Hello everyone, finally, I have one of the most requested tutorial of all time, my brow routine for you. In this post, you will find out what’s inside my brow kit, how I shape my brows and how I fill them in. I hope you enjoy this post as much as I have enjoyed editing the pictures, especially the one above.

If you are interested, the picture above is from one of the looks I did last year – all about the look here.

Expect a very long post ahead, I thought about breaking it into several parts but it wouldn’t make sense. I hope you find it helpful.

I shall start off with a little story about my brows.

I don’t go to any specific places to get my brows done, I do them myself. I started shaping my brows since secondary school and the shape of my brows have changed many times throughout the years. My aunty did my brows for me the first time, I can briefly recall, it was quite painful. I also had very thin brows at one point, almost like a line – I guess those were the days, isn’t it?

The shaping technique and products that I have been using for the past year or so, till today, are quite simple and straight forward. I am happy with the results so let’s take a look at what’s inside my brow kit.

BROW KIT

I have tried using eyeshadows, brow pencils, brow crayons to fill my brows in but I have pretty much settled on using powder products nowadays.

Although I love exploring with different products, be it skincare, makeup, haircare or body products, I am quite loyal to my brow products. I usually stick through one item until either it finishes or too old to use – say 2 years or so.

Products I use for filling in my brows includes;-

Le Sourcil de Chanel Perfect Brows in 20 Brun has been in my kit for about a year or more, I use it in every look on this blog and I use it on a daily basis. It looks like I have not used much because the powder is not powdery at all. I don’t know how to describe it but it’s hard – something like cake eyeliner or Shu Uemura Hard Formula Brow Pencil in a pot. Even when using a hard bristle brush, the brow powder doesn’t kick up a storm.

This product consists of 3 shades, from light to deep brown. As you can tell, I use the light brow the least but this shade is absolutely essential for feathering the tip of my brows.

If I remember correctly, this product costed me about S$100 and it is very expensive for a brow product. I didn’t ask how much it was at the counter because come on, how much can a brow product cost? Well, it costed me a bomb, I better finish it and it better be worth the price – screaming at myself for not checking the price.

I started using it the very next day until today. Is it worth S$100? I don’t know, there are plenty of products similar at a lower cost but I shall highlight a couple of great things about it.

1. Because the powder is not powdery, it allowed me to brush on the colour even after doing my makeup without worrying about fall outs.
2. I managed to utilise all three shades and they suited my hair and skin tone perfectly.
3. This product will last me forever.
4. Comes with a magnifying mirror and tools (brushes and tweezer).

After using it for such a long time, I do like it and it’s a staple in my kit. There are many brow kits out there, most of them comes with 2 shades. 2 shades are good enough, I feel that it’s not necessary to have 3.

SUQQU Eyebrow Liquid Pen R in 02 Brown (reviewed here) is helpful but it’s not an everyday product for me. I can leave home or go traveling without it. It comes in particularly handy when I need to fake fuller brows. The fine tip mimics our hair very well, creating natural-looking fuller brows. This product can also help to alter the shape of brows slightly.

Again, there are similar products out in the market but I am quite curious about the shade in green.

Urban Decay UrbanBrow Styling Brush and Setting Gel comes with a mini brush instead of a traditional spiral brush. Wende was inspired by the idea of “spraying hairspray on a toothbrush” trick. I started applying clear gel to my brows many years ago, I used to use a clear mascara to do so. MAC makes some really cool, tinted Brow Set and I have used up several tubes of Benefit Speed Brows which is also tinted.

I bought this to replace my previous brow gel and I fell in love with it. I wasn’t used to the mini brush at first but after I have gotten used to it, it’s amazing. The mini brush helps to diffuse the tip of my brows, making them look more natural and has more control in terms of shaping.

Applying brow gel can help brow powder/pencil last longer and brows look healthier instantly. This brow gel doesn’t create a shiny sheen so don’t worry. It gives the brows a polished look, keeping them neat and tidy all day long.

Application brushes includes;-

Laura Mercier Brow Definer Brush is my all time favourite brow brush. It’s synthetic but the bristles are soft yet firm. With this brush, I can achieve very soft and natural looking brows. This brush feels extremely gentle on the skin too.

Bobbi Brown Eye Brow Brush has been with me for the longest time, about 5 years? It’s very durable. The bristles are definitely a lot harder as compared to the Laura Mercier Brow Definer Brush. I like to use this brush for creating more define brows. This brush also picks up more colour.

Prior to filling in my brows, I like to use either MAC 204 Lash Brush or Louise Young LY22 Mascara Brush, both synthetic, to brush away any access foundation or powder. This also helps to tidy the brows. After filling in my brows, I comb through my brows once more to remove any access brow powder before applying the brow gel. The Louise Young L22 Mascara Brush didn’t originally come with a tilted brush, I bended it myself.

SHAPING GUIDELINES

I stick to a rather traditional way of determining where my brows start and end – the three-point system so to speak. I don’t follow exactly but roughly.

• Starting point: Place a brush straight up from either center of your nostril or corner of your nose. For those with wider nose, you may want to use the center of your nostril as a guideline. I usually take the middle of both points as a guideline as I prefer my brows to be slightly in front of my eyes so my nose look sharper after filling in my brows.
• Middle point: Also called the peak or mid-point, the arch. Depending on your face shape, adjust the peak accordingly. Please be careful, very high arches can make one look in shock or in a constant surprise. I keep a gentle arch although sometimes I draw them higher (depending on mood or look I am going for).
• Ending point: Use a brush to determine the ending point. Line brush from the corner of your nose to corner of your eyes.

That’s roughly how I gauge where my brows start and end. At the end, your brows should frame your eyes and compliment with rest of your features.

SHAPING TECHNIQUE

Believe it or not, I shave my brows. I used to have brows that were barely visible – hairs were too thin and light. You know what they say about shaving – shaving makes your hair grows back thicker and darker, and that’s exactly what I wanted for my brows. I have been using this technique for many years.

I kept my brows for about 1.5 to 2 weeks just for this tutorial and here’s how;-

• Ungroomed brows, needs shaping and trimming badly.
• Step 1 Remove access hair on top of my brows. As easy as this part looks, I had to be extra careful with the blade as I don’t want to accidentally shave away my brows or cut myself.
• Step 2 – 5 Brush brow hairs to the direction of hair growth – usually in the direction from nose to ears. This way, it’s easier to see where the access hair are and needs tidying.
• Step 6 – 7 Tilt my head back and start shaving inwards. I use the other hand to gently lift my brows to avoid cutting myself.
• Step 8 Brush brows once more.
• Step 9 Use a pair of small scissors to trim brows.
• Step 10 Use a pair of tweezer to do some finishing touches ie. hairs that I missed from shaving.
• Done, nice and neat.

FILLING IN THE BROWS

The way I fill in my brows are quite simple, using the Le Sourcil de Chanel Perfect Brows in 20 Brun.

• Step 1 – 2 Brush off any foundation or loose powder from brows and tidy brows for filling in.
• Step 3 – 5 I usually start filling in my brows from the bottom center to the end and back to the front with product that’s left on the brush. This will make brows appear more natural.
• Step 6 – 7 After filling in the tip of my brows, I go in with more product to define the arch and tail of my brows.
• Step 8 Lightly brush brows once more to remove any access brow powder.
• Step 9 Nicely filled in brows. You can stop here if you want.
• Step 10 I usually add a layer of brow gel to keep brows in place all day.
• Finished brows, looking tidy and polished.

I fill my brows in after applying foundation and setting with loose powder – usually before I start applying eyeshadows, blusher or lipstick. I like to adjust the intensity of my brows according to the looks I create. For example, if I have simple eyes with dark lips, I will go for a set of darker, sharper brows. On the contrary, if I have very dramatic eyes, I tend to go for a set of softer, lighter brows.

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Let me know if you have further questions regarding brow grooming. I am not a professional, a professional probably tells you not to shave your brows but the methods in this post have worked well for me.

Special thanks to Mak for helping me take some of the photos above. It’s so difficult to capture myself shaping my brows especially where I have 1 go at it.

Thank you for reading and thank you for being so patient.