Alex O'Brien
Beauty & Style

Eyebrows are the key to looking younger

Want to look younger within a couple of minutes? Then you need to pay a little attention to your eyebrows.

According to research published in PLOS One, the colour of your lips and eyebrows play a big role in how old you appear – as does the appearance of your skin but there are some clever ways to lift you face and take the focus away from your skin.

For this study, researchers were studying a concept called facial contrast. “It’s the contrast between your facial features – like your eyes, eyebrows, and lips – and the skin that surrounds them,” reveals Richard Russell, one of co-authors of the study and a professor at Gettysburg College.

During the study Russell noticed that eyebrow contrast and lip redness were most associated with youth. “Brows turn gray and become thinner with age, meaning less contrast,” he says. “And lips were less red in the older faces.”

Unfortunately thinning eyebrows are another normal side effect of ageing, however, there’s a simple, affordable and quick fix: fill them in!

Eyebrow beauty 101:

1. Use an eyebrow brush to clean up hairs. Brush them up from the inner corner towards the outer point. This way you’ll see where your brows really need to be filled in.

2. For your weapon (I mean pencil or shadow) of choice, opt fora slightly lighter shade that you think you need because if it's softer it won't overpower the eye. To begin applying, use mini hair-like strokes in the direction of growth. 

3. Once you’ve lightly filled in/highlighted your brow, use the eyebrow brush and gently brush over your brows to soften the look and blur any harsh lines.

4. Lastly, apply a brow gel to keep everything in place. Voila! Thicker brows that will stay in place all day long.

5. If all of this sounds like too much to do on a daily basis, get your eyebrows tinted. There are many experts in this field now whom specialise in brows and can work wonders! The general rule is that your eyebrows need to be a shade or two darker than the hair on your head. This will make your eyebrows seem fuller, gives them a better shape and frames your face.

Tags:
beauty, ageing, makeup, eyebrows, eyebrow, brows