Brows by Razia Israel I Photos by Monique Delport Photography I Face modelling by Iske, YAAAS’s editor.
Want get full polished brows without having to draw them on your face like a 5th grader? The experts shows us how – on my face!
As a thick-browed girl, I’m obsessed with all those absolutely perfect full polished brows all over my IG feed. Just one tiny problem: I have no clue how to get mine like that. And I NEEEEEED that, y’know?!
So I called in the help of a local brow expert named (Queen of Brows) Razia Israel. I bombarded her with all my burning bushy-eyed questions and I made her demonstrated all her tips on my face. I also had my FIRTS EVER brow shaping session to get me some full polished brows…
Firstly, say hello to Razia Israel, owner of Dvine Beauty Salon in Goodwood, Cape Town …
Razia was THAT little girl – the one who would show you how to shave your legs for the first time or make you do a makeover.
Today that little girl is the boss lady who helps women keep their brow game strong and their aesthetics on (from make-up to lash-lifting, microblading, massaging to waxing). You can find her HERE.
Q: First off, why are brows so bomb?
Razia: Brows are as unique as fingerprints. They are open to your individual style and personality.
It is also where your expression comes from.
That’s why animated/cartoon characters all have brows, even fruits and animals in animation, or we’ll never be able to tell how they are feeling.
Q: Can you get a full polished brow without makeup (simply by shaping or waxing your natural eyebrows)?
Razia: Natural Brows are beautiful if they are ever so slightly tidied up.
Filling in your brows with a brow powder, wax or gel, will give your brows a more polished look.
But remember, less is more or we’ll get back to looking like angry birds.
Here’s how my first brow session went down (scroll all the way down for a before and after!):
Q: What’s the key to a great 2017 brow?
A great brow is all about balance. Big Features, Big Brows. Small Features, Small Brows. Or we’ll be walking around looking like angry birds.
Q: What’s the best thing you can do for your brows?
Have them professionally shaped by a Brow Artist who’s work you have seen.
Look at their before and after pics and their reviews to make an informed decision. Get your FBI on.
Thereafter, you could maintain the shape yourself.
Helloooo full polished brows!
I have pitch black brows, so I was super hesitant to get my brows tinted, but it turns out, the tint slightly colours the skin behind your brow to create the perfect shape. No makeup needed. Not even snapchat’s brow makeup overlays upped the appearance of my full polished brows.
The sucky part is, the tint only lasts 2 weeks, but at least then you’ve got two neat little eye umbrellas.
CLICK HERE TO SEE RAZIA'S EXPERT TIPS ON GETTING YOUR BROW SHAPE RIGHT > >
How to get the best shape, thickness and length for your face:
There is a brow mapping technique which all good artists will follow, which is called the “Golden Ratio” or “Dvine Proportion”.
Without boring you all with maths, part of the process is to make sure that the body of the brow is twice the length of the tail. This ratio is aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
In addition, there is a four point system of measure which determines the start, the arch of the brow and where the brow should end.
How wide to pluck the space be between your eyes:
The (extremely) short answer would be to hold a ruler or any straight object like a thin pencil along the side of your nose through the inner corner of the eye (tear duct) and up against the start of the brow.
Now draw a horizontal line with an eye pencil or liner for both brows. Anything on the other side of that line can be removed.
Q: What’s the worst thing you can do to your brows?
I have to say the worst thing you could ever do to your brows is trying to shape your brows yourself for the first time.
I was a teen who did in fact tweeze her own brows for the first time herself, to oblivion I might add. Don’t do it girls.
Don’t let your bestie do it either, she probably knows as much as you do.
Hair, like a broken heart, never grows back the same. Your brow hairs WILL grow back, but scraggly, sparse, and pointing in all the wrong directions.
Just don’t.
Q: What’s the trick to shaping your brows without losing thickness?
Don’t.
Q: Any tips for girls with sparse brows to get those full polished brows?
I’ve said it before but will again for the cheap seats. Put down the tweezers.
Massage a drop of castor oil with your fingers onto your brows, EVERY night for at least 2 months. You could also apply what’s left on your fingers to the tips of your lashes and they will grow longer.
Brow powder, brow wax or gel is your best friend to fill in the gaps.
Use a shade lighter than your brow colour for a softer look or, you guessed it, angry bird again.
Q: What will brow trends look like in 2018?
I think that the fuller brow will be here for some time.
The IG brows (very defined, very dark painted on brows) are slowly making way for a more natural full brow that is just neatened and filled slightly if at all.
Want more?!
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