beauty

MIA FREEDMAN: 'The $10 chemist kit I use for DIY brows.'

This article originally appeared on Mia Freedman's Babble, a newsletter delivering content on pop culture, modern life and being a Gen Xer in a Gen Z world. Sign up here.

This week, it's all about my eyebrows. And maybe yours. LFG.

1. Brow dye.

TLDR: My eyebrows have been problematic lately because they seem to have sort of… faded. I don't pluck or wax them barely ever but they just seem to have thinned out in a middle-aged balding man kind of way.

The most crucial part of bringing my eyebrows back from oblivion is this dye kit from the chemist which is only $9.99 and I use it every couple of weeks.

Below is a glimpse of me mid-brow dye giving major Groucho Marx.

Image: Supplied/Mia Freedman.

Here's how my brows turned out (user error, not the fault of the product):


Video via Mamamia.

2. Thin brow pencils.

The thinner the better, I've discovered. A spendy version — Hourglass Micro Pencil ($48) and a savey one — the Mecca Micro Matic ($20).

Image: Supplied/Mia Freedman.

3. Brow glue for DIY lamination.

I've never laminated my brows, but I found this at Big W for $16 and I quite like the way it holds my brows in place except that every time I open it the glue spills all over the rest of my makeup so...

Image: Supplied/Mia Freedman.

4. Boy Brow and 5. Brow Flick.

I bought both of these from Glossier when they first started delivering to Australia and for some reason, they sent my order to me twice which I didn't hate.

Now some products are available here from Mecca. The Brow Flick is like a calligraphy pen. Quite inky and lasts well. I particularly liked it when my brows looked a bit faded but it's less relevant now that I'm dying them again every couple of weeks.

It's not available here but you can buy it from the US — I would just look for something similar here in another brand. I bet L'Oréal or Revlon or any of the chemist brands do great versions.

The Boy Brow ($37) is the cult Glossier product that made them famous. It's like a little mascara wand and has a bit of pigment as you brush them into place, just the right amount to look natural.

Image: Supplied/Mia Freedman.

6. Brow intel.

Of course, you don't need to buy anything to improve the way your brows look. Just changing what you do to them using the products (and tweezers) you already own is the biggest game-changer. Here's some light reading and listening to get you started.

 

Feature image: Supplied/Mia Freedman.

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