Even as we move away from the super-thick eyebrow trends of a few years ago and move toward a more natural brow, there’s no denying that brows are still a major focal point of our makeup routines. The brows frame your face and can do so much to enhance your look. At the same time, many women over 40 and 50 are struggling with a contrasting reality: their brows may be getting thinner and sparser and it has become more difficult to get them to a place where you want them to be. If you’ve ever spent a significant amount of time tweezing your brows, say in the nineties or aughts when a thin brow was all the rage, you could also be confronting the sad truth that plucked brows don’t always grow back.
That’s when a great eyebrow-filling hack comes in to save the day.
Beauty and makeup experts have a number of amazing tricks that will help you boost your brows and make them look thicker and fuller. Here are some of the best eyebrow-filling hacks for women over 40 with sparse and thinning brows.
Use The Right Tools
For starters, you will need two tools: a spoolie and a micro brow pencil with a very fine tip. Before you begin your makeup routine, you may want to consider getting your brows professionally shaped just once if it has been awhile since you’ve shaped them. This will allow you to see the natural line of your brow more readily so that you can fill in sparse areas but keep them looking natural. Brush your brows up with the spoolie. Choose a brow pencil that comes in a creamy formulation that’s easy to blend out and a shade that’s as close to your natural brow color as possible. Try not to go too dark (it’s always better to go a little lighter) to avoid looking harsh, especially in the daylight.
Connect The Dots
Remember connecting the dots as a child? One of the best eyebrow hacks will hark back to this concept. Find the outer tail of your brow and place one dot with your brow pencil slightly above the tail (this will provide a more “lifted” look). Next, find the arch (highest point) of your brow and place a dot above this areas, as well. Now go right below that part of the brow and place another dot. Don’t go too low or you’ll pull the brow down. Finally, place a dot right above the innermost portion of your brow (if you need help here, one rule of thumb is that your inner brow should align with the outer corner of your nose)
Now you can begin connecting the dots with your pencil. Start at the innermost corner of your brow and connect that dot to the dot beneath your arch. You can make little motions or draw a straight line. Then connect the bottom dot below your arch to the one right above it. Finally, connect the upper arch dot with the dot on the outer corner of your brow.
Fill in the Gaps
Once all of your dots are connected, fill in the areas between these dots with your brow pencil. Use the pencil to create light strokes that mimic the look of hair and, where possible, lift the brow hair you have in these areas upward to meet the pencil marks. Be careful not to make these areas too dark — especially at the inner corner of your brow. A super-dark inner brow can look harsh and actually make you look angry and severe. If you go too hard with the pencil, you can always take your spoolie and go over the area a few times to lift this pigment.
When you’re finished filling them in, look straight on into the mirror to check out any inconsistencies between your two brows. Your last step is going to be using an eyebrow gel to keep your brows in place. Use the gel to push your brow hair straight up so that it connects with your brow pencil work and looks filled in.
If you’re less than impressed with the current state of your eyebrows, try this fun hack and give yourself a quick and effective brow makeover.
