Getting highbrow: how to look after your brows

Good morning, how are your eyebrows doing today? If you’re cringing, you’ve probably been promising yourself to get them sorted, along with clearing out the wardrobe and regularly washing make up brushes - in other words, what I call the long finger list.

For the life of me, I can’t understand some women’s laissez-faire faire attitude toward their eyebrows. They wouldn’t miss their weekly manicure or six week hair colour appointment, but when it comes to eyebrows….

Personally, I’d dinner on beans on toast or skip a blow dry to have a professional brow treatment. The transforming effect is unbeatable for giving your face balance in the most ‘can’t tell what’s different but you look terrific’ kinda way, and unless you’ve been living under a bush, you’ll know that big brows are having a moment. – It’s also one of the subtlest ways to improve your look, not to mention taking years off (brows thin as we age, ergo full on brows signal youthful good health).

Yes, yes, of course you can do it at home, but unless you have a degree in facial architecture, you’ll end up just tidying up the shape you already have – or worse, trying to reinvent it. So stop the messin’ and get yourself a professional brow treatment, trust me, you’ll never look back.

Someone who knows all about empowering your brows is Libby Ryan of Elysian Brows, whose brow pedigree is second to none, having trained with the definitive brow expert Anastasia Soare (look her up), Her shop in a tiny premises on Dublin’s Dawson Street proved so popular that she’s now relocated to a swanky new salon on South William Street.

Libby believes threading is the ideal method as it does not harm the delicate skin like wax can, achieving the perfect shape and lasts longer than tweezing. Her staff undergoes rigorous training and she stocks the last word in brow enhancing products with the Anastasia Beverly Hills range, previously impossible to get here, (the Matte Highlighting pencil being a frequent request by me when family or friends visited the US)

Elysian Brows.

Better Brows

TIPS

Overplucked? Try RiviaBrow Advanced €105– a wonder conditioning product applied every day for regrowing sparse, lack lustre brows

Slow growth? TLC Massage the brow area with deep circular movement to stimulate the follicle.

Bad shape? Anastasia Beverly hills Duo powder €28 to define and fill in gaps

Plucking at home?

Make sure to grab each hair at the base ensuring you pull the base with it. Slanted tweezers are best for getting the shortest hairs.

PRODUCTS

Eco tools Bamboo Lash and Brow Groomer. Great for achieving a natural finish when using blending wax or powder £2.87 amazon.co.uk

MAC Brow Set. The finishing touch for setting brows into shape. Comes in four shades including clear €17.50

Clinique Superfine Liner for Brows. You can literally draw in fine hairs with this precision pencil €15

Benefit Gimme Brow. Brush on gel with added fibres to easily build fullness and shape €24

Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Brow Lift Duo. Neat duo pencil with brow filler and under arch highlighter plus 12-hour staying power glides €25.50