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Has anyone else noticed that your eyebrows have the ability to make or break your look? I know the Bible says a woman’s hair is her crowning glory; but if you gave me a choice, I’d take my eyebrows being properly coiffed over my hair being “done” any day. In all fairness though, since I have locks my hair is never “not done.”

Anyway, I come from a long line of expert brow shapers. My maternal grandmother who completely devoted her life to raising her children and later grandchildren, still always made time to make sure her brows were right. For decades, she was the go-to woman when it came to shaping and sculpting. And she shared that vital information with her sisters and passed it down to her nieces and eventually her daughter, my mother.

I’ll never forget the day my mother looked at me and decided it was time for my first plucking session. I was a freshman in high school and had just come home from the summer school gym class I was taking. Needles too say I looked a bit rough and my thick, unruly eyebrows weren’t helping the situation. I showered and my mom had me lie down on her bed as she sat over me, plucking away.

In retrospect I should have been more afraid of this process. The whole thing was pretty agonizing. My stomach was knotting and unknotting as I felt her rip each individual hair from my face with precision. I felt trapped, like a form of torture.

But once I was released and I looked at myself in the mirror, I realized what wonders the plucking had done for my face. My eyes looked brighter. My face looked softer and more feminine. I looked less like a little girl and more like the woman I would become. For the next couple of days, I couldn’t walk past a mirror without doubling back to take a peak at my new eyebrows. You couldn’t tell me nothin’. I had arrived.

From that moment on, if my eyebrows weren’t done, I just didn’t feel right. I could have on the flyest outfit, my hair could be styled to perfection and my face could be beat for the gods; but if my eyebrows were bushy or too overgrown, it was all for nothing. Try as I might to hide the stubbly hairs growing in, eye shadow and even foundation did little to hide the coarse black spikes that were coming in. It was time to shape again. The look of having my eyebrows properly shaped is virtually magical. There have been times where my face looked like I’d applied some makeup, simply because my eyebrows were right. It’s important that they be done promptly and properly.

As the years progressed, I would put the tweezers down in favor of waxing. And just a few months ago, I stepped into the threading world for the first time. (I’m still not convinced that it’s the better option.)

Oh, eyebrows…

When we get them done, they can open your face in ways you never thought or dreamed of. And when we don’t, they can make us look like unkempt Neanderthals. A good or bad set of eyebrows can define you. I loved Lauryn Hill’s brows back in the day, hated Bette Davis’ and was just puzzled by Groucho Marx’s caterpillars. If you’re looking for inspiration on how to make your own brows do big things so that they can make your eyes pop, we’ve supplied some looks from models, and other celebrities who keep their eyebrows looking fresh and clean. Happy tweezing! Or whatever it is you do for brow maintenance…

Bey doesn’t have the thickest, nor the thinnest eyebrows out there, but somehow she manages to keep them full and arched in all the right places. Back when I used to get my brows threaded, crazy enough, Beyoncé’s eyebrows were an example of a look that you could get, and many women wanted them. Why? Maybe because they stay full up to the very end of the brow and still have enough of a prominent arch in the middle to give your face a little more flair without looking like a caricature.

Eyebrows play a major role in framing and accentuating the features of your face. Preferences regarding the thickness, arch and width will vary from person to person, but your face shape should be one of the top determiners of your brow shape. There is no rulebook that says you MUST shape your brows one way because you have a certain face shape, but these are just guidelines and tips to help bring out your strongest features and pull your look together.

A list of makeup sins could stretch the length of the United States but I will spare you the long read and just  share with you a few of the things that women do to their faces that drives me absolutely crazy! If you do these things, trust, you will be clowned.

*Note: Places to buy the mentioned products are linked to in each description*

If the eyes are windows to the soul then consider yours brows then awning on the house. Beyonce, Serena, Jada and Kerry always put there best arches forward each time they hit the carpet. While there are so many tricks to the trade when it comes to maintaining a perfectly groom set, we often make major mistakes along the way. Are you guilty of too much plucking, highlighting, or letting your pair grow wild like a fur vest? The days of brow neglect are over!

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Looking to change up your look with a little old school glamour? Here are some tips for achieving that vintage beauty.

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The recessionista really does exist! She lives in every city and town in this country. Don’t believe us? Check out this slideshow of pieces she uses to spruce up her look… no faux designer purses necessary!

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