The Beauty Department: Your Daily Dose of Pretty.

makeup

MISS MATCHED

POST + PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMY NADINE, GRAPHIC DESIGN BY EUNICE CHUN

Last month I did a brow study with a blonde model to demonstrate the difference between bare, light and dark brows (revisit it here) on a blonde. Today I want to share with you my rule of thumb for brow color: always go darker or match your hair color (and not lighter)! Of course it’s a matter of opinion and you have every right to disagree, but one of my personal pet peeves on the red carpet is when I see someone’s brows lighter than her hair color. For every day, it’s totally fine. But at night when you bump up your makeup and dress up, it’s 1000 times more striking if you at least match your brows to your hair. Here’s a color guide:

BLACK HAIR: Try to match them so they look black as well, not brown or red or reddish brown. My favorite brow shadow that I use on Krysten Ritter and Bria Murphy (above) is Damone Roberts Brow Shadow in Miss Ross. It’s a grey color with absolutely no brown in it that looks gorgeous on African American, Asian and black-haired beauties.
DARK BROWN HAIR: Match it. I love Bobbi Brow Dark Brow Kit on my clients Rachel Bilson and Emmy Rossum because you can mix a grey shade with a brown shade so it keeps it from getting reddish. You can also go darker with the shadow for black brows if you really want to make a statement.
BROWN OR DIRTY BLONDE HAIR: Go slightly darker or at least match it. Try Anastasia Brow Duo in Medium Ash/Medium Brown like I use on Lauren Conrad and Anna Paquin. Sweep the lighter shade all over the brows first then go back and draw individual brow strokes in upward motions with the brown shade.
RED HAIR: Match it if you’re a natural red head or go darker if you’re having a red moment. When Brittany Snow dyed her hair red for Pitch Perfect, I found it best to go darker with her brows. Try Anastasia Brow Powder in Auburn for the perfect red to brown ratio.
BLONDE HAIR: Go darker like I demonstrated here.