It's all about the brows. Thick, full, natural — yes, even Brooke Shields-like — eyebrows are big for fall. "Brows frame your face," says Danielle LeBlond, aesthetician and "brow guru" at Product Apothecary, 7051 N. Oracle Road in Casas Adobes Plaza. "They help slim your face and can take years off your look. When your brows are done, everything falls into place."
And you didn't give them a second thought.
Product Apothecary boasts a new brow bar, which has tons of different products to tame and enhance along with shaping services. LeBlond and Product Apothecary owner Maria Martin offer their do's and don'ts for whipping brows into perfect shape.
Determine your brow shape
Use a stick — or even a makeup pencil — and place it against the side of your nose. By following this line straight up, you can see where your eyebrows ought to begin.
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Next, keep the stick's lower end against your nose. Move the top of the stick so it's lined up with the outer edge of the iris. Now you've found where the arch should be.
Again, keeping one end of the stick against the nose, line up the stick's far end with the eye's outer corner. This shows where the brow should end.
Shaping options
• First things first. "Leave shaping to the professionals," Danielle LeBlond says. "Do maintenance at home."
• Waxing ($22) is a popular option. LeBlond uses a honey-based hot wax, and, for those with sensitive skin, a cream-based wax.
• Another option is threading ($22) in which thread is used to shape brows.
• Brow stencils ($14-$20) make it easy to keep those arches sharp at home.
Expect salon visits every 3-4 weeks.
Must Haves
Powder or pencil. For fuller brows, it's best to use powder to fill in thin spots, while pencil is better for fine brows, Maria Martin says.
• Suggested products: Anastasia brow powder duo, $22, and Kevyn Aucoin Precision Brow Pencil, $24.
Spoolie brush. This looks like a mascara wand. After applying either powder or pencil, use the spoolie to blend the color and soften any harsh edges.
• Suggested product: Anastasia brow brush, $18.
Sealer. When it's hot, makeup can run, so using a sealer is a must after powdering or penciling brows.
•Suggested product: Model in a Bottle Longlasting Eyebrow Sealer, $16.
Highlighter. Using highlighter pencil under the brow — and then blending it gently with a finger — brightens eyes. "It just brings out the arch," Martin says.
"You can dab it in the inner corners to make your eyes look bigger," aesthetician Danielle LeBlond says.
• Suggested products: Anastasia Shimmer Highlighter, $21, and Anastasia Brow Duality double highlighter, $23.
Tweezers. Use them very judiciously. Over-tweezing is one of the deadly sins when it comes to brows. "Usually less is more," says Martin.
• Suggested product: Anastasia tweezers, $28.
Got gray?
Don't pluck. Instead, opt for tinting, which costs $10. It covers those stubborn grays and saves you from too-thin brows.
Where to go
Product Apothecary, 7051 N. Oracle Road in Casas Adobes Plaza, 615-1200; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays.
