Great Eyebrows Can Be Yours

Eyebrows might seem rather inconsequential, but without them, you probably wouldn’t be you. Cover them up and take a look in the mirror. Suddenly, you’ve changed your entire appearance. The truth is, your eyebrows provide an important facial landmark that differentiates you from everyone else. They help you communicate more effectively and they also reveal things about you, from your age to your personal style.

Andrea Samra, owner and licensed aesthetician at Andrea’s Skin Care in Andover, has been helping her clients look and feel their best for more than 28 years. A big part of looking great, she says, is discovering the transformative power of a shaped brow line. “It’s a very unique and personal thing,” Samra says. “You know when it looks right — and you know when it doesn’t.”

That’s why she recommends professional shaping by a trained esthetician with ample experience who can identify your ideal shaping based on your brow bone, facial structure and eye shape. At Andrea’s Skin Care, waxing is the primary method used to clean and shape the brow.

Waxing is a semipermanent hair removal technique that removes the hair from the root, according to Samra. New hairs will not grow back in the waxed area for two to eight weeks. “Hard wax” is the usual choice at her salon. “It works ideally on all skin types, especially sensitive skin … . Although not considered permanent, some clients may see a diminishing of hair over time,” she says.

The waxing process is virtually painless. According to Samra, a client who is new to waxing can expect little to no discomfort. At most, you might feel a sensation akin to a Band-Aid being removed — and then, just like that, you have renewed look. “It’s an instant lift,” Samra says.

At Spa Nijoli & Salon in Methuen, stylist and licensed aesthetician Kelly Dolan-Fraden uses both waxing and the threading technique with her clients, but says threading, which involves wrapping a cotton thread around hairs and pulling, is more akin to tweezing and can cause that familiar, quick twinge of pain when the hair is removed. Some clients, she says, use other methods to achieve their best brows, including augmentation with cosmetic products.

“With eyebrows, sometimes you get what you get. Some of us are born with thin brows, light brows, or brows that don’t grow. Some of us have thick brows, coarse brows, or dark brows,” Dolan-Fraden says. “Sometimes your natural brow can create the shape you are looking for, and sometimes you just have to fake it — and that’s the fun part.”

At Spa Nijoli, the fake-out options are plentiful and include eyebrow powders, gels, pencils, stencils — anything you could ask for to create a perfect brow. “But it’s all matter of taste and what can be created with the eyebrows you have,” she says. “I’ve tried everything. What I’ve found is powder with a very thin, angled brush works best for me.”

Dolan-Fraden says an eyebrow gel in clear, taupe or brunette works well to keep hairs in place throughout the day, and that stencils are a way to achieve the eyebrow you want but don’t necessarily have. “You have to be careful to stay within the lines of your natural shape with stencils so you don’t look overdone or unnatural,” she says.

Finally, Dolan-Fraden recommends investing in an eyebrow pencil, which is designed to fill in sparse areas and add shape where Mother Nature hasn’t. Most come with a brush on the other end that should be used, she says. “When you feel like it might be too dark or harsh, just brush the excess away. Keep brushing and it will soften the look,” she says. The current trend is a thick brow, which is not for everyone, but these options can help stylize your look in that direction.

In the end, Samra and Dolan-Fraden both say natural is best, and that goes for shaping as well as brow color.

“The brow is really the most important thing on your face, and when you shape it well, it truly enhances your features and revitalizes your look,” Samra says.

Andrea’s Skin Care
Andover, Mass.
(978) 749-3161
AndreasSkinCare.com

Spa Nijoli & Salon
Methuen, Mass.
(978) 682-9772
NiJoli.com