5 Tips For Getting Your Best Brows Ever

Unless you've been living under a beauty rock for the past five years, you know bold eyebrows are where it's at.

Bloggers, makeup artists and fashion magazines tell us our arches must be on fleek, but how can we actually — to paraphrase Oprah — live our best brows?

Maybelline New York global brow expert Maribeth Madron has been beautifying brows for nearly two decades, which means she remembers all too well the days of thinly plucked arches à la Kate Moss and laments the permanent damage done to hair follicles in the '90s.

As for me, I've been dutifully filling in my eyebrows as recent beauty trends dictate, but I was eager to gain Madron's insights. My wispy, blondish hairs can fake a semblance of brow game thanks to a few fledgling brush strokes, but rival Cara Delivingne's famous brows, they do not.

I had so many questions (mostly reiterations of "What am I doing wrong?"), but before I'd even taken out my pad and paper, Madron got to work. 

"Looking at you, I can tell right away that you have a square face," she told me as she inspected my brows, to my shock and delight. I'd always thought my face was on the rounder side, like a pizza pie. I decided I liked her right away. 

After a few standard arch inquiries — "Do you tweeze yourself?" (yes), "What's your method?" (I, er, draw them on), "What products do you use?" (a brownish-looking pencil thingy) — the brow doctor perscribed the Maybelline Brow Drama Pro Palette, a three-in-one product that includes a sculpting wax, a colour powder and a highlighter. 

"You need two things: You need to fill in where you have some hairs missing and you need to strengthen the structure," said Madron, adding gently, "And they've been arched a little more than is ideal."

Dipping an angled brush into the wax portion of the palette, Madron drew hair-like strokes in the direction of the brow growth, mostly avoiding the anchor (the teardrop-shaped part near the inner eye). 

"Everyone automatically wants to go in and paint this artifical square there, which you really don't need," she said, lightly flicking her wrist like a Renaissance painter. "With your colouring and freckles, you want an eyebrow that works with that look. Think, natural, soft, pretty, feathery." 

Next, she switched to powder. "If it's just waxy on someone with fine brown texture it's not going to look natural," she explained. "Plus, your skin seems natural to oily, so you want that powder to set it." 

The results were nothing short of spectacular. Of course, as a millennial, I had to incite brow envy amongst my friends via a Snapchat selfie. 

Just look at these bad boys!

I'm happy to report I've been using her tips at home, and while my brows aren't quite up to Madron's rigorous standards, I have recieved several compliments from friends since implementing the new regimen.

Ready for your most beautiful brows ever? These are the quick brow tips you need:

Remember your features. Don't have naturally thick, bushy brows? That's okay — the key is to work with what you've got. "If you have very small, delicate features, then big, bold brows are not going to look good on you," says Madron. Instead, focus on a natural-looking yet refined brow that complements your facial structure. "It doesn't have to be big to be beautiful, but you're going to look more attractive with an eyebrow that suits your face," she says. 

Start in the middle. The last thing you want to do is start at the inner corner and paint on that rectangle. "That's the number one mistake everybody makes," says Madron. Always start at the centre where the brow is more full naturally and work out towards the tail, adding hairline strokes. Finish with very light strokes at the inner corners. 

Keep your poker face on. When plucking or filling in your brows, make sure to uncross your legs (to ensure evenness) and avoid raising your eyebrows (like you do while applying mascara). A little can go a long way with brows, so relax your face and resist the urge to overdo it. 

Brushes matter. Natural bristles work best with powders, but acrylic is the way to go with waxes, says Madron. Invest in high-quality brushes — they really do make all the difference.

Timing is everything. Another mistake brow amateurs commonly make? Filling in their brows at the wrong stage of their makeup. "[Brows] are the framework of your face, so you want to do them as soon as the skin is complete — never as an afterthought." You'll also find you need to wear less makeup if you do your brows first.