In partnership with Charlotte Tilbury.
“The eyebrows are the pillars of the face, they put everything together,” Maria Riskakis said knowingly. “They help with the placement of shadows, of the facial framework, of contouring…”
Meanwhile, Leandra was admiring her newly done brows in a compact mirror, a genuine expression of shock on her face. “Oh my god! That’s so cool! Woooow, I wish I had a black-tie gala to attend!”
Riskakis is the National Lead Makeup Artist for Charlotte Tilbury, and last Thursday, she came to the Man Repeller office to do four brow makeovers on the team. She actually calls these “browformations,” if you want to get technical and love a portmanteau as much as I do. Leandra was up first and, seeing as she has fairly full brows naturally, I was quietly unsure about whether Charlotte Tilbury’s five-step routine would add much. But believe me when I say I was dead wrong. Maybe even more wrong than I was about probiotics! You can watch the whole process via the Facebook Live video down below.
In line behind Leandra were Yvonne, Erica and Patty, each with their own set of brow desires. (Darker, denser and thicker, respectively.) Let’s see how they did!
Yvonne Dunlevie
Growth Manager
“I have actually never waxed or plucked my eyebrows. I know they’re on the lighter side, but I’m not really a makeup person, so I never thought to do anything. But after this, my eyebrows actually had color and were twice as big as I thought they were. I looked like Gwyneth Paltrow! (In my humble opinion.)”
Yvonne is wearing Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream, Wonderglow, Light Wonder Foundation Shade 2, The Retoucher Shade 1, Filmstar Bronze & Glow, Brow Lift Grace K and Legendary Brows Brigitte
Erica Smith
Managing Editor
“I worked in beauty, so regular brow shaping became part of the job. I’m pretty familiar with the overall shape of my arches; it’s just a matter of maintenance tweezing and filling in sparser areas so my brows look like they’re on the same team. This tutorial only reconfirmed that what little energy I put into makeup in the mornings should continue to be spent on my brows. When evened out, they instantly make me look like I have my ish together.”
Erica is wearing Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream, Wonderglow, Light Wonder Foundation Shade 9, The Retoucher Shade 4, Filmstar Bronze & Glow Medium/Dark, Brow Lift Supermodel and Legendary Brows Supermodel
Patty Carnevale
Head of Revenue
“I grew up in New Jersey, the land of over-plucking and waxing, so my eyebrows have been recovering for the last decade. I’ll try to groom them every few months or so — give ‘em a brush and pluck some strays — but I’m not very consistent. This is the most attention they’ve received in a long time and they were so happy about it. I didn’t know they could look like this!”
Patty is wearing Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream, Wonderglow, Light Wonder Foundation Shade 2, The Retoucher Shade 1, Filmstar Bronze & Glow, Brow Lift Grace K and Legendary Brows Clear
Is it an exaggeration to call these transformations otherworldly? Yes it is. But I just did, oops.
I know five steps feels like a lot, and maybe I’m weird, but that kind of appeals to me. It’s like Korean skincare — the more steps I have to do, the more I feel like a productive member of my own bathroom society. It’s also apropos for brows because, in case we haven’t covered this before (but we have): BROWS ARE IMPORTANT! According to this study by MIT, they are a more defining characteristic than eyes. EYES! As in the windows to the soul? This is not a joke.
Here is how it works:
1. FILL: Use the Brow Lift pencil — the pointy side — to fill in your brows. Use small brush stokes to mimick actual hair. This tool is actually three-in-one: the pointy side, the flat side (for softer drawing) and a highlighter (for under the arch).
2. SHAPE: Next, use the Legendary Brows eyebrow gel to brush your eyebrows up. Not to the side — UP. If you look like a mad scientist then congrats, your brows now full af.
3. EMPHASIZE: The Retoucher is essentially just a concealer tool, but it’s designed to be used around the eyes (in addition to all over the face), helping to even out the color around your eyes and brows, thus opening them up.
4. CURL: Use the Life Changing Lashes eyelash curler to open up your eyes. Riskakis says lashes are an important part the brow game! She also calls this tool “a pushup bra for the eyes,” if you’re into that kind of thing.
5. OPEN: Apply Full Fat Lashes mascara to make your lashes look darker and thicker, so your eyeballs are framed by prominent lashes and prominent brows.
You can also just do steps one and two if you like to keep your actual eyes bare. It’s a pick-your-flavor kind of deal. Follow your heart! Just take care not to look anyone in the eye afterward out of respect for their physical/emotional composure.
A Charlotte Tilbury makeup wizard is here at Man Repeller HQ to show you how to get the perfect brows in five steps. #MRPartner
Posted by Man Repeller on Thursday, February 23, 2017
