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This article has been updated since its initial publish date to include more expert insight.
The decrease in our skin’s natural moisture as we age can often lead to loss of eyebrow hair. If you’re new to filling in your brows and worried about their thin appearance, there are four effective techniques and shortcuts used by many makeup artists to cover sparse areas, add volume, and boost confidence.
To learn more about helpful hacks and product types for your next makeup shopping trip, we consulted with experts. Read on for tips, suggestions, and insight from celebrity makeup artist Margina Dennis, specifically for women over 40.
4 Helpful Eyebrow-Filling Hacks For Mature Beauties
1. Use An Eyebrow Stencil For Your Brow Shape
Dennis advises against simply eyeballing it when it comes to creating your brow shape. Instead, she recommends investing in a quality brow stencil for achieving a more balanced and appealing appearance.
Such tools can be purchased at stores like Ulta and Sephora, and they offer precision and consistency in shaping eyebrows. Dennis then recommends using a "brow stencil in the brow shape you like and take a light colored pencil or concealer on a liner brush and draw the outline of the brow shape."
2. Fill In With A Brow Pomade Or Powder
Next, she says to "fill this in with light hair-like strokes inside of the outline." Afterwards, Dennis recommends using a "stiffer brush and brow pomade or powder" (that you can grab at any drugstore) that is the same color or "slightly lighter than your hair color," and fill the shape in with a "stippling motion."
To continue the eyebrow-filling process, Dennis suggests utilizing "a micro pencil or brow marker to fill in the brows where the hairs are more sparse." She emphasizes the importance of "hair-like strokes to create fullness" while again opting for a "color that is the same shade or slightly lighter than your brow color." Another important tip Dennis shares is that "using a color too dark can look harsh" and can also inadvertently "age" you.
3. Top Off With Lightly Tinted Brow Gel
To complete, Dennis recommends "using a lightly tinted brow gel" to create a "shape with and hold your brows in place." She says you may need to "fill in where needed to refine the brow shape" throughout the day. Ultimately, she stresses that "less is more when comes to brows."
"Creating shape so that they frame the eyes instead of focusing on them being dense" will allow for a more "realistic look," she adds. She also concludes that "using a thinner, harder pencil will give you more control." If you choose a "softer pencil" to fill in your brows, Dennis advises "putting it in the freezer for five minutes before use to make it firmer."
4. Use A Taupe-Colored Pencil For Finishing Touches
Another pro tip she shares is that "a taupe colored pencil works on most people," and if the pencil has "too much red in it and you don't have red in your hair, it can look unnatural."
Some of Dennis' favorite drugstore eyebrow pencils are the "NYX Lift and Snatch Brow Tint Pencil which is available in ten shades and has a very thin firm brush."
The Bottom Line
For beginners, she also notes that the "Wet n Wild Ultimate Brow Micro Brow Pencil comes in great neutral shades and the pencil is a great texture."
Lastly, the "e.l.f. Brow WOW Gel has fibers in it to help create a fuller-looking brow." (The more you know!)
