Eyebrows, the oft-forgotten underdogs of beauty care, are finally getting their fashionable comeuppance. The Spring/Summer 2012 runways, from Derek Lam to Erdem, saw the return of the bold and bushy brow. Before we retired our tweezers—even temporarily—we chatted with Jessica Lloyd, brow and lash stylist at Yorkville’s Mnyc Lash Lounge and Brow Bar, for
beauty tips on how to groom the perfect brow. Hint: Patience is key to growing in brows—and resisting the urge to pluck.


Brow beauty tips #1: No brow is left behind.

We’ve all had that overzealous experience with a tweezer and a car mirror. Before causing any more damage trying to even out brows, get yourself to a professional. “The number one biggest problem we see is people who have overplucked, especially when they were younger,” says Lloyd from the pink-and-white-decked walls of the brow bar, which opened on 104 Yorkville Ave. in September. “We have a lot a lot of clients who are in brow therapy,” she adds, laughing.

“A lot of people think they can do it themselves or they go somewhere and have a bad job done, and for whatever reason, they just think there’s no hope. But we coach people along and talk them through it.” A brow expert sticks along through the hard times of letting brows grow out, strategically trimming the necessary hairs while filling in sparse gaps with brow pencils and concealer, or a brow tinting to define growing hairs.

Brow beauty tips #2: No two brows are alike (not even your own).

“We always say your brows are sisters—not twins!,” says Lloyd. A brow should be perfectly tailored to frame each eye, she adds. The two will function as one perfectly matched set of brows if shaped properly. For brow shaping, the Highbrow treatment ($25) begins with a consultation with a brow stylist to determine best shape and style. “We measure the starting point of the brow, the highest point of the peak, and the end of the brow,” says Lloyd, who will then mark the points with a pencil before threading, waxing or tweezing brows into shape. An aloe vera and tea tree oil cooling treatment is applied immediately after, followed by a finish with concealer and brow powder. “We don’t want you to leave looking like you just had your brows waxed!”

Click here for best brow looks from the Spring/Summer 2012 runways.

Find out some great beauty tips for styling your brows for every season on the next page…

00-Derek-Lam-bks-A-RS12-5607edit.jpgBrow beauty tips #3: Don’t pluck according changing brow trends every season.
As you would with makeup or hair styling, chat with your brow stylist beforehand to see what suits your face. “We talk to all of our clients and see what their lifestyle is like: Do you want a glamorous look or a more dramatic brow? Do you want a more natural brow?” says Lloyd. “And then we actually measure the face.” There are specific measurements, like where the brow should start—in line with the dips in your nose. Determining where the brow should end and the highest point of the arch should be discussed in the pre-grooming chat.

Some face-studying helps too: “Look in the mirror and see what you like about your brows, what you don’t like, what you would like to change,” Lloyd says. The important thing is to become familiar with the proportions of your face and measurements of your brow. “Brows are so important because they frame your face, your eyes. A different style of brows can make you look older or younger,” she adds. “You want to be on trend but not too trendy so that next year you don’t have to go through the whole growing process again to redo your brows.”

Brow beauty tips #4: No brow (or bro) is immune to some TLC.
Think of your brows as the best accessory for your face (men, this includes you). The lounge offers the strategically named Bro Job ($25) for gents in need of brow tweaking. For both men and women, brow maintenance can be scheduled every three to four weeks, or whenever that insuppressible urge to pluck arises.

To find out more about the brow experts, visit myncbeauty.com.

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