Much as we love actor-comedian Jack Black, not many would consider taking beauty advice from him. But the man knew what he was talking about when he said, “You must never underestimate the power of the eyebrow.” For many, eyebrows are probably the most undervalued feature of the face. This despite the fact that well groomed brows can give you an instant face lift in a matter of minutes. Brow fetish has existed in different cultures since time immemorial. In ancient Greece the unibrow was considered a sign of beauty and intelligence; those who weren’t naturally endowed would use kohl to fill in the gaps. Women in the 19th century carried Chinese boxes that contained a black hue they could use to quickly touch up their brows on the go. Tweezers were even found in the tombs of the Pharaohs.

“Eyebrows make all the difference. When doing your eyes up, make sure your brows are perfect to complete the look,” emphasises Meeta Awatramani, training manager, Clarins India. “Most Indians are lucky enough to be blessed with naturally beautiful brows that need only a bit of maintenance,” she adds. Celine Cortinchi, Spa therapist, Jean-Claude Biguine, Mumbai, cautions against blindly experimenting with shapes that might be trendy for a particular season or look good on a certain celebrity but don’t complement your face shape. Ideally, your eyebrows should be in proportion with the rest of your face. If you have larger, more prominent facial features, sticking to fuller brows is best as they will balance the face and be a lot easier to maintain. If you have petite features your eyebrows should be more subtle.

“Eyebrows should be well balanced. Neither too thick nor pencil thin. In general, the length of brows should be longer than the eye length. Brows slanting upwards can make you look angry, so be careful not to take off too much at the outer corners and avoid arching them too much,” cautions Dr Apratim Goel, owner Cutis Klinic and dermato-consultant, L’Oréal Paris.

It is advisable to go to the same beautician who has previously shaped your eyebrows. “Avoid going to different salons to try out different beauticians as each one tends to shape differently which eventually leads to thinning your eyebrows and having an ill-defined shape,” says Christiaan Georgio of the Christiaan Georgio Hair & Beauty Salon, Grand Hyatt, Mumbai. Threading is the best option to shape your brows as it is hygienic, practical and convenient, advises Awatramani.

“Most Indian clients prefer threading. However, some international ones like to wax their eyebrows. Tweezing is done only in certain cases where there is in-growth or the eye lids are set too deep near the inner corners of the eyes. Overall, threading gives the best results in terms of shape, opines Georgio. But if you have a flat brow, ask your dermatologist for botox injections to give you a natural arch, a process referred to as chemical brow lifting. Once your eyebrows are set, you could maintain them by tweezing out the extra growth. Get them professionally shaped at the salon at least once in two weeks. Applying calamine lotion or ice is advisable to avoid redness. “The Clarins Beauty Repair Concentrate soothes any inflammation and prevents breakouts near this sensitive area,” says Awatramani. If you have sparse brows, a quick home tip is to rub in a mixture of rum and castor oil every night to increase growth.

Arched Perfection
	Kajol – The first Indian actress to make the unibrow famous, she started a trend with her bushy brows.
	Megan Fox – Has eyebrows that are well defined and perfectly arched.
	Frida Kahlo – This Mexican artist set herself apart with her exaggerated unibrow.
	Shilpa Shetty – Her brows, like the rest of her appearance, are elegant and sophisticated.
	Elizabeth Taylor – A classic beauty, she was known both for her violet eyes and her signature eyebrows that were dramatic, thick and perfectly arched.
	Brooke Shields – This stunning model-actress became as famous for her full brows as for her acting abilities.

Little Brow Book

• Jean-Claude Biguine, 68 Chapel Road, Bandra West, Mumbai. 022 65222211
• Christiaan Georgio, Grand Hyatt Mumbai, Off Western express highway, Santacruz East, 022. 66761216
• Esprit Spa & Salon, Le Royal Meridien, Sahar Airport Road, Andheri (East), Mumbai.

Subscribe to Verve Magazine or buy the Verve issue on stands now!