The eyebrow mistakes you might not know you’re making (according to Irish brow artists)

Ahead of our IMAGE Business of Beauty Awards 2020, we asked Irish brow artists about the common mistakes their clients make in relation to their eyebrows

Beauty-obsessives often say brows can make (or break) a face – but the perfect brow shape can be tricky to pin down.

Ultimately, the shape of your face (such as your bone structure) will determine what style of brow you should have; how thick, thin or arched it should be. To make matters more complicated, brow trends often change with the seasons. Feathered, HD, thin – does anyone remember what’s in-vogue anymore?

If you’re feeling a little muddled and would like a steer in the right direction, we asked some of Ireland’s leading brow artists to clear up the common mistakes we’re making.

Kath Mulhall from Moxie Studio says, “The biggest mistake (aside from over-plucking) is definitely women following trends too literally. We see the bushy brow trend, the HD Brow trend, and the ’00s super skinny brow trend. We need to look at our own brows and face shapes and ask ourselves if these trends would suit us.

“I’ve so many gorgeous girls with lovely petite faces, asking for these huge Cara Delevingne brows, that are just going to overcrowd their pretty faces,” Kath says. “Go with your own natural brow shape and enhance it rather than changing it. Not all of these trends suit everyone, we need to remember that.”

For Noella Geoghegan from the Glow Clinic, the biggest mistake is not doing the right research before getting semi-permanent brows. “For a long time, I would have said over-plucking and filling them in a little harshly [was the biggest mistake]. But thankfully, we have finally put down the tweezers and have a softer approach to filling in our brows. Now, I would say it is not doing our research when it comes to semipermanent make-up.

“There is so much to consider when choosing your brow artist,” Noella says. “Find artists whose work you admire and ask them questions: do they do manual or machine work? Do they offer hair strokes, a powdered finish or combination of both? How often is a top-up needed? And most importantly, ask to see pictures of healed work! Depending on your age, skin type, lifestyle and desired look, you may be more suitable to one technique more than the other.

“It is very important to understand all of this before getting semi-permanent brows,” Noella says. “Educating yourself, knowing what you want and what’s best for your skin will help you make an informed decision that will ensure you make the right choice.”

Meanwhile, Elaine McParland from Up To My Eyes says, “I hate to see young girls with brow make-up pasted perfectly onto their brows. They seem to bring the brow right up onto their forehead which was the old HD Brow look (a bad attempt at trying to make the brow look thicker). The right shape can take years off a person’s face, but these brows just seem to make the girls look older and all wrong.”

Thank you ladies; duly noted.

Kath Mulhall, Noella Geoghegan and Elaine McParland are just some of our very talented nominees in this year’s IMAGE Business of Beauty Awards. Voting is now open here. Voting ends at midnight, Friday March 6. For voting terms and conditions, click here.

IMAGE BOB 2020 will kick off at 6:30 pm with a cocktail reception on Sunday, March 15, at the Clayton Hotel on Burlington Road in Dublin 4.  Early bird tickets are available here at €191 including VAT for a limited time. Tables of 10 and 12 guests are available. 

Feature photo: Cara Delevingne via Instagram

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