What's Your Pick: Shaping Those Brows

Hello ladies.

Aren't you glad it's finally Friday? I know I am. Been slightly unwell, what with the flu bug going around now.

Anyhoo. Of late I've been noticing eyebrows, possibly because mine could jolly well use some cleaning up, and everybody knows what well-groomed eyebrows can do for a face. Eyebrows frame your eyes, and can certainly do wonders to your overall look.

Which has led me to wondering: What method do you girls use to clean up your eyebrows?

Over the last couple of years, I've plucked, threaded, and shaved my eyebrows (not all at once of course), but I still haven't picked a method which I prefer above the rest. Very often, I just go for what's most convenient, or what I feel like doing. Unlike some of my friends, who swear by threading, for example.

For the uninitiated, I've summarised the various techniques of cleaning them brows that I've tried before. Read on!

Plucking

Uhh.. use tweezer and pluck away! Well, actually, don't pluck away. I actually like this method as it allows me to pluck at my own time and I get to shape my brows exactly how I want them to be - very natural.

In fact, I cleaned up my own eyebrows for my wedding via plucking, and was very happy with the results. Granted, I am blessed with eyebrows which already have a distinct shape, so all I have to do it clean them up. If you're not sure as to how to shape your brows, you can always seek professional help first, then just use plucking to do cleaning up.

The most important advice when tweezing is not to overdo it! Step back every now and then to see the bigger picture. While almost everyone thinks Tweezerman when they think tweezers, my Manicare pair of tweezers has been serving me just fine.

Lifespan: About three weeks to a month before I need to get plucking again.

Threading

An ancient method of hair removal which originated in Persia and the Middle East. Using a cotton thread, it's twisted into a V-shape, and then rolled over untidy hairlines, moustaches, eyebrows etc., plucking the hair at the follicle level. Unlike tweezing where you only pull out a single hair at a time, threading can remove an entire row of hair, resulting in a straighter line.

It does hurt quite a bit, but not unbearably so. Threading the tache seems to hurt more than threading your eyebrows though. The area around my eyebrows and upper lip always end up being red and irritated for about an hour or so after a session. In KL, areas like Bangsar and Brickfields abound in outlets which provide threading services for a small fee (RM5~RM8).

Lifespan: Easily three weeks to a month.

Shaving

A friend of mine once told me, "Shave your eyebrows, don't pluck! Or you'll get your eye area wrinkled up in no time." While I don't know how much of what she says to believe in, it does seem to make some sense. The eye area is very sensitive, and all the pulling and plucking must have some effect?

Anyhow, I've only gone for shaving once or twice - once done at the Shu Uemura counter and the other time after a facial at Clarins. Using a small shaver, my eyebrow is shaped, stray hairs shaved away, and the overgrown ones trimmed. It's the most painless, but you'll need to re-shape it a little more often. You can always check at the makeup counters if they offer this service. Charges range from RM15 and up, if I'm not mistaken.

Lifespan: Two to three weeks.

So how do you like to groom your brows?