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5 over-60 celebs who have nailed their brows

<p>Brows <em>can</em> become bolder and more beautiful with age. Here, brow expert and microblade technician Rachael Pietruszka from The Signature Brow in Sydney, reveals five iconic women who show us how.</p> <p><strong>1. Helen Mirren, 72</strong></p> <p>Dame Helen wears a darker, bolder brow against a stark platinum short bob. I wouldn’t normally recommend the everyday woman try a look that’s this dramatic, but for Mirren, who’s renowned for her confidence and age-defying attitude, it really works.</p> <p>I think the trick is to keep everything on point – to team that bold brow with strong lashes, a bold lip and a killer outfit, as well as a big serving of chutzpah. She is a great example of someone who has become even more comfortable in her skin – and her status as a theatrical icon – with each passing year.</p> <p><strong>2. Ellen Barkin, 63</strong></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="498" height="245" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7266789/2_498x245.jpg" alt="2 (49)"/></p> <p>Barkin proves time and again that age is no barrier to beauty and sex appeal. Her darker brows stand out beautifully against her blonde hair, but they aren’t overdone. She has quite a strong jaw and angular cheekbones, but the slightly rounder arch curve of her brow offsets this and keeps her look soft and sultry.</p> <p><strong>3. Ellen Burstyn, 84</strong></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong><img width="350" height="525" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7266790/3.jpg" alt="3 (24)"/></strong></p> <p>Burstyn looks soft and stunning with a fuller brow that is lighter in colour. The straighter arch that tapers off to a slightly elevated tail frames her heart shape face gorgeously. The entire brow shape, length and colour brighten her eyes and make them appear happy and awake.</p> <p><strong>4. Jane Fonda, 79</strong></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong><img width="498" height="245" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7266791/4_498x245.jpg" alt="4 (14)"/></strong></p> <p>Fonda has kept everything together beautifully her entire life and she just keeps getting better. Her brows are the perfect width apart, the ideal length and width and the tail does all it’s meant to do in terms of thickness and elevation. Her brow colour isn’t too far off her hair hue, which creates a beautifully soft, natural and bright-eyed appearance.</p> <p><strong>5. Annie Lennox, 63</strong></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong><img width="498" height="245" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7266792/5_498x245.jpg" alt="5 (15)"/></strong></p> <p>Style icon Lennox could probably get away with any look she wanted, but I love that she stays true to her platinum short crop and darker grey-brown brows. With her pixie face and hair-do, her angular brows create even more character and suggest a sharp wit and intellect. While her brows are on the thinner side, they frame her face well and add freshness to a look she has carried beautifully for many decades now.</p>

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Everything you need to know about microblading

<p class="Body">As we grow older, eyebrows can be one of the trickiest facial features to navigate. Inevitably, hair growth becomes sparser and colour starts to fade, either to a washed-out version of your natural hue, or to a silver or grey shade. It’s why many women are looking to a more permanent solution with microblading.</p> <p class="Body">Brow expert and microblade technician Rachael Pietruszka from The Signature Brow in Sydney, offers this advice for your best brows.</p> <p class="Body"><strong>What is microblading?</strong></p> <p class="Body">“Feather touch microblading is a modern brow tattooing technique that can rejuvenate the eyebrows and refresh your entire face. During the treatment, we draw individual hairs along the natural arch in the direction that your hair grows, to create a look that exactly mimics your own individual brows,” explains Rachael.</p> <p>“Microblading can restore depth of colour and definition to your brows, but it won’t hide grey hairs, so I always suggest women keep up their brow tinting on a regular basis. Any unruly hairs will also need to be kept in place with tweezing or professional waxing, but your morning routine of drawing in your brows will be all but eliminated.”</p> <p class="Body"><strong>What is the process like?</strong></p> <p class="Body">“We use a scalpel-like tool that scratches a shallow line into the skin and then we fill in the line with a dye that creates the look of an individual brow hair. We repeat this along the brow in a specifically measured area to recreate a fuller, longer and more youthful looking brow,” says Rachael.</p> <p class="Body">“For best results, we recommend two treatments spaced about four weeks apart. Each treatment takes between one and three hours, and as with every cosmetic procedure, there are a few guidelines recommended to protect the new eyebrow in its healing stages.</p> <p class="Body">“Although it’s not super-painful, the scraping technique we use can sometimes be a bit uncomfortable, so we do apply a topical anesthetic gel 20 minutes prior to treatment and during treatment according to comfort. There is a little redness visible for an hour or two after initial treatment, but this typically settles quickly.”</p> <p class="Body"><strong>Still not convinced?</strong></p> <p class="Body">“While I would recommend feather touch microblading for many women, I realise some may be a little nervous to go down the ‘tattoo’ path straight away, as they aren’t sure of the shape or shade they wish to have. If this is you, I suggest experimenting at home with a few different shades of brow pencil. Draw them in to the length, width and depth of colour you like, take a selfie and then remove the make-up. You can do this as many times as you like and compare your selfies until you decide on a look that you love. You can then take this look to your microblade artist, who can emulate it exactly,” Rachael advises.</p> <p class="Body">“Be sure to discuss your skin tone and hair colour at length with your brow expert before embarking on treatment. Again, test out a few shades using pencils or even brow tints before proceeding with more permanent options.”</p> <p class="Body"><strong>Rachael’s top tips for anyone considering microblading (aside from definitely doing it):</strong></p> <ul> <li>If your eyes have sunken a bit with age, ask your microblader to create a brow that is slightly lower and straighter, elevating slightly at the tail. If the brow is too arched, it can accentuate the space between the brow and the contour of the eye, and make the eyes look even more sunken in and sad.</li> <li>If your face has become plumper over the years, you’re better off asking for a slightly more elevated arch, which will help elongate the face a bit.</li> <li>If you have a square jawline, request a rounder shape over angular brows or a straighter line. It will create a lovely equilibrium within the face and balance sharp angles.</li> <li>Shorter hair? Make sure you don’t bring your brows too close together at the bridge of your nose. It can impart an angry, masculine appearance. It’s important to always space the inner brows so they are in line with the corner of the centre of the eye.</li> <li>As for colour, it’s best to stay as close to your natural hair colour as possible, but if you have gone grey or platinum, ask for a deeper shade to offset the starkness of the bright hair and give your face a true frame.</li> <li>If you are going darker with your brows, don’t go too thick, or you risk a too-heavy brow. You can afford to go a bit thicker if you are staying true to a lighter shade of brow.</li> <li>Don’t forget the tail of your brow. If it’s left too thin, it can leave brows looking unfinished and make you appear older. Your microblade brow technician should take time and care to measure your brows specifically and create a balanced shape, length and width that suits your face and frames it perfectly.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Rachael’s DIY tips for beautiful brows:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Always brush brows upwards and outwards when grooming them, as it creates a beautiful flow to the eye, widening it and making it appear more open and refreshed.</li> <li>If you are using a pencil to recreate your brows, ensure it is sharp so it draws a precise line. You want to recreate the natural flow of the brow hair and draw in delicate feather strokes, as a microblade artist would. If the end of the pencil becomes bulbous, it will ruin your handy work.</li> <li>You might find a few stray brow hairs become unruly as you get older. Keep them in place with a good brow gel. One of my favourites is M.A.C Brow Set, $28, but a great budget option is Essence Lash Brow Gel Mascara, $4.10.</li> </ul> <p>For even more oomph to your brows, swipe existing hairs with Ardell Fibre Gel, $16.99, to create a fuller brow before colouring with pencil.</p>

Beauty & Style

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4 ways your brows can age you

<p>You trim your hair, slather cream on your face and file your nails, but what have you done for your brows lately? Like your skin and hair, your brows can start to show their age. Just as a new hairstyle can trim away the years, a well-groomed, well-defined brow can lend your face a fresher, better kept look. Here are four ways to get your brows back in shape.</p> <p><strong>1. For vanishing brows</strong></p> <p>Use a brow powder to fill in patchy spots and make the arches or your eyebrows look thicker. This will immediately restore fullness to your face.</p> <p><strong>2. For disappearing tails</strong></p> <p>Use an eyebrow pencil to gently fill in the lengths of your eyebrows in a sweeping motion, going with the direction of the hairs.</p> <p><strong>3. For greying brows</strong></p> <p>Our tip here is to flaunt them! Especially if your hair is grey, why wouldn’t you want your hair to match? If it really bothers you though, you can ask your hairdresser to dye your eyebrows. Avoid home jobs for this one.</p> <p><strong>4. For overgrown brows</strong></p> <p>So you have luscious brows that are overgrown? Good for you. Your best option is to trim, tweeze, and set hairs in place for arches that are under control. After styling, finish with a clear brow gel to set hairs in place, while also darkening them.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/beauty-style/2016/02/how-to-make-your-own-facemask/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">How to make your own face mask</span></em></strong></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/beauty-style/2015/10/age-defying-hair-tips/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">6 tips for healthy hair that defy aging</span></em></strong></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/beauty-style/2016/02/tips-for-manageable-summer-hair/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">How to keep your hair manageable in the heat</span></em></strong></a></p>

Beauty & Style

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Eyebrows are the key to looking younger

<p>Want to look younger within a couple of minutes? Then you need to pay a little attention to your eyebrows.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.”</p><p>Unfortunately thinning eyebrows are another normal side effect of ageing, however, there’s a simple, affordable and quick fix: fill them in!</p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Eyebrow beauty 101:</strong></span></p><p>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.</p><p>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.&nbsp;</p><p>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.</p><p>4. Lastly, apply a brow gel to keep everything in place. Voila! Thicker brows that will stay in place all day long.</p><p>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.</p>

Beauty & Style

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Eyebrows are the key to looking younger

<p>Want to look younger within a couple of minutes? Then you need to pay a little attention to your eyebrows.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.”</p><p>Unfortunately thinning eyebrows are another normal side effect of ageing, however, there’s a simple, affordable and quick fix: fill them in!</p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Eyebrow beauty 101:</strong></span></p><p>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.</p><p>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.&nbsp;</p><p>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.</p><p>4. Lastly, apply a brow gel to keep everything in place. Voila! Thicker brows that will stay in place all day long.</p><p>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.</p>

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