The battle between the natural brow – groomed but low-key – and the Instagram brow – defined, polished, dramatic – has been playing out on social media for a while. Personally, I love a bold Instagram brow, since my eyebrows are naturally quite thick. This is how I get the look.
Step one
Begin by brushing your eyebrow hairs in the same direction. My eyebrows are difficult to tame, so just brushing the hair out with a spoolie brush allows me to see which parts have gaps that need filling. The e.l.f. Duo is a good buy – it has a spoolie on one end and an angle brush on the other (Superdrug, £4.50). Make sure to brush through your brows after every step, to really blend all the products in.
Step two
Just as you might prime your face and your eyelids to create a nice clean base, it makes a difference to prime your brows, too. I like to use the Benefit Cosmetics Browvo Conditioning Primer (Benefit, £23.50), because it prevents any subsequent product from sliding about.
Step three
I outline the natural shape of my eyebrows, extending a little on the end to bring the perfect arch for my face shape – but this varies depending on the natural shape of your eyebrows and face. I then use the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade (Anastasia Beverly Hills, £19) because it has a long-lasting finish. The creamy formula glides on and does not dry out. I use an angled brush, to create the thin, hair-like strokes at the front of your eyebrows.
Step four
To keep my eyebrow hairs in place, I use the NYX Professional Makeup Control Freak Eyebrow Gel (from Boots, £6). This has a really light texture, which feels like nothing once it is on and does not dry rock-hard. I then brush this out with a spoolie brush.
Step five
The final step to elevate your brows from natural to Instagram perfection? Concealer. This will cover any hairs you have not plucked and give a perfect shape to your brows. I use foundation to clean up the top of my brows, then apply a lighter shade of concealer underneath to highlight my brow bone and fake a tiny arch. I use the Vichy Dermablend SOS Corrector Concealer Stick (Boots, £15), for lots of coverage.
And always remember the eyebrow adage: they are not twins, they are like sisters. If your eyebrows aren’t symmetrical, don’t worry.
