Demystifying Brow Makeup

Have you ever been so overwhelmed by the selection of brow makeup on the market right now? You’ve got powders, liners, pencils, butters, pomades, tinted gels, crayons, and microblade markers. So how do you choose?

It really comes down to personal preference and your lifestyle. If you like to take 30 minutes or more getting your makeup on, you’re probably not going to choose the same brow product as a busy mom who has approximately 2 minutes to look fresh-faced.

Tinted Brow Gel

This will be your fastest go-to option when you’re limited on time. This is simply a tube of tinted gel, like it sounds, which is applied like mascara but to your brows. It’s for those lucky people who are happy with their shape, because it will not “fill in” the sparse spots like other products. It will, however, give the hair a thicker appearance and give an even color throughout the body of the brow, so say goodbye to grays.

Liners and Pencils

This is a pretty basic and universal option for almost everyone, from novice to expert. You’ll find a variety of shades, and varying degrees of thickness. A thin liner is great for getting hair-like lines if you use a gentle hand, and can be blended beautifully to look very natural. A thicker pencil goes great with a full face of foundation, and can be applied quickly and as bold as you’d like. It can take a little more practice than a tinted gel, but generally you’ll get the hang of this quickly. You’ll be able to easily fill in sparse areas or create and even out shape with either a pencil or a liner.

Powders

Powders give a lighter appearance and usually look more matte. You can create a bold brow, or simply line and fill in sparse areas, then blend for a more natural look. It can be used with or without a full face of makeup. You won’t get as many shades, but you can easily mix two shades of powder to customize the perfect hue for you. An angled brush is required to apply, and a spoolie (mascara wand) to blend it out.

Butters and Pomades

Butters and pomades give a rich appearance, can fill in sparse areas, and build shape. They also tend to look better on the skin than a liner when you’re going over areas with no hair to create that perfect arch or tail. You’ll also need an angled brush and spoolie to apply and blend.

Microblade Markers/Pens

This is a relatively new product, which allows you to make hair-like strokes with a felt tip, three-pronged unique marker tip. It usually comes in just two or three shades, but does blend well on most people. It’s the perfect option if you’re growing in the start of your brows and want a more natural look than a powder, butter, or liner. It can be used alone, or with any other type of brow make up.

Additional Pointers

You might also be wondering, “How do I know which color or shade will work for me?” If you’re in my studio, we can try on any of the options that I retail to make sure you love the way it looks. However, if you’re on your own out in the wild (Sephora), it’s best to choose a color that’s closest to the darkest shade of hair on your head. You’ll also want to consider that some shades are cool and some are warm. You wouldn’t want to have a warm-toned brown brow with platinum hair, for instance. In this case, you’d want a cool taupe or raven shade.

A highlighter pencil or stick under the brow will make your natural arch pop. I like to outline the bottom of the brow with a highlighter pencil first, then fill in the brow, and blend at the very end. You can also use a highlighter alone, to give the appearance of a fill-in.

Only highlighter was used to style these brows.

Don’t be afraid to play around, practice, and have multiple products. You may want to use a liner to outline your brow, but a powder to fill in the body. There are no real rules, here, other than blend, blend, blend!