All about eyebrows

If you could go back in time and tell yourself one thing, what would it be? For me, the answer to this question is to go back to my 13 year old self, and tell her not to pluck her eyebrows. Seriously.

Growing up, I had luscious brows- very thick and substantial eyebrows. When I was a junior bridesmaid in my cousin’s wedding in my early tweens, I begged my mom to let me pluck my eyebrows for the wedding. I claimed I looked like Oscar the Grouch, and she caved, telling me I would regret it eventually. Perhaps I am romanticizing them, but this is my story.

And just like most things my mom insisted on when I was younger, she was right. As I got into my early twenties, I waxed my eyebrows every few weeks, and barely ever groomed them. To be honest, I don’t know how I gave such little care to my eyebrows back then, because now, they are my greatest focus. Eyebrows can make you look put together, even without a face of makeup.

Throughout the Spring when we were working from home, I rarely did my makeup. But the one thing I did do every day was to fill in my eyebrows. I take my eyebrows very seriously, and have definitely considered getting them micro-bladed, so that I don’t have to do my routine every day. But to be honest, that scares me, too! Although I have seen many wonderful results, I have also seen some that are far from my ideal brows, and I am just not willing to take that risk with the centerpiece of my face.

Over the last two years, I have found a couple of eyebrow products that have become staples in my daily routine, whether I put on makeup or not. It all started when I watched Katie Jane Hughes create the most gorgeous brows with a little pen. From there, I was hooked, and my eyebrows have never been the same since. Even two years ago, there weren’t many eyebrow pens on the market (pretty much just Ardell Stroke a Brow), but now that market is growing, I am riding that train.

More than anything, my absolute must-have eyebrow product is a brow pen, one that works almost like a liquid eyeliner pen or a micro-blade, and allows you to draw tiny strokes that mimic brow hairs. This is perfect to fill in your brows, to give them depth, or to fill in where your hair is sparse. I use this tool daily. There are three versions of this pen that I included below, but this one from Anastasia Beverly Hills is the best, in my opinion, for its super fine tip.

The key to using one of these pens are to use light pressure, make sure the tip of the pen is always pointing down for product flow, and use on clean, dry skin, prior to your skincare, otherwise the moisture prevents the pen from flowing. Fill in from the top of the brow, and then add in strokes below the brow as needed. You can see my full brow routine on my Instagram page.

I also want to note that I have tried multiple pens that look more like markers, with a tri-tipped pen. None of these work at the same capacity as the pens I included- they are thick, and it’s much harder to control three strokes than one single stroke.

If I want a thicker brow with more definition, then I will use a brow pencil to fill in my brows prior to using the brow pen. I really love this pencil for shading, because the point of the pencil is tiny. I simply draw under the bottom of my brows, starting from the inner corners and moving out towards the tail of the brow. I draw a faint line, and then fill in moving the pencil up into the thicker brow hair. This gives that micro-blading definition and shape the brow. It’s really a matter of preference, but these brows look more finished than without the pencil filler.

And then you want to lock those brows in place. To do this, I highly suggest a brow gel that will give you lasting hold. My personal favorite is from Blink Brow Bar, which is harder to find, but ultimately the best of the bunch- it gives a firm hold without getting crunchy. A close second for a thick hold is the Anastasia gel– this works almost like a hairspray. And finally, if you want less hold and more fill without the pencil, definitely try the Glossier boy brow. And if you’re looking for a one-stop-shop, then definitely pick up this set from Glossier, which includes the brow flick and boy brow for a great price.

Here’s a before and after of my own brows, using these products:

Definitely find what works with your eyebrows, but this combination is what works for me. And you might not need or want the same look every day. I always suggest you do what’s best for you, but this is how I achieve thick, framing brows every day.

*Please note that some of the links in this post may be affiliated links, which means I make a small commission off of any purchases. I have used and love all of these products.*