Why would anyone want to have strong, maybe even bushy-looking eyebrows? I think that would be your first question! In my opinion, full eyebrows look good on anyone at any age. It's not a handicap or just a trend, it really is flattering to have well-defined brows. Full eyebrows can make one look younger and the face, slightly smaller. They can even make your eyes look more expressive and alive!

It's not difficult to do, too. All you need is a dark eyebrow pencil that matches your hair and a spoolie or brush to blend the color in properly. You can opt to use a gel or pen brow filler but it's less hassle to do it with a pencil if you ask me. ;)

The best pencil for this purpose is the Shiseido Natural Eyebrow Pencil in Deep Brown BR602. It's a shade that's perfect for us dark-haired girls, since it's not terribly pigmented while providing the right amount of coverage. It comes with a natural hair brush on the other end, as well! It's what I'm using for this tutorial. 

Let's get cracking!

Step 1: Clean up your eyebrows. I highly recommend going to a brow salon if you're attempting this for the first time, but if you don't have the time nor the budget, you can at least do some basic cleaning.

Choosing the most flattering eyebrow makeup is much like choosing the best foundation for your skin tone. You need to find a color match, something near to the actual color of your hair. The truth is that nothing beats a good ol' brown eyebrow shade for us dark-haired beauties!

I picked up the Shiseido Natural Eyebrow Pencil in Deep Brown BR602 (P1,100) because of its lovely color. It's a dark brown, definitely, but it's soft and blends on my eyebrow hair perfectly. I have slightly reddish dyed hair right now but it still works since I'm on the dark end of the spectrum.

What I love about the product

• The texture of the pencil isn't as hard as Shu Uemura's (a Holy Grail pencil for me), a feature I like because it's quicker to shade my brows. It delivers a soft, barely there color that mixes with the oil of the hair to create a lovely natural finish.
• Flattering dark brown shade, perfect for brunettes!
• The lasting power is pretty good. I haven't noticed any fading after six hours of wear.

Good day Miss Liz! I have been contemplating for a few months now on whether to have my brows bleached or not since I found out about a brow salon that caters to such services. What's your take regarding this?

Would you recommend a made up or bleached brows? Thank you so much. :) - KD

Hi KD! Bleached eyebrows are only flattering on two occasions: if your hair is naturally/ dyed very light or if you have thick, black, and masculine eyebrows. Bleaching brows is a great way to soften them without any extra product, but believe me - a lot of girls don't actually need to do it!

If you have thin to normal brows then it's best to just have them groomed regularly at a brow salon. Some salons, like Browhaus, even offer temporary dyeing. It's a service called Browgraphy. After sculpting the brows, the aesthetician would shade them with a dark dye that's matched to your hair. The color will stay on for a week! It's an expensive service but if you're going on a holiday and you don't want to bother with makeup, then this is nice to try.

For everyday brow shaping though, there's a slew of excellent products out there. They can go as light or as dark as you wish - without the commitment. :) Here are some recommendations!

You don't need to suffer through bleached brows when there are products like the MAC Brow Set in Girl Boy. This instantly lightens brows due to its golden blonde shade.

When I saw the promo materials for the MAC Fluidline Brow Gelcreme in Dirty Blonde (P1,100) I knew that we were destined to be together. I thought, with absoute certainty, that everything was gonna work out between the two of us.

I was correct. This product was exactly as I imagined it would be - super creamy, long-lasting, and flattering on my skin and hair. Well, I wasn't that surprised because I've been using my MAC Fluidline eyeliner in Dipdown as an eyebrow product for a while now. You should check out the tutorial, the results are pretty amazing. ;)

I have a lot of excellent eyebrow products but I love the Fluidline Brow in Dirty Blonde because it's easier to control. I barely have to tweak or blend it out once I've shaded my brows! The level of pigmentation and color is so exact that once you draw it on, it looks perfect as is - on me anyway.

The MAC Brow Set in Girl Boy is one of those must-have things we always hear about. I've been meaning to try it for the longest time but, well, other amazing eyebrow products always crop up. Good thing Lannel Boutique sent me a tube some weeks ago! Here's what I think about this cult favorite.

Girl Boy is a dark blonde shade with a subtle golden shimmer. The gold might look weird at first, but it does give brows such a lovely dimensional look. 

What I love about the product

• It's a nice topper for dark eyebrows - it sort of highlights the hair and gives it more depth and lushness. If you're light-haired and/or have extremely dark brows then this is okay to use by itself; if you have sparse brows, make sure to use eyebrow color underneath it first.
• Doesn't smudge or fade during the day.

BYS (be your self) is an Australian drugstore brand that has been in the Philippines since late last year. If you've seen it in Watsons, then you know how dizzying their selection of colors and products is! I think that BYS has a lot to offer in terms of quality vis-à-vis the price. It's always nice to find a brand where most things are under a thousand bucks.

I will be reviewing a few BYS products in the next few weeks, and today I'm starting off with the BYS Brow & Eye Pencil in Blonde (P250). It's a soft, rather waxy automatic pencil liner that is actually an ashy brown.

I love the flat, slanted tip (remember the Shu Uemura naginata shape?) as it gets me a nicer arch in a shorter amount of time.

I love various eyebrow enhancers but there are only three that I have been consistently using since I opened them. These are the most reliable ones - the ones that match any look I throw at them, that receive the most compliments. They're also foolproof when it comes to application. Even if my eyebrows look like a hairy hot mess, these three eyebrow heroes make them look neat and polished! All day.

Here goes!

I raved about the Shu Uemura Hard Formula brow pencil in 09 Walnut Brown last July 2011. Wow, it's been that long? I knew this pencil was a keeper but I didn't know it was going to be so literal. I shit you not I'm not even halfway through this one, after a year and a half of continuous abuse.

What's worse than a beauty blogger over-plucking her eyebrows? Nothing! It's an embarrasment to the community! Lol just kidding. But it is true that I recently became tweezer-happy. My brows are like 30% less than what they should be. I honestly don't know what I was thinking when I did this to myself but there's nothing more to do than wait for the hair to grow out.

What over-plucked eyebrows? 

Anyway. I want to show a super simple technique I've been doing on my brows lately. It involves using a - drumroll please - cream eyeliner! A brown eye liner to be specific. I like doing this because it offers more definition to my now-thin eyebrows, plus the shade I have is just perfect for my hair color. I encourage you guys to try using your brown gel liners the same way, and maybe you'll discover that you have a fantastic brow color all along!

Here's how I do it.

Step 1: Dip a synthetic, angled eyeliner brush into your brown eyeliner pot. Remove most of it by swiping the brush on the back of your hand.

Are you too lazy to carefully apply and blend makeup on your eyebrows, yet still want that seamless, perfect finish? Then I might have a solution for you. The MeMeMe Arch Angel (P650 at Makeupholics) is a nice product for days when you want quick, fuss-free brows. It has a creamy brown shade for coloring and a shimmery white for enhancing the arch of your eyebrows.

Here's a quick rundown!

What I love about the product

• The brush is basic but it's the perfect size for eyebrows. Not too tiny as to warrant a lot of time to cover ground, but not too big that it would create a too-thick line. It also picks up the right amount of product so I don't make a mess.
• The product dries quickly and doesn't smudge throughout the day. It also keeps stray hairs in place without making them crunchy and hard.

I didn't want to review the Majolica Majorca Brow and Lash Colorist in BR555 (P595) initially because it looked weird on me when I tried it on. What this does is it tints eyebrows (and lashes if you're so inclined), turning them into a reddish-brownish color. It's cool if you dye your hair but if, like me, you choose to remain in your natural brown-black hair, then this looks odd when worn by itself.

However! I am very happy to report that I've found a way to make this look utterly fantastic on me. :P Lol. Sorry I'm just excited. I received a lot of compliments on my brows since I started using this just last week. It gives me Preview magazine-worthy kilay, and here's how!

A couple of weeks back, Majolica Majorca introduced its first big collection this year: Psychedelicious. The event was quite literally sweet and colorful! Everyone came dressed in bright outfits and entered a venue that may very well be Hansel and Gretel's sugar house. Except there's no witch, just fabulous makeup. 

I received a few products that I will quickly review for you guys. :)

Popping Shower Powder, Brow and Lash Colorist in BR555, Puff de Cheek in RD414

The Majolica Majorca Popping Shower Powder (P695) is a scented, sparkly body powder. It's infused with Majo's signature Majoromantica scent, a sweet, fruity concoction that I think you'll love.

The truth is that there is no one face that's exactly the same. What about twins? You know what I mean! My point is that in order to find the right hair style, contour, or in this case, eyebrow shape for you, you have to use your own features as your point of reference. From there you can enhance your face in the most natural way possible.

Today I'm going to share a common technique used by pros to find a face's ideal brow shape! You will need any long straight object to measure. For convenience, I used my eyebrow pencil (Avon Perfect Eyebrow Pencil in Dark Brown).

Step 1: Find out where the inner point of your eyebrows should begin. Place the pencil parallel to your nose, poiting upwards. The point where your brow and pencil intersects is your starting point.

I know I've sung praises of several eyebrow products before, but I think that the K-Palette Lasting 2-Way Eyebrow Pen (P1,050 at Beauty Bar) deserves a whole new symphony. It's a fantastic eyebrow shader because it can draw realistic-looking hair using the liquid pen and give depth to brows with the powdered sponge tip.

This is THE product to use if you have big gaps in your eyebrows that can't be properly filled with powder, wax, or pencil products. Using the liquid pen (such as what you would find in an eyeliner), you can easily draw short hairs on the gaps - with no one the wiser! 

Anyway, here's a quick review and tutorial on how to use this K-Palette eyebrow pen!

What I love about the product

• You can draw perfect eyebrows with a lot more control compared to pencils, waxes, and liquid brow mascaras. 
• As with all K-Palette pens, this pretty much stays put until you take it off.
• The pen end is always ready to use - no need to shake. I've had this for over a month now and it's never dry.

A lot of people have been asking me about my eyebrows lately - more than usual. Haha! To answer the questions, I've only been using two eyebrow products as of the moment: one from K-Palette and the other from Avon. Don't get me wrong though. Having perfect eyebrows isn't so much about what you use, but how well you groom them! So don't be lazy and pluck pluck pluck!

Okay, today I'm going to review the Avon Perfect Eyebrow Pencil in Dark Brown (P250). Long story short, it's a fantastic eyebrow pencil because it looks super natural without much work. Swear. Give it ten seconds and it already looks great!

What I love about the product

• The light, chestnut brown shade creates soft-looking eyebrows that look natural. 
• A few strokes is all it takes to cover gaps and create a sharp arch. Even if you use a heavy hand, it's hard to over-apply.

This is funny. I've had this product for a week and I keep on using it as an eyebrow pencil! I thought it was an eyebrow pencil, I mean, it looks like one. It has a nutty brown shade that looks perfect for brows...right? I only noticed right now that it doesn't say anything about eyebrows, which means its an eyeliner. Oops.

Whatever the case is, I do like using the Nichido Minerals Precise Eye Pencil (P138) for my eyebrows. It's the right color for the job, although it takes quite a bit of blending to achieve natural looking brows. Still, for P134, I can't complain!

I'll be reviewing it as an eyebrow pencil since I haven't used it as legitimate eyeliner, okay. :) Now, this pencil is quite soft, which means that it coats my hair as a brow wax would.

I have emphasized time and again that eyebrows may be our most important facial features. These little buggers can make of break our face, so it pays to keep them well-groomed and well-shaped at all times! That said, I have DIYd my eyebrows since college and I'm pretty pleased with the job I've done so far. However, when Browhaus invited me to visit them last week, I thought I'd come over to see if they can do a better job. :D

The staff recommended that I try Browgraphy (P1,290), which is a package that includes threading, shaping, and dyeing the brows. Since they noticed that I have light, thin, brows, they asked me if I'm okay with having them dyed darker. I'm like, hell yeah! I always shade my brows, so I'm grateful for any time I can take off from the task.

Since Benefit is opening today, I thought I'd direct the spotlight to one of my favorite products from the brand: the Benefit Brow Zings (P1,600). I was quite loyal to my old routine (pencil + powder) but after coming across Brow Zings, well, it was love at first try!

Before, I usually did my eyebrows a shade lighter, a bit blonder. But as some readers said in my light vs dark brows post, darker eyebrows frame my round face better and somehow matches my personality. That's why I've lately taken to wearing darker brows with the help of Brow Zings. 

What I love about the product 

• The colors look dark in the pan but they never give me scary, harsh-looking eyebrows. I'd say the effect looks quite natural. The wax + powder is pigmented but just enough to shape and shade, not draw on the eyebrows.
• The wax keeps my eyebrow hair in place. It thickens the hair and shades the skin underneath so it looks like I have lush-looking eyebrows. The powder sets the wax wonderfully and helps fill in the gaps. They work wonderfully together!

Now, I don't want you guys to go off thinking that Yves Rocher is exclusively a skincare brand. It does have a few nice makeup products, you know! I have an Yves Rocher Eyebrow Pencil as well as the Bronzer and Shimmer Powder Duo which I will talk about today.

The Yves Rocher Bronzer and Shimmer Powder Duo (P680) is a lovely combination of matte contouring powder and a shimmery, apricot bronze shade. You can use them separately - shimmer as highlight and the matte powder to shape your cheekbones - but you can also use them together as a bronzer.

I really like the texture and color payoff, although I do wish that it would stay on longer. As it is it's something you have to retouch if you will be out all day.

I'm sure you've seen this kind of brush before - a brush with two ends, a flat, angled one, and one with a spoolie. I never appreciated them because they didn't do much for my eyebrows. Sure the spoolie end is good for blending, but the angled end doesn't pick up enough brow powder nor apply it evenly because the brush is made of synthetic hair (which is best for cream/liquid makeup).

I like this dense eyebrow brush from Nichido for applying eyebrow color but I find it too stiff and hard to wield properly. The tiny brush that comes with the In2It Waterproof Eyebrow Color works well except that it's too small to be comfortable. Yes, I'm Liz McWhiny! I don't know of any brand that makes the perfect eyebrow brush for me!

That is, until Charm made THIS.

Why is this different from brushes you can find in the mall? The thing that sets the Charm Double-Ended Eyebrow Brush apart from all the other brushes is its thick, natural hair that is the right density and stiffness for applying eyebrow powder.