Everyone has a brow story to tell. Some are blockbusters from the beginning – Cara Delevinge I’m looking at you, while others are better compared to a horror story; wait until you read mine. Eyebrows, just like our haircuts and fashion sense, change with our age, style and a big one: the trends; and let’s be honest, most of us have got it wrong at some point or another. But we’re big believers in learning from our mistakes at Escentual, so we’ve pulled out the throwback photos we’ve kept under lock and key for so long, to share our brow stories with you. Prepare for over-plucking and a few errors of judgement, but most importantly, a few lessons…
Ceryn, Communications Editor
“I would tell my younger self… put the shaver down, Ceryn!“
What’s your brow story?
My brow story is short and ironically, so were my brows. At around age 13, I decided that it would be a good idea to use my friend’s razor to give my brows a trim. It wasn’t a good idea. I had no clue what I was doing and ended up shaving off the start of my eyebrow; and what’s worse, I then shaved the other side to match. Eyebrows should be sisters, not twins, but mine ended up being arch enemies (excuse the pun).
I learnt a valuable lesson that day: leave the waxing and tweezing to the experts and never, under any circumstance do you put a razor anywhere near your eyebrows. Since then, I’ve had one brow mission: grow them back!
How have your brows changed over the years?
My eyebrows have been on a journey. After going rogue with the shaver, I spent much of my time trying brow products to find one that would make my brows look ‘normal’ again. My makeup skills at that time weren’t up to par to make that happen, and my eyebrows always ended up looking blocky and overdrawn; my dad used to call me Groucho Marx, which tells you everything you need to know.
I didn’t pluck or tweeze my brows after ‘that’ incident, which was the best thing I could have done; going cold turkey gave my brows the breathing space they needed to grow back. But it wasn’t without a little help; the Rapid Brow Eyebrow Enhancing Serum had a big part in helping restore my brows. I had my reservations about this product before I tried it, but I had nothing to lose – my brows couldn’t get worse after all. Luckily, it paid off and I truly believe this serum not only sped up the regrowth process but made them come back thicker – a happy ending after all!
What are your brows like now and what’s your holy grail product?
I’ve never been happier about my brows than I am now. They’re full, fluffy and complement my face shape well. Because of this, my brow routine nowadays is pretty pared back. After all, I’ve worked hard and resisted tweezing for so long that I want to show them off now!
On a day-to-day basis, I tame my brows with the GIVENCHY Mister Brow Groom. My go-to is the transparent one; I love how it’s so mini (it lasts forever and a day despite this), can be applied without a mirror and it sets my brows like nothing I have ever tried before. Seriously, when you put this on your brows, they won’t move, which is excellent for low maintenance girls like me, and even better if you spend a lot of time filling in your brows and don’t want them to budge. A setting gel may seem like an unnecessary step to some but trust me, once you brow set you’ll never go back and neither will your brows.
What’s your top brow tip?
Brush through your brows. It seems simple, but this easy trick is a great way to give your brows extra dimension and also ensure they’re not clogged up with product.
Jade, Merchandiser
“I would tell my younger self… step away from the tweezers!“
What’s your brow story?
I’ve gone from overly thin to overdrawn thick brows. When I first discovered tweezers, I overly pucked my eyebrows and left no shape other than straight. I’ve always had quite fair hair and looking back at old photos; you can hardly see my brows. They were non-existent. Then I discovered makeup, and I used to buy any brow product I could find, no matter the shade. This is when my eyebrows took on a life of their own but not in a good way. I used to draw them on heavily, and they ended up looking square and blocky.
How have your brows changed over the years?
In my teenage years, tweezers were my holy grail. I used to be quite obsessed with keeping them completely plucked even when hairs only started to grow back slightly. After all those years plucking away my eyebrows, they have been entirely different shapes. My left eyebrow has never fully grown back compared to my right. It was when thicker eyebrows became more popular that I decided to ditch the constant tweezing, grow back my eyebrows and start using brow products. However, I think I got a bit carried away with needing them to be the exact same shape, which resulted in me using way too much make up.
In the past few years, I have come to realise that the more natural your brows look, the better. I ditched the dark brow powders and discovered that using a combination of a pencil and ink creates that more natural look. However, my priority for maintaining my brows is always to use a brow brush. It is fair to say that my brows have been on a complete rollercoaster ride.
What are your brows like now and what’s your holy grail product?
After having incredibly thin brows to then very thick eyebrows, I can finally say they are back to normal and are the best they have ever been. By leaving my brows to grow naturally, it has brought them back to life. I have recently discovered the Urban Decay Brow Blade, and it has genuinely changed my brows. It offers the same results as micro blading by achieving full and defined brows. This product allows me to sculpt and create that perfect arch. I assure you, once you try Brow Blade, you will never look back – I haven’t.
What’s your top brow tip?
To not overly use products on your brows. Natural is the way forward.
Chelsey, Campaign Editor
“I would tell my younger self… Embrace stray brow hairs, they’ll become beautiful arches!“
What’s your brow story?
My brow story started when my older sisters’ did; I’m not sure why, or how I thought her ‘brown with a hint of red’ eyebrow pencil would be a good match for my blonde hair, but as she was my makeup idol, I trusted anything she used to use, even bright pink blusher.
Growing up in the ’90s, if you didn’t have stick thin brows, you weren’t in the cool crowd. I remember pleading with my mum to let me get them waxed, and although she’d say no, I’d still steal her tweezers and craft a pretty terrible shape that resembled No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani circa 1990 (another idol of mine). That’s when my sister, Kendall sat me down and put the world to right’s with the do’s and dont’s of shaping eyebrows, and woah; am I so glad that she did.
How have your brows changed over the years?
Firstly, I’m going to start by saying I’m so glad the thin eyebrow trend has died a death, I really hope it never comes back. My teen brows started as thin lines, then by my late teens, I upgraded to unequal arches. When I got to uni, I ditched the pencil and started experimenting with new powder and gel textures, which I’d say was fun, but maybe not successful. My brow story ends with a strict grooming routine. I believe the bigger and bushier, the better; a natural look is way more flattering. Now in my twenties, every 6 weeks, I go to see a brow technician, Celyn who is amazing at keeping my hairs and strays in check.
What are your brows like now and what’s your holy grail product?
I would definitely say I’m having my best brow moment to date, and it’s all thanks to grooming, minimal plucking and less product. There are two products that I now feel naked without; Benefit’s Precisely My Brow in 2.5 and Gimme Brow in 2. Together this dream team bulk out and create brow hairs I didn’t even know existed, without looking overdone or feeling like I’ve sprayed hairspray through them. If you struggle with your shape, this duo makes creating fake hair strokes and filling in sparse areas easy. Just take a look at the Benefit Brow Try On Tool to see for yourself.
What’s your top brow tip?
Always go one or two shades lighter when choosing a shade for your brows. By filling them in, you’re already creating a darker area, so this is essential to keep front of mind if you want a natural look.
