Since I didn’t get run out of town with the first blog post of Beauty Q & A with Mary, I will move forward with the 2nd question asked of me. Today’s inquiry is this:

Q. How can I keep my eyebrows in shape without having to get them waxed all the time?

A. Our lives seem to become more and more involved, even though we have everything we need, right at our fingertips. So, I get it. Who has time to be running to the salon every couple of weeks? Right?

If it seems as if the beauty gods have conspired against you and given you brows that are harder than average to manage, read on, as I break this down for you.

1. Bushy, Coarse, or Curly Brows. Thick and wild brows will need tamed just a bit before you start to shape them. Here’s what you do: Brush your brow hair straight up. Trim any hairs that extend way above the brow line. CAUTION: Do not trim these hairs even with the top of your brow line or they will be too short when they are brushed back into place, making them harder to control. Let them extend about 3/8 of an inch beyond the top of the brow. Also, bushy or coarse eyebrows should be treated just like you treat the hair on your head. Put a dab of conditioner on them to help style. OR, you can shape them by just wetting, then using a brow gel to hold in place. Hey! I know where you can get some of this stuff! *wink *wink

2. Sparse or Over plucked Brows. Perhaps your brows have always been naturally sparse. Or maybe you went a little crazy with your tweezers and now you’re left with brows that barely show at all or that have major gaps. If you’re not in the habit of over plucking, your brows may grow in again, although it can take several weeks. Or, the condition may be permanent. Either way, it’s not a hopeless situation. The quickest and least stressful way to shape this kind of brow is with a stencil. Or, you could just freehand it, if those digits on the end of your hand are steady as she goes. None of us want squiggly brows, right? When using a stencil, be sure to know which shape is most flattering to your face shape. Don’t just draw anything on there. Yikes! Position the stencil where it should be and fill in with either brow pencil (using short, hairlike strokes) or brow powder (which adds much-needed volume). You could even try pencil first, then add the powder for a more natural look. Memo: You will still need to tweeze any hairs that grow outside your brow line. Sorry…beauty can sometimes be painful.

3. A Sagging Brow Line. Unfortunately, gravity is a fact of life. Unless you spend days standing on your head, your brows will migrate south as you get older, along with the rest of your body. Talk about a difficult brow to shape!!! But…there is a remedy! Yep, yep! Simply hold the skin up and taut while applying your brow pencil or powder. When you let go, the brow will fall back into position and look natural. Also consider adding a higher peak to your brows. While you should definitely choose the best brow shape for your face shape and features, adding a higher peak will give some much-needed lift to your brow line. Just don’t get all Dark Knight on us.

So…beautiful brow people. If you want more of this (cause there is waaayyyy more, give me a shout-out in the comments, and/or, IM me. I look forward to your engagement with Q & A with Mary!