The Overarching Issue

Last week I caught up with Benefit’s Ambassador of Brows, Hilary Foote, to check out Calgary’s swanky new Benefit digs in Holt Renfrew, let her have a go at my untamed arches and ask her a few questions about the importance of brow maintenance.

I must preface Hilary’s answers by saying this woman is an eyebrow miracle worker. As soon as I heard about this event I just let me brows be, so by the time we met up they were looking a little worse for wear. I was a little bit concerned about having them waxed, as I had an unfortunate skin tearing incident last year, so we decided the tweezing would be the way to go for me. After assessing my brow shape needs, Hilary went to work and quickly and painlessly shaped my arches into geometric perfection. She then proceeded to show me the cosmetic tricks and tools to keep them that way. 

How important are eyebrows to a woman's (or man's) over all look?

I can’t even stress how important they are; your brows can completely alter the look of your face, that’s why it is so dangerous to mess around with them on your own. A properly arched brow can lift the look of the entire eye area, take years off your face and refine your look. Changing someone’s brows can be the biggest makeover a person can get in certain cases. It's funny you mentioned the guys, because we have quite a few that come in. With them, it's all about the perfectly imperfect brow and we have that down pat. Less wax for the, more tweezing so the lines aren't too crisp and they still keep their ruggedness.

Technically speaking, what is the difference between waxing and plucking?

Waxing can achieve the cleanest lines and is ideal for removing large quantities of hair in one step. Tweezing is ideal for the detail work and hairs that are too short to be waxed. At the brow bar we use both methods (unless, of course, someone objects to one or the other) for optimal results.

Do different face or eye shapes require different shapes of brows?

Yes, there is definitely an art to getting the right shape, but it’s not so much about face shape as much as eye placement. All of our Benefit gals go through intense training on how to properly measure where the brow should start end and arch based measurements we do, so no matter which Brow Bar you visit you will get the same result—the brow shape that is perfect for you.

Can you explain where a brow should start, end and where the arch should hit?

I think it’s always better to see a professional for your brow shaping needs, but if you are in a pinch the basic formula is as follows.

1.  To determine the start of the brow, take a pencil or thin stick (chop sticks work well!) and place it along the side of your nose.  Line it up from the edge of your nostril to the inside corner of your eye.  The top of the stick should now show you where your brow should start. 

2. To determine the highest point of your arch, take that same pencil/stick and line it up from the outside edge of your nostril to the outside edge of your iris.  The top of the pencil/stick should now show you where your arch should be.

3.  And finally, to determine where your brow should end, use the pencil/stick and line it up from the outside edge of your nostril to the outside corner of your eye.  The top of the pencil/stick should show you where your brow should end.

What do you think about the trend towards fuller brows that has reemerged over the last few years?

I personally love it. A fuller brow is very youthful and flattering on the majority of people. Just look at Keira Knightley with those strong brows, she is going to age very gracefully thanks to those beauties. I’m not sure that fuller brows are really a trend though, they do occasionally go out of favour, like in the 90’s when the really skinny Kate Moss brows were in style, but they always come back with staying power.

Speaking of the Kate Moss brows, What do you suggest for ladies that have over plucked and can't seem to grow their brows back in?

Well I think the most important thing is to accept that they aren’t going to grow back in. Of course, if the follicle is still alive, a little Rogaine can go a long way, but once it is gone it is gone for good. There are plenty of cosmetic options for enhancing the brows fullness that we can help people get acquainted with, but unfortunately less is more when it come to removing eyebrow hairs.

We talked about Miss Knightley already, but which celebs out there have killer brows in your opinion?

Love her or hate her, Lindsay Lohan has great brows, as does Kate Hudson. Hudson’s eyebrows are absolutely ideal for a blond. 

If you’re in the Calgary area stop by the new Benefit Brow Bar at Holt Renfrew Thursday, October 29 between 12 to 7 p.m. for free brow shaping, makeup touch-ups and samples galore (trust me, you want these samples). Anyone interested in getting their brows done for free can call the store at 403-269-7341 to book an appointment or just come by the store and sign-up. 

By: Meghan

Photo Credit: Benefit