Fashion notes: the ups and downs of eyebrow sculpting

It hasn’t always been pretty, relentless maybe – unwavering. Regardless, our fascination with the brow has certainly caused much deliberation. From Nefertiti (one of the original bombshells) with her dark, arched brows to the 17th-century women who wore brow wigs from mouse hide to the fascinating return of the “power brow”, there has certainly been much to talk about. So why all the fuss over something so insubstantial? Something that’s fundamental purpose is in preventing sweat and other debris from falling into the eye.

Perhaps, like many things that we write off as trite or unimportant, there’s a little more to the Ferris wheel than a simple exterior manifestation of beauty.

It wasn’t until the 1940s that brows grew thicker (one guesses that there were more important things to do than drawing on one’s face before then), paving the way for Dior’s New Look. Coined by Audrey Hepburn, the look demanded a thicker, more manicured line that was to become a trademark of many 1950s sirens. Before that, out of necessity in the silent-film era, actresses such as Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo painted pencil-fine arcs quite high on the face to enable better facial expression – a way in which to convey heightened emotion without sound.

Aside from the 1960s, when an over-plucked arch was in full swing, and briefly in the 1990s, when Kate Moss adorned the cover of The Face with brows as thin as her collarbone that only seemed to heighten her girlish vulnerability, the big brow hasn’t left the stage.

The coat hangers of the face really made their mark in the 1980s. Think of Brooke Shields (of the “Brooke brow”), with her caterpillarlike decorations, or Madonna, who according to her make-up artist, Debi Mazar, refused to let anyone near her untamed brows. Both women who like to pack a punch. Perhaps big brows are a way to show the world we mean business.

So what if you are a bit thin up top? Well, don’t fight nature entirely. It’s important not to overdo the depth and colour, as it will only overpower the beauty of your own eyes. Try to find a model of resistance, some sort of a balance; a place that you’re comfortable in.

Flip your tweezer (try Tweezerman Slant tweezers) upside down so the open end is pointing downwards, and place it vertically alongside the outer edge of the bottom of your nose. This is the spot where your brow should start. Again, using the length of the tweezer, angle it across your pupil as this will mark the highest point of your brow – the place in which the arch should be highest. Finally, take the pencil out towards the outer corner of your eye, as that will mark the end of the brow.

Before plucking, use a white eyeliner pencil to draw the desired shape of your brows as a guide. Once you have managed to get the basic shape, choose a pencil that matches your natural hair colour, and apply in fine, feathery strokes. Tom Ford’s Brow Sculptor is the make-up artist’s choice – it has an angled tip, so that you can make natural-looking, hairlike strokes. To get a fuller brow, brush the thickest part of your brows upwards, near the inner corner, and brush with a tinted brow gel.

Tread carefully, for it’s easier than you think to get carried away, ending up with a sort of rabbit in the headlights look – a constantly surprised expression drawn on by indelible marker. Nobody wants a straggly pale mouse brow either – heaven forbid that any of us look exactly like we’re meant to.

[ ktrotter@thenational.ae ]