Browtouring: how to sculpt your eyebrows for radically altered facial architecture

From ‘browtouring’ to growth-boosters, there are more ways than ever to improve your arches
Cara Delevingne has long been hailed the eyebrow queen
Anthony Harvey/Getty
Emma McCarthy2 November 2015

No sooner had we got our heads around the concept of contouring, when the beauty world moved on.

First came strobing - a technique which uses expertly placed highlighter to sculpt your face. Then came tantouring - a semi-permanent option for contouring enthusiasts which employs fake tan instead of make-up. And for the die-hard (and decidedly hairier) fans, there was beardtouring. True story.

Now, just when you thought we could “tour” no more, we’re off again. This time with browtouring - a technique which involves sculpting your brows to radically alter the architecture of your face.

Of course, beauty experts have long lauded the face-framing benefits of a good pair of brows. So much so, in fact, that London’s resident brow guru, Shavata Singh, believes a good bit of threading can do more for a youthful complexion than any anti-wrinkle cream.

A model backstage at the Alberta Ferretti SS16 show sporting bold brows
Catwalking.com

“Having a perfectly-shaped, tinted, groomed brow is the best anti-ageing tip I can give anyone,” says Singh, who notes that as we age our hair has a tendency to become thinner and thus our brows have less impact.

“I see many women who are considering Botox but have never paid enough attention to the state of their brows. Once their brows are transformed, they almost always re-think the need for extra work — I call it Brow-Tox!”

So what’s the secret behind the perfect pair? For Singh, a well-placed arch is key to giving your face a lift.

Blink Brow Bar’s Day Brow Cream and Night Brow Balm (£26)

Better yet, Shavata’s salons promise to give you a younger, brighter, fresher complexion in just 15 minutes. “No other beauty treatment can have such an appearance-enhancing effect in such a short amount of time,” she adds. Couple this with a subtle, flattering tint and a decent brow-taming gel and you’re good to go.

Shavata is not alone in her dedication to providing tender loving care to our brows. She is joined by Mayfair salon Nails & Brows, along with Brauhaus, which offers a menu of brow “construction” services from its salons in Covent Garden, Holborn and Islington.

Shavata’s Brow Strengthener (£15)

Considering a DIY job? For those nervous about taking the plunge at home, it’s worth downloading Benefit’s Brow Genie maintenance app.

Taking the lead of hairstyle makeover sites, popular in the early Noughties among those with a burning desire to know whether they would suit a scarlet pixie crop, simply upload a selfie and the app uses facial recognition technology to reveal your ideal eyebrow shape. It even recommends products for how to keep them in perfect nick afterwards. Because, of course, perfectly browtoured arches need their own daily regime now too.

Blink Brow Bar, which believes we should all be treating our brows the same way we do our skin, has launched a new Conditioning Duo to offer your brows some much-needed love throughout the winter months.

Apply the Day Cream before your make-up in the morning for moisturised and well-behaved brows all day, while the nourishing Night Balm acts as an anti-ageing mask for your brows.

Shavata’s new Brow Strengthener and LashFood’s Brow Enhancing GelFix are a must for overpluckers hoping to stimulate a growth spurt, while Vincent Longo’s cult Olive Oil Fix Tip make-up remover wand is the beauty insider’s secret weapon for naturally glossy brows. Move over, Cara Delevingne.

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