Eyebrows Eyebrows Eyebrows!!

Definition: The eyebrow is an area of thick, delicate hairs above the eye that follows the shape of the lower margin of the brow ridges of some mammals. Their main function is to prevent sweat, water, and other debris from falling down into the eye socket, but they are also important to human communication and facial expression.

Many makeup artists view eyebrows as a major feature in defining the face.

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A MAJOR FEATURE IN DEFINING THE FACE.

Never mind the Science bit, the above is what we all need to remember...

Now it's difficult to decide on what eyebrow shape is best for you, it could be down to face shape or personal preference and no two people's eye brows will ever be the same.

So do you go for a thin brow... Being cautious of not over plucking and ending up with two little caterpillars on your forehead.
Or possibly a fuller thicker brow... Maybe even an arch brow. Always remembering that the start of your brow should be inline with the outermost part of your nose.

Whatever your preference there is one item in my make up bag that I cannot live without....

My Illamasqua Eye Brow Cake...

It's taken me a while and a number of products to get through but I think I've finally found THE ONE.

I'll take you through my eyebrow history.... I have the fairest brows in the land... And my chequered eye brow product history started at the Rimmel Counter in my local Tesco where I purchased a Rimmel Professional EyebrowPencil (£2.99)
Now... At £2.99 this little thing is a bargain for anyone who is first starting out with enhancing their brows. I was happy with this product but felt I should maybe go up on the price scale to achieve a better result (not always the best move I might add) So next was the Clarins Eyebrow pencil (£16.00) I wasn't dissatisfied with the product but was the extra £13.01 justified? No.. Not at all. My main criticism with eyebrow pencils in general is that they don't last very long. Every time you sharpen it gets more and more depressing as the pencil gets shorter and shorter. It was from this that I decided I needed a different approach.
The Benefit counter was my next stop and here was a product which included two brushes (a blending brush and an angled brush) plus a small tweezers in a lovely compact case with a mirror... Yep! You've guessed it my next purchase was Brow Zings. I loved this product... I raved about it. However as with most Benefit products it carries a hefty price tag of £22.50. Now this as an initial purchase its fine because it comes with all the tools you need to get started, but once you have all of this the £22.50 price isn't really justified as you are really only paying the additional money for the tools you get.
I needed something new!
Now the beautiful assistant that helped me on the Benefit counter previously had moved to a different make up counter I'm my nearby Debenhams... Illamasqua. From this point on, the product I purchased that day was to become the single most important part of my make up bag.
I purchased Illamasqua Eye Brow Cake in Thunder (Dark Brown) The beautiful assistant advised me that this product could be applied wet or dry and I was pleased with the result. It retails for £14.50 so was much cheaper than the Benefit alternative and also cheaper than the Clarins pencil. Not only is the finish of this product amazing, but it lasts as long as you want it to. I've even been swimming with it on and it's hardly budged. (you have the option of purchasing a sealing gel to guarantee they don't budge too.
I've had this product for well over 18 months and it looks as though I've barely used it despite me using it every day.
The Eye Brow cake comes in 6 different colours so covers every shade possible.
Originally for application I continued using the brushes I had with my Benefit kit, but about 4 months ago I invested in a new brush that Illamasqua released which is a angled brush, perfect for both brows and gel liner. The brush retails for £18.50 but is well worth the investment as you will have it forever.

To this day there is only one other person that I trust enough to do my eyebrows and that person it the beautiful assistant that helped me out. @illamasquacharl (twitter)

Now I know what your thinking.... Wouldn't it be easier if I just tinted my brows and save the fuss of applying this everyday? But the results are not the same. I've tried it. They are not as defined without it, and it completely transforms my face especially when wearing heavy eye make up.

I guess the next step would be some permanent brows but I'm not yet 100% committed to a shape so for the time being I will stick with my trusty Eye Brow Cake and will continue to recommend it to every person which compliments me on my brows.

Rhian Xx

For more details of colours available check out: http://www.illamasqua.com/shop/products/eyes/eye-brows/