We all have those Instagram accounts we check daily, turn post notifications on for, and refer to in conversation like they're our actual friends. If you've ever scrolled onto one of these photos and wondered, How does she do it? you're in luck. Welcome to our series Insta Stalking, in which we talk to the women behind the accounts we're obsessing over about their beauty secrets. Next up, five women reveal their best eyebrow tips.
Remember when eyebrows were just a thing we had instead of like, a little hair garden you have to carefully maintain lest you throw off the structure of your entire face? Yeah, me too. As the importance of eyebrows has become more apparent, so has the influx of various treatments—waxing, threading, microblading, laminating—products, serums, and supplements on the market.
While it's great to have options, the number of them out there has become overwhelming. Do you use the pomade or the powder? Pencil or gel? Wax, tweeze, or thread? To make a little more sense of it all, we tracked down five women with the most Insta-worthy brows on the internet for their best eyebrow tips. Read on for their full routines and product recommendations, and get ready to be enlightened.
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Sophia Ventrone, 24, actress and co-founder of Ventrone Chronicles in Los Angeles
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My eyebrow hair and body hair in general is very, very light, which is funny because I’m a brunette, but my brows are literally blond. Having lighter eyebrows makes it fairly easy for me to make them look thicker or thinner depending on what products I’m using on them and what kind of look I’m going for makeup-wise. For that reason, I definitely prefer my eyebrows to be fuller. My poor eyebrows were a victim of overplucking (thanks, '90s), but they thankfully grew back with a lil' TLC.
I don't get any brow shaping services done; and I actually never have. I believe that’s why my eyebrows were able to fully return to their natural form. I would tweeze them myself if anything, and I've had them tinted before, but it’s not something I do religiously by any means. I love using GrandeBrow's Enhancing Serum on my brows to help them grow. Castor oil is supposed to work too. I’ve tried it, but it was clogging my pores and making me break out so I had to stop.
Otherwise, my brow makeup routine isn't anything too crazy. For prep, I like to gua sha my face daily. I’m super into facial massages and "work outs." I find that stimulating my face in that way makes everything feel and look lifted and plump; brows included.
Before I put any makeup on, I make sure there isn’t an excessive amount of moisturizer near my brows. If there is, the oils from it will make all of your brow product run. I use YSL Couture Brow; it’s the one and only brow gel I stand by. And trust me, I’ve tried them all. It can hold my brows in place if I want them to look full and feathered, and it can also compose my brows into a neutral, clean, and perfect arch. Instead of making your eyebrows look powdery or greasy, it gives them a natural sheen, like you came out of the womb with perfect brows. If I’m doing a more dramatic makeup look, sometimes I’ll take a Diorshow Brow Styler in Universal Brown, and extend my brows out. It gives them a more lifted and chiseled look.
Lauren Chan, 29, founder and CEO of Henning in New York City
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I have to thank the beauty gods for allowing my eyebrows to grow back after I plucked them to near-extinction in high school. Thin brows were in and my full, dark brows (a gift from my mother's Armenian side) were not. Thanks to celebs like Cara Delevingne, full brows have been having a moment for a few years, so I've let them grow back. And now, I barely touch them—I don't get them done anywhere and if I remove any hair, it's only to hair between and below them. Actually, I'd prefer the hair below stay put, but since I moonlight as a model, clients often pluck those hairs away to ensure a clean palette for their eye makeup. As cheesy as it sounds, if my brows have taught me anything, it's to let your natural beauty shine.
For shaping, all I use is a trusty pair of Tweezerman tweezers a few times a week. My go-to brow product is Benefit's Goof Proof brow pencil in shade 6, Cool Soft Black. It's not too warm, not too black, and not too pigmented. Plus, it's got a comb on the end of the pencil, which I use after I've applied the product in order to remove some of it (like dabbing your lips with a tissue post-lipstick application) and give it a more natural look.
Yaris Sanchez, 28, actress and model in Los Angeles
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Now I prefer full, thick eyebrows, but in high school I would get them threaded super thin and arched. The journey back to full has been long—it took trial and error to find the perfect brow shape and a brow artist who understands my face and my brow goals. But I'm back, and my eyebrows have been the best they’ve ever been for the past two years now.
When I moved to L.A., my eyebrows were in bad shape (literally, lol). So I'm beyond glad I found my eyebrow guru, Yadira, the owner of Axis Aesthetic in L.A.'s Eagle Rock neighborhood. It was like fate. We worked together for about a year, letting my brows grow out and she helped me find the perfect shape that compliments my face. She's literally a game changer. I send all my friends to her! Eyebrows are key, they can change your whole entire face. I also started using castor oil on my brows to keep them healthy and thick.
There are three products I cannot live without. One is Gimme Brow+ by Benefit in shade number 5. It’s a tinted brow gel with brush, and it's so easy to achieve a natural, full look with it. Another product is my Fenty Beauty Brow MVP, an ultra fine brow pencil. I use it to go over stubborn areas that need more definition, especially on in-between threading days. Lastly, I love my Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel on days when I’m not wearing make up. I have curly brows, especially when they are growing out, so this helps me tame and shape them.
Janibell Rodriguez, 24, influencer in Buffalo, NY
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As an Afro-Latina, I’ve had full, bushy brows my entire life. I was bullied for them all the way up to high school, which was when I started shaving them super thin. Back then thick brows weren’t "desirable," so I just wanted what I saw in magazines: Thin, shapely brows. Even now, I've gotten comments from people telling me that my brows aren't feminine and that they're disturbed by their thickness. Sometimes it gets to me, but I try to ignore it. It’s definitely been a long journey, but I’ve come to love my thick brows as they are, no matter how wild and curly they get.
I’ve honestly never trusted anyone with my brows. I usually just tweeze and use a face razor once in a while to shape them up. I’ve never taken any supplements either. I’m just a very hairy gal. I can’t do my makeup without clear eyebrow gel, it’s the first step for me. I love Maybelline Great Lash in Clear and the Essence Lash & Brow Gel Mascara because they help tame my brows a bit. If I’m in the mood for a bolder brow, I use the Colourpop Brow Boss Pencil or the NYX Micro Brow Pencil. They’re on the waxy side, so it’s easier to control how much product I apply. The last thing I want is for my brows to look unnaturally dark.
Julia Dang, 23, YouTuber and entrepreneur in Stockholm, Sweden
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I prefer my brows more full and natural looking. They were definitely over plucked when I was in middle school, but I actually didn't start doing my brows until after high school. It's been a journey, but I've never done anything crazy to them beside the overplucking.
I go once every month to get my brows waxed at Brow Felicia in Stockholm. Other than that, I don't touch them. For brow products, I mostly use Benefit. I'm currently loving the the Ka-Brow! pomade and brow gels—both the Gimme Brow and the 24-HR Brow Setter. I also love Boy Brow in Black from Glossier if I want more pigment.
Bella Cacciatore is the beauty associate at Glamour. Follow her on Instagram @bellacacciatore_
