It might be obvious to say that brows are the cornerstone of any good beauty routine—just look at any one of the bajillion memes posted by every makeup artist ever and you’ll get what we mean. And in the past few years, they’ve gone through a lot—obsessing over Cara Delevingne’s caterpillar brows has come and gone, and the allure of the faded-then-so-sharp-they-could-cut-a-bitch "Instagram brow" has followed suit. The ideal look now is, for the most part, business as usual—still full, but clean and defined, with a few brushed up just the tiniest bit for a deceivingly youthful Olsen feel. But how do you get there? Do you use that one pencil everyone swears by? Powder? Do you need gel? Tinted or clear? The options are enough to say "fuck it" to the whole thing and just grow out a uni (hey, that’s cool, too).
Rather than throw in the towel, we emailed Kristie Streicher, whose famed "brow rehab" has the majority of Los Angeles growing out their arches for weeks before she’ll even take a peek at them. In other words? She’s precisely the woman to talk to when it comes to navigating the tools you’ll need for your brows to reach their personal nirvana—no matter what you’re working with.
The ultimate instantly-great-eyebrows method:
“My preference for most people filling in their brows is using a powdery, non-waxy pencil. I find it is easiest and most natural. I recommend using soft, short brush strokes while holding the skin taut between your thumb and forefinger, adding a light shadow of color, and blending with a spoolie brush as you go. I like to use the pencil against the direction of hair growth to pick up hair and deposit color underneath it.”
How to choose your shade:
“Make sure the pencil color is the same color as your eyebrow hair color. Most people choose a color that is often lighter, which can look too warm. Unless you are a redhead or have warm tones in your eyebrow hair, you should be using an ash based pencil. Troy Surratt Pencil in Raven is my favorite and quite universal.”
The perfect finishing touch:
“Always finish with a strong hold brow gel to brush hairs up. This can make the added product blend better with your hair and look more natural. Mary Kay Clear Brow Gel is my favorite.”
And for a more heavy-duty option:
“If you have an oilier skin type, tend to absorb make up easily, or are in need of a longer-wearing formula, [try using gel liner]. I like the NARS Brow Defining Cream with a tight and precise angled brush. The formula is very long wearing, but somewhat sheer for a more natural look. I also like the long wear and ease of the Eyeko Brow Liners. Use short, feathered strokes in the direction of the hair growth: up in the front, across towards the middle, and out and across towards ends. Start with a small amount of pigment, and add more as you go. Step back from mirror to get a look at the whole picture.”
Dealing with big brows:
“If you have fuller brows, but your hair is mostly blonde or stubborn grey, try using a tinted brow gel/mousse formula. I like the long wearing, strong hold formula of Blinc Tinted Brow Mousse. The Legendary Brows Tinted Brow Gel from Charlotte Tilbury are quite genius as well; I love the tiny brush.”
Her final words of wisdom (now go forth & possess great brows!):
“Always blend, blend, blend after applying brow pencil, wax, shadow or liners. It’s also helpful to step back from the mirror to get a look at the whole picture.”