My OMG! brow moment
Wed, 8 June 2011 8:37AM
Being a brow expert did not exempt me from having not-so-great brows in my 20’s. You see, being brow savvy was not part of my repertoire back then. Worse yet, I’m still haunted by these terrible brows thanks to the pics that still hang at my mum and dad’s place. Hmmm… on a side note, if you’ve got any tips on how I can convince my mum to update the photo gallery, I’d love to hear from you!
Like most of you, I’ve had my fair share of brow experimentation, so let’s take a mini trip down memory lane.
If the picture below is anything to go by, I was convinced having thinner, arched brows were quite sexy and sophisticated. This picture was taken when I first met my husband at the end of 2004 (sadly, he had to get cropped out so you could get a proper squiz at my brows.)
I still remember my reaction after seeing this pic quickly turning from Wow, what a cute couple we make, to OMG, where are my brows? They’re soooo thin! Gosh I wish I had them filled in. You see Primpers, my skinny brows were unflattering for a number of reasons, like the way they made my eyes look puffy and my face, much rounder.
Fast-forward to six and a half years later and I now sport a much fuller set of softly-arched brows (I may or may not have slightly enhanced them with a hint of brow powder here.) I’m not going to sugar-coat the agonising process I had to endure to grow them back, but gosh it was so worth it. I’ve been obsessed with them ever since. I love how they balance my face, draw attention to my eyes and at the end of the day, because they’re so close to their natural shape and thickness, they’re actually incredibly low maintenance.
After helping countless clients perfect their eyebrows, I’m truly convinced having beautifully groomed brows is every woman’s ultimate beauty asset.
So Primpers,
Do you agree with the above statement?
Which brows do you prefer on me?
Do you have an “OMG” moment to share? Spill…
Lien Davies (nee Bui) is our very own brow expert and all-round awesome person to have on your side. You can find her at Brows & Makeup.
Posted by: Lien Bui
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43 Comments
Posted by: sumaya Master Fan // Wed, 8 June 2011 09:23am
Thicker, well groomed brows do perfect any woman’s image. I have had a few oops moments like when the kids kept coming to me whinging and i got some wax on a few of my eyelashes lol.
Posted by: Karen-1298334769 Master Fan // Wed, 8 June 2011 09:34am
I had the same problem in my late teens of very thin eyebrows and they still dont look quite right.
Posted by: Emily // Wed, 8 June 2011 10:37am
Oh my dear god. Lien. You must be the brow genius behind Zoe’s brows (?) Your brows look AMAZING.
Posted by: loopylexy Master Fan // Wed, 8 June 2011 10:39am
During my teens my mum did my eyebrows and never let me have them thin- thank goodness for her, right?? Nowadays I do my own and keep them thick, so I don’t really have any major OMG BROW moments in terms of thickness. They’re a bit sparse though so sometimes I’m like WHY DIDN’T I FILL THEM IN!?! But oh well. It’s all about learning.
Posted by: Browsandmakeup Supporter // Wed, 8 June 2011 10:56am
Sumaya, I hope your lashes have grown back from that horrible experience.
.
Karen, you should learn to thicken them up with brow products. It takes minute to look better.
Emily, i was shocked to discover that Zoe and I shared the same skinny brow phase. Yes I’m super happy with how Zoe’s brows have shaped up. I’ve been looking after a her for a while now
You are one lucky gal Loopylexy!
Posted by: Coconal Master Fan // Wed, 8 June 2011 11:08am
Aw, I still think you look great in both photos.
Posted by: bluebird Master Fan // Wed, 8 June 2011 11:17am
I love your naturally voluptuous brows Lien!
In my twenties I insisted on too much makeup.
In my…ahem.. wiser years, I now know less(fiddling with brows or slapping on make-up) can be much more flattering.
Posted by: DebstarDesigns Master Fan // Wed, 8 June 2011 11:29am
I have to confess… I used to shave my eyebrows off so that I could draw them back on. Needless to say, they never quite grew back and I have to pay for my sins every single day.
Lien, your thicker eyebrows are to die for, I’d love to be able to grow mine back and have something as flattering framing my eyes *sigh*.
Posted by: louweeez Devotee // Wed, 8 June 2011 11:40am
hmm… i’m gonna say it – I don’t like the full thick brows trend. I think full & thick is too distracting and look like catapillers, I’m by no means an expert but shouldn’t brows blend and compliment rather than overpower? I like medium brows. Charlie Theron is my brow-muse.
Posted by: louweeez Devotee // Wed, 8 June 2011 11:42am
I also agree with Coconal – Lien you look gorgeous in both pics… Also the name change, does this mean you got hitched? Congrats!!!
Posted by: brookeemma Enthusiast // Wed, 8 June 2011 11:44am
my omg brow moment was reading all your and yasemin’s articles on primped about brows! I then looked at my unkempt brows (my excuse is that I have a fringe that covers them) and made myself a brow appointment asap. I am now SO thrilled… it was actually only a couple of days ago I had them done but I am so happy now, they frame my face so well and look great.
I have a question though – what do you think of brow tinting? I’ve got quite fair colouring and dirty blonde hair, should I be dyeing my brows a couple of shades darker than my hair?
Posted by: jacinta // Wed, 8 June 2011 11:58am
they do look much better! i hardly touch my brows. they are natural. i never even considered waxing because there would be nothing left of them! id be a thin line brow girl. however i have these annoying bits at the end ( closest to my nose) that seem to go the wrong direction, but i cant pluck them out because then the length of my brows is all off. suggestions? i hope that wasnt overly confusing!
Posted by: chelle7 Enthusiast // Wed, 8 June 2011 12:10pm
The new brows look amazing!
Posted by: katiekates Enthusiast // Wed, 8 June 2011 12:17pm
if you want your mum to update her photo gallery you could either 1) sneak into her house while she is out and do an extreme photo gallery makeover or
2) have lots of babies and give her lots of photos until she has no room or choice but to take down your old photos and replace them with cute photos of babies:)
I sympathise with you growing out your brows, my old housemate was trying to do that and she looked terrible. I think in the end she gave up, and still has her 3hair brows
Posted by: ErinG Enthusiast // Wed, 8 June 2011 12:28pm
Amazing eyebrows. Wait, forget the brows.. how did you manage to NOT age in 6 years?
Posted by: strawbsundae Master Fan // Wed, 8 June 2011 12:40pm
I do love the look of fuller brows!
Posted by: tegania11 Master Fan // Wed, 8 June 2011 01:33pm
lien I love your brows. I am currently on the hunt for a brissie brow specialist, but everyone I go to (after growing them out for about 6 months) still makes them too thin! its painful
Posted by: Kiwiana // Wed, 8 June 2011 01:54pm
I have spent a long time growing mine back and am now really happy with them. I even taught myself how to trim the tops of them by reading your posts, Lien. Thanks so much for that!
Unfortunately, I still have gaps that will never grow back in, but a combination of spoolie brush, MAC brow pencil in Lingering and various powder/wax compacts (my current is Clarins but I like the Benefit one too) keeps me looking as much like Elizabeth Taylor as I can! Now my hair is more brunette, I probably look better, but I did like the blonde hair / dark brow combo. Tres mystique!
Posted by: NatMon Master Fan // Wed, 8 June 2011 03:34pm
Thicker brows are the way to go. Your brows look amazing now!
Posted by: samuel Enthusiast // Wed, 8 June 2011 03:39pm
Definitely agree with the above statement, Brows can make or break you, I love how she stuck with her goal to get those beautiful full brows.
Posted by: MayaS Devotee // Wed, 8 June 2011 05:11pm
I’m like Tegania11, I’ve been searching in Brissie for an amazing eyebrow shaper within my budget but to no avail! I’m definitely a thick-brow gal though, I tend to let them get a bit unruly before I get them touched up!
Posted by: lala212 Enthusiast // Wed, 8 June 2011 06:14pm
I have brow envy! They make such a difference. Do my brows please!!!
Posted by: Tina-1291133452 Master Fan // Wed, 8 June 2011 06:19pm
your brows are so beautiful now! i think women look much more sophisticated with thicker brows!
Posted by: Bridals // Wed, 8 June 2011 07:11pm
I wish I could visit you, I always make a point to read anything you write and watch any video you post. Im in complete agreeance that eyebrows (either good or bad) have the biggest influenece on the face.
Posted by: beautybee1 Master Fan // Wed, 8 June 2011 08:12pm
I actually don’t think the thin eyebrows look bad but your fuller eyebrows do look good. Generally fuller eyebrows make a woman look younger I think.
Posted by: Browsandmakeup Supporter // Wed, 8 June 2011 09:15pm
Hey Primpers, first of all thank you sooo much for taking time out to leave a comment for me. Much appreciated!! so sorry about the blurry pic, I have been using my iPhone the whole day and didn’t realised the pic turned out that way. Just logged onto my laptop now.
Just before I continue to answer your questions I just want clarify something.
I LOVE ALL BROWS- thin, medium and full.
We’re all born with different shapes and thickness so it’s our job to keep them close to its natural state while having them ‘styled’ to flatter our face.
In my case, my thinner brows were almost half the thickness of my natural therefore it didn’t help my face at all.
Some women are born with signature brows eg, Camilla Belle therefore it would be a crime to change its thickness.
I forgot to announce that I’m now a married woman hence surname Davies. After 2 beautiful kids, we decided it was time. Thank you louweeez!!
louweeez – I love your comment and I total respect your opinion. Charlize Theron’s brows are amazing! she may need to fill them in a bit when she hits 50 yrs old because thinner brows tend to add years when you are older.
brookeemma – only tint if you have sufficient density in your brows otherwise it may enhance the sparseness. Best to shade it in with brow powder so it looks more blended and natural. Why don’t you try coloured brow mascara a few shades darker? best way to test how it looks on you before committing to tinting them.
jacinta- best to trim a bit of the unruly hair at the front of your brows. Check out my previous blog of brow trimming. NEVER pluck that hair because it will leave a hole in your brow.
katiekates – thanks for the advice because I can definitely overload my mum with my kids’ pics. I have been so busy I haven’t given her a framed pic of Anouk who’s now 20 months.
ering- thanks for the compliment! i guess its a myth about beauty sleep because I haven’t been doing the 8-hour sleep in the last 3 years.
kiwiana- I’m so proud of your trimming effort. I love trimming, it instantly transforms the brows.
lala212 – why don’t you come and see me!!
Bridals – many thanks for your comment. I will do my best to keep the blogs flowing.
Posted by: dellie Devotee // Fri, 10 June 2011 10:50pm
I kinda like a bit of both – somewhere in the middle would be good hehe. I’m dying to get my brows professionally done
Posted by: xKMS Master Fan // Tue, 21 June 2011 03:21pm
your brows are PERFECT! very jelous!! whenever i get my brows done they always say they have no arch and should be longer.. :/ lol but i fill them in.. hopefully they look ok!!
Posted by: chicklet Devotee // Mon, 27 June 2011 11:50pm
I actually don’t mind the brows in the first picture!
Posted by: Becca Master Fan // Sun, 3 July 2011 10:14am
Your after photo looks fantastic! I am too in the process of growing out my brows, I want them at a soft angle and even.
Posted by: RROZZ Enthusiast // Tue, 19 July 2011 05:35pm
You have beautiful lush brows but not all of us are endowed with thick brows. Mine are very thin but they were never thick to begin with so what can I do?
Posted by: PocketBabe Enthusiast // Tue, 19 July 2011 11:15pm
Wow love your brows, it makes all the difference to enhancing your face.
Posted by: PocketBabe Enthusiast // Tue, 19 July 2011 11:22pm
I have always tried to keep my brows on the thicker side, so I’m so glad that it is now the trend brows are following. My brows have always been on the sparse side, so if I did make them thinner, they’d just disappear! I just recently trimmed my own brows it was much easier than I though, of course it was made easier by having blogs to read and help me out.
Posted by: adriennne Enthusiast // Mon, 1 August 2011 04:04pm
The thick brows look fab on you! I went through a phase in my late teens of having next to no brows and it looked terrible. The pencil thin look is aging and too harsh on many people. I’m still looking for the perfect brow expert though, as mine are asymmetrical and very difficult to work with!!
Posted by: Rosie Posie // Thu, 4 August 2011 12:39pm
I love your thicker brows! I have always kept mine thicker thank goodness! My colouring is very similar to yours (I am half Filipino) and my biggest problem is finding a decent brow filler for my black eyebrows – any tips?
Posted by: zoeeangelaa Master Fan // Wed, 31 August 2011 10:19pm
Your brows are so beautiful now
Posted by: Sarah-Kate Supporter // Tue, 6 September 2011 09:25pm
Great brow, if only I could get mine to look like that.
Posted by: bree90 Enthusiast // Sat, 17 September 2011 01:00pm
Great brows, I think I need to visit the Benefit brow bar again!
Posted by: VivaLaVicki Devotee // Tue, 27 September 2011 05:05pm
Ah I love thick brows, you’re are perfection (of course).
Posted by: prudielou Enthusiast // Fri, 21 October 2011 05:02pm
Just saw this one and I am totally the same with my brows, mine are so fair that I look like an alien! I had mine professional tinted and shaped and it totes made me look like a different person. A OMG moment for sure! Brows really do shape your face!!!
Posted by: blueberry Newbie // Wed, 30 November 2011 11:16am
I think you look pretty with both thin and full eyebrows Lien
Posted by: Riche Enthusiast // Wed, 18 January 2012 04:51pm
I’ve got a round shape face, so I always stick to the ‘just trim the extra’ brow, thanks mom for the ‘oh so easy’ to shape, trim and maintain brow I’ve got.
There were once when my sister was so into having skinny brow, it went thinner every time I saw her, it was horifying.
But, now. everything is back to normal.
Posted by: Morning Star Enthusiast // Fri, 20 January 2012 10:17pm
I’ve always found it strange how eyebrows went through “trends”, but I’m definitely glad now that I never got on the super thin brow bandwagon; the idea of having to try and grow them back sounds like way too much effort for my liking! Beside the fact, of course, that I’d imagine that they’d look rather ridiculous on me!