When the woman responsible for some of the best brows in Hollywood comes to town, ain’t nothing going to stop us getting a piece of the pie!
Tonya Crooks – AKA The BrowGal – had her heart set on becoming an artist until her natural talent for finding the best angles saw her launch into a career in makeup artistry. Her brow skills in particular were so on point, she soon had everyone from Megan Fox, to Fergie, Gwyneth Paltrow and now even Caitlyn Jenner beating down her door to get The BrowGal treatment. So in demand was Tonya that she decided to create her own line of brow products so her clients – and the rest of us – could have brilliant brows every day.
The BrowGal has just launched at About Face, with Tonya travelling from LA to Auckland to celebrate the release of her line and help perfect the brow game of a few lucky ladies able to nab an appointment. Lucy Slight, FQ features editor, was one such lucky lady. Here are a few things she learnt from the master while getting her #browsonfleek:
BROW TONE
Just like skin, your eyebrows naturally have either a warm or ash tone and for the most natural look, choose a pencil the suits that tone. Tonya tested colours and formulas for 13 years before settling on three unique warm tones and three cool tones to suit every brow she worked on.
SHARPEN, ALWAYS!
In order to create fine, hair-like strokes with your pencil, you’ll need to sharpen it every time you use it. Don’t even think about working with a rounded tip!
YOUR BASELINE IS KEY
Perfect the shape of your brows by pencilling in the base line (the lower brow line) first before filling in the rest. This will help you to balance your brows and make them more even.
Trimming your brows can be very beneficial if you’re looking for perfection (and who isn’t?) Always brush in the direction of the hair growth before trimming – never upwards. If you brush up, then trim your brows too short, you can end up with gaps when they sit naturally. By brushing outwards (towards your temples) you’ll be able to spot any rogues and snip them more precisely.
STROBE YOUR BROWS
You’ve no doubt heard of strobing – highlighting the high points of your face to create natural radiance. Well, your brows should be part of this equation too. Use a concealer to help define the line of your brows and mask any discolouration then follow with a highlighter to really bring your brows to the forefront. Tonya recommends applying highlighter underneath the arch as well as the inner corners of the eyes to really make them stand out.
BLONDES CAN HAVE MORE FUN
If you’re a blondie, you can choose to go dark and bold with your brows for a more dramatic look or keep them in line with your hair colour for a more natural finish. A lot of the time, brunettes don’t have much choice but to stick with their natural tone as going too dark can look harsh. Luckily, brunettes tend to already have a great base to work with.
And one final word from Tonya – a line that has just become our new mantra: “Brows are sisters, not twins, but I like to dress them alike.”
