A Complete Guide to Filling Your Brows

When it comes to making up your face each day, you must never underestimate the power of a great eyebrow. "Eyes are the first feature we notice, and eyebrows are the frame to our eyes," brow guru to the stars Anastasia Soare explains. "You can really enhance the youthful look of your eyes with perfect, full eyebrows." Honing in on a good shape is a start. But knowing how to enhance your arch is equally as important. Soare gave us her expert techniques for filling your furrows to perfection.

For starters, it's important to know which type of product is best for each type of brow. "For clients with fine hair or sparse brows, I would choose a brow pen or marker over a pencil or powder due to its light weight and longer staying power,” Soare says. Try: Anastasia Brow Pen Long Wearing Brow Tint.

Brow powders give sheer to medium coverage and are ideal for someone who wants to build up brows. Try: Lancôme Le Crayon Poudre Powder Pencil for the Brows, which looks like a pencil but behaves like a powder. Meanwhile, brow pencils will give the most dramatic look, but should be used with caution for those with oily skin due to their tendency to make brows appear waxy. Try: Maybelline Define-a-Brow Eyebrow Pencil.

For the most natural effect, go for the foolproof option of brow gel, which gives brows just a hint of color while setting hairs in place all day. Try: Lancôme Modèle Sourcils Brow Groomer.

When selecting a shade of filler, the ideal brow product depends on your natural hair color and any chemical coloring you may use. "Normally I recommend that a client’s brows be about one shade darker than the color of the hair to add balance and proportion to the face,” Soare says. But when it comes to brunettes, stick with a brow hue that's one to two shades lighter than your hair so the brows don't look too heavy or unnatural.

Armed with the tools and color know-how, it’s time to move onto technique. For the most natural finish possible, Soare suggests applying your product of choice using short strokes directly into your brow hairs. For the most defined brow, Soare recommends using a brow pen to outline your brows or to create a bolder shape of your choosing, and then applying a powder or pencil on top while blending it into the hairs. When using a powder, apply with an angled brow brush to prevent overfilling. Try: MAC 208 Angled Brow Brush.

As for Soare’s number-one brow tip: “Never leave the house with naked brows. You don’t leave without mascara, so don’t leave without at least pencil or brow gel. Well-kept brows will pull anyone together in one minute, and that to me is worth it!”

 Photo: Getty Images