on a little of chanel blush. now for the disclaimer: sorry for all of the closeups of my eyes. i tried not to stare through the depths of your souls but it’s gonna happen.

how to brow: products.

this is my naked brow at the top and to contrast, after filling in with anastasia perfect brow pencil (medium brown for me). this is me, every morning as a base or all I need if I’m on the go. i comb my brows first – you can see where they’re sparse – i dot and spot in those thin areas and warm up and blend with my ring finger with the direction of each brow. then it’s just about feathering your entire brow line with the pencil, and blend all the way through with  a finger – pat along. i think it makes it look the most natural and thick but defined, and is really forgiving because you can blend out an errant line easily.

this is anastasia, topped with MAC’s penultimate brow marker. I love the brow marker because it gives my brows more depth and definition without looking too sharp or drawn/painted on (which is a look i hate) and is really easy to work with because of it’s sturdy felt tip. you don’t need to work much of this in to see it work… it’s great to sharpen up my look if i’m doing something that’s on the dressier end, much like i do with lip liner. a very easy detail to add that goes a long way!

cheat the brow: highlight your arch.

there’s something to be said for contouring, and while i think it’s usually a really deceptive way for many females to get a free meal, it’s also great for accentuating what you’ve naturally got going for you. i always put some shimmer under my arch and overall lower brow line (if you will) and i think it’s a must for anyone. i use bootycall in naked 2 on the regular right now, though this may vary depending on if you tend to highlight with warm or cool tones, or if you’re not as pale as me, this may be too light. i use this brush from sephora and just dab it up along and into the narrow part of my arch and then out to each edge and down into my lid so it can be blended with whatever look i’ll end up doing for the rest of my eye. if i’m going to use the penultimate brow marker, it’s now. usually i’ll catch a little shimmer in my brow line so i’ll wipe it off and then finish with the marker or maybe fix any spots with my pencil again, and we’re done. ps. shoutout to my awesome photographer: me, my selfie and my galaxy note 3.

scb’s how to brow in 1-2-3.

1. make sure you cover any undereye circles and set it, then comb your brows out and lightly feather in any sparse areas – try to make sure you deposit some color there – and then lightly rub and blend onto your skin and surrounding brow area. rather than look “perfect” or done right now, you just want them to look full and even.
2. go back and fill in your entire general brow line to sharpen and finish each brow off… err on the side of having too light of a hand and add layers rather than draw your brows in too heavy the first time around. it looks much more natural if you layer on rather than having to try and pull some harsh color and shape off.
3. highlight below your brown line and up into your arch – i think it makes your eyes look brighter and allows more flexibility with what you can or want to do with color and style on your lids. i use a shimmery color that is similar to the undertones of my skin, so adjust according to your own. i think the more subtle light you can catch, the better – this is not meant to be an obvious contouring move, more a subtle way to draw attention to a nicely shaped arch.

hopefully these tips help! If you have further questions, tweet me or leave a comment. i know that a bunch of girls have emailed me with thin, thin brow questions, and i am def going to get a brow powder to test it out as i have heard that gives you the most realistic look and the most precision and capability to “fill” in a sparse brow line. once i have mine on hand to test out, i will do a post that’s specific for that. i hope the photos lend some contrast and are enough of a visual breakdown for how i build out my brows to make it easier when you’re growing out and/or filling in your own. i am considering doing a video tutorial for this once i figure out the best way, so that may be coming on my youtube channel in the future. stay stone cold, beauties!

xx SCB