It is a truth universally acknowledged (at least by beauty insiders!) that eyebrows are considered sisters, rather than twins. Sure, they should resemble one another but they’ll never be completely identical. But if your eyebrows are so uneven they’re more like third cousins, twice removed, you may need to give them a helping hand.
Whether this asymmetry stems from birth, an overzealous beauty therapist or a recent DIY plucking session gone awry, there are ways to restore balance to brows that have lost their way, from growth-boosting serums and permanent tattooing to the best eyebrow gels and pencils to fill in gaps.
Just like the hair on your head, eyebrows are constantly moving through a growth cycle, from active to resting then shedding, so it’s possible brows may look more uneven from one month to the next. That’s why, although there are instant remedies to help mask gaps, such as having your eyebrows microbladed, fixing uneven brows can take weeks, and a full brow transformation may take up to six months. It all depends on how fast your hair grows, which can be affected by your age and even your ethnicity.
Make-up is great for a quick touch-up, but to truly even out wonky brows, you need to be in it for the long haul. So we’ve sussed out the ultimate three-step plan to restore symmetry to your eyebrows with tips, tricks and treatments for brows that wow!
Step 1: Grow them back
When it comes to regaining a natural, more symmetrical shape, patience is a virtue. Leaving your eyebrows un-plucked, un-waxed and generally untouched for four-to-six weeks might sound like torture but it’s the first step to restoring fullness. Don’t set yourself back with a quick tidy up at home, or pop in to get your eyebrows threaded.
Give your brows the same treatment as your skin with a serum rich in peptides to help keep hair in the growth phase, like RapidBrow Eyebrow Enhancing Serum, £37, Boots. The protein-rich formula fortifies existing hair to gradually create a fuller-looking brow.
A hair growth supplement like Hairburst Chewable Hair Vitamins, £19.99, Hairburst.com, can also have a positive impact on brows, with nutrients crucial to healthy hair growth. Once your eyebrows have grown in, you can get back to tweezing. Make sure eyebrows are equidistant from the bridge of your nose, only tweeze strays beneath each brow, and end the tail at the same point on either side.
RapidBrow Eyebrow Enhancing Serum, £37, Boots
Hairburst Chewable Hair Vitamins, £19.99, Hairburst.com
Step 2: Fill in gaps
When it comes to colouring in uneven brows, powders offer a more natural look but pencils give you the precision to really hone in on a wonky shape, colour in gaps and even disguise scars. NYX Professional Makeup Precision Brow Pencil, £9, Boots.com, has a specially-designed flat tip. Use the corner to outline and even out the shape of your brows, then the wide edge for filling and shading.
Follow up with a slick of brow gel to keep brows looking neat and groomed. As well as a subtle tint that defines the brow, BareMinerals Strength & Length Serum-Infused Brow Gel, £18, Bareminerals.co.uk, has nutrients to nourish hairs at the root and prevent fall out so brows look thicker within eight weeks.
NYX Professional Makeup Precision Brow Pencil, £9, Boots.com
BareMinerals Strength & Length Serum-Infused Brow Gel, £18, Bareminerals.co.uk
Step 3: See a professional
Some things are best left to the pros, and if your brows are just too uneven to fix at home, book in for one of these treatments.
The cut-and-colour one
One of the most efficient ways to maintain your brows is to book in for threading, an ancient Indian hair removal technique, in which cotton is twisted to pluck strays. Blink Brow Bar offers a Dream Brows Treatment Package, £55, bbb-london.com, which involves brow shaping followed by a tint to give your eyebrows a more defined appearance. The results last for three weeks and you’ll even receive a BBB London Ultimate Arch Definer to maintain the look at home.
The long-lasting one
Tracie Giles Signature 3D Hairstroke Brow, from £495, traciegiles.co.uk, is a permanent make-up technique, in which individual hairs are drawn into the skin, a bit like a tattoo, in a colour bespoke to you. Anaesthetic gel is applied to the area first, then Nano needles plot in the hair strokes. It’s a pricey option but the results last up to 18 months, and it’s a wonderful treatment for those suffering from total hair loss. Tracie Giles is based in London but permanent make-up experts can be found nationwide.