BEAUTY TIP | How to Fill In Your Eyebrows (& why you should!) + #LetItShine Link-Up

Back when I was in high school, I got a part-time job as a “Guest Services Representative” at the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon & Spa in Reston, Virginia. I was at the point in my life where I was kinda-sorta exiting the really awkward phase of my life and beginning to “come into my own,” if you will. I was learning about makeup and learning about hair and learning about, well, taking care of myself. Because up until that point, all I knew about makeup was slathering on a big thick layer of blue Wet N’ Wild eyeshadow and a heavy coat of Vanilla Lip Smackers. Needless to say, it was not a good look.

Anyway, when we’d have downtime at the salon, I would always go over to the makeup counter and play around with the makeup. Our makeup artists would teach me tricks that I could do myself at home and let me practice. But, one of the most LIFE CHANGING, mind-blowing makeup tips I ever learned was about filling in your eyebrows.

This was a completely foreign concept to me! I had never had my eyebrows waxed or shaped. I’d completely ignored them. And, they were a hot mess. Thick, but also thin (if that makes any sense). Unkempt. And just not doing me any favors.

Well, I had them waxed for the first time and that in and of itself made me say, “OH MY GOSH! THERE’S MY FACE! I had no idea I had all that face underneath those eyebrows.” And then, from there, I learned how to “fill in” my eyebrows.

If this is a concept that you are well aware of, do right now, are totally comfortable with, and you are rolling your eyes at me saying, “Okay Molly, this is like the most rudimentary makeup tip ever.” Then feel free to move on… come back tomorrow. 🙂 BUT, if you were like me and had no idea the effect that grooming and filling in your eyebrows can have on your overall look, then keep reading!

When I first heard the term “fill in your eyebrows,” I immediately thought of those women who have like the pencil thin, literally “drawn on” eyebrows that you see at clubs or whatever and I was terrified. No, that is not what we are doing here.

Anyway. I am rambling. So, let’s get to it and I will show you a couple ways that I fill in my brows and the effect that it has on the shape and look of your face!

First, let’s get the brows under control. If you’re like me, then you wake up in the morning and your eyebrows are all over the place. *I will also state that I am, currently, in desperate need of an eyebrow wax… Haven’t had a moment to go in a few weeks… so, just ignore the stray hairs. K? K. 

Milani Brow Shaping Clear Wax ($4.49)

I absolutely LOVE the Milani Brow Shaping Clear Wax pencil. I started using it a while back and it totally gives the high-end, expensive stuff a run for its money. It may even be better. It’s basically just a clear, stickyish wax that you brush across your brows to keep all the hairs in place. I do this step first. I like it better than clear mascara because I always feel like clear mascara dries crunchy. This stuff doesn’t dry crunchy.

Now, there are two methods that I use to fill in my brows. I’m going to first show you the method that I have actually been using for over 10-12 years. Yes, I have been doing my brows pretty much the same way for over a decade.

Bobbi Brown Boar Bristle Eye Brow Brush ($27) | Bobbi Brown Matte Eyeshadow in “Blonde” ($22)

This way is definitely the pricier of the two ways, but it is the way I am actually most comfortable. It’s an investment up front, but not in the long term. I got this Bobbi Brown Boar Bristle Eye Brow Brush at LEAST 10 years ago. It wasn’t $27 at the time… probably like $20 or $22, but still. I’ve used the same brush all that time and it has held up all these years. I love the boar bristles because they are rough and get the hairs in place… it works very much like a spoolie (spelling?).

Then, I take a matte brown eyeshadow from Bobbi Brown in the color “Blonde” (I went to the makeup counter and they matched an eyeshadow to my skin and hair color). Again, I’ve been using the same color for over 10 years. I replace the actual eyeshadow about once a year, maybe once every 18+ months. So, you can see how the $22 goes a long way.

Then, I basically dip the eye brow brush into the eye shadow, tap off the excess, and then brush it through my eye brow. I also love the brush because it is angled and fills in each little hair really well. If you are interested in going this route, I definitely recommend the brush for sure, but I would also recommend going to a makeup counter to get matched for the right color.

So, this is the before and after with the Bobbi Brown method… I have a full face of makeup on, but in the left picture my eyebrows are not groomed or filled in, and in the right picture, they are groomed and filled in. Again, they need to be waxed, but we will let that part go for now.

You can see what a huge difference it makes. Not that the left picture is bad per se, but my eyebrows are pretty much non-existent.

Next is a more common method, but actually a method that’s newer to me. I know there are a TON of high-end brow pencils that cost an arm and a leg, but I love Milani products and decided to give the Easy Brow pencil a try and I really love it.

On one end you have the spoolie for grooming and the other end you have the color pencil. It’s really creamy and fills in the hairs nicely.

Milani Easybrow Pencil in Natural Taupe ($4.99)

I basically just take really short strokes and lightly fill in the hairs in my brows. You want to start small and build up. You can ALWAYS add more color, but it’s harder to fix when you’ve done too much. I then use the spoolie to even it all out.

And here is the before and after with the Milani brow pencil. So, you can see the before with nothing in my brows on the left, and the after with them filled in on the right.

And here’s a side by side comparison of what it looks like with the Bobbi Brown shadow / brush vs. the eyebrow pencil. Both give me a similar, yet different look.

In all honesty, my favorite and preferred method is my tried and true Bobbi Brown brush and shadow. But, the brow pencil method is definitely growing on me. But, as you can see, filling in your brows really makes such a HUGE difference in the overall shape and appearance of your face.

If I’m running out the door and I have no time to put any makeup on whatsoever, I AT LEAST make sure my eyebrows are filled in. Seriously. I NEVER leave home without my eyebrows filled in. I even sometimes skip mascara (RARE, but it does happen). But I never skip filling in my brows. It takes literally 10 seconds and makes a world of difference.

So, what about you? Do you fill in your brows? If so, what’s your favorite way? Are you someone who was like me and knew NOTHING about filling in your brows and I just totally blew your mind? Bahaha! Sound off in the comments below!

Welcome to Let it Shine!   Welcome to the new, revamped Funday Monday! After two years, we decided to rename our link up to something we felt was a better fit.  Welcome to Let it Shine! Why the name? Because, we want this link up to be just that…..your chance to let it shine! We will be sharing our favorites each week here, and on social media!

The biggest change? Monthly Inspirations!  Each month we will share some fun post ideas, one for each week. Do you HAVE to follow the inspirations to link up? Absolutely not!  If you’d like to be considered for a feature, those will be picked from the inspirations.

Now, check out the August lineup! 

Last week, we talked about eats, and we got some GREAT ideas! We’ve both filled our weekly menus with new options thanks to y’all! Here are a few of our foodie favorites:/Balsamic Cherry Sauce / Oreo Balls

Another place we will be showcasing our favs? The Let It Shine Pinterest Board! We will also be posting ideas for the weekly themes….so be sure you’re following!     Linking up to Let it Shine? Don’t forget to link back to our blogs or share our button, thanks y’all!