You know the saying: Summertime, and the living’s easy — unless you’re trying to maintain your perfect eyebrows in the hot, humid weather, that is! Now that the beauty world is full of full-brow converts, there are plenty of seasonal problems that can strike filled arches.
To find out how to summer-proof our eyebrows, we looked to Olivia Culpo for inspiration. Sure, the former Miss Universe is a pro at switching up her looks to gorgeous results all the time. But if she has one beauty trademark, it’s her on-fleek eyebrows. The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model always seems to walk the fine line between beautiful, natural arches and unruly ones. And while she’s told Us how she shapes her brows before, we wanted to know how she keeps them perfect even during beach season. So we turned to her NYC-based brow guru, Sania Vucetaj of Sania’s Brow Bar, for answers.
“The biggest problem I have with clients during the summer is them getting sunscreen into their brows,” Vucetaj tells Stylish. “Creams and lotions clog the follicles, preventing growth, and can even loosen the follicle and cause shedding.” Shedding is obviously Enemy No. 1 of full brows. “Sunscreen is one of the thickest creams we can get onto our brows,” she continues, “so the same way we avoid sunscreen on the hair on our scalps, avoid it on your brow hairs.”
The sun smart way to do that? “Fill in brows using a pencil before you put sunscreen on,” she says. “This way you create a barrier and a guide. Then you apply your sunscreen. You look great on the beach while protecting your brows and skin at the same time.”
If warm weather makes your skin extra oily, “use a loose powder to set the pencil,” says the pro, who’s worked her natural-brow magic on clients from Sarah Jessica Parker to former cohosts Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb. The secret to her success: no waxing, microblading or threading — only plucking and slight trimming.
In good news, high temps require less arch maintenance. “We always suggest leaving brows even fuller and more feathery in the summer,” says Vucetaj. “Since we tend to wear less makeup in the summer, the natural brow look fits.”
Can’t find a plucking pro you like? Do it yourself! “I was able to teach Olivia basic brow guidelines that allow her to maintain her brows when she is traveling,” the pro tells Us of Culpo. Here are Vucetaj’s tips for self-grooming:
1. Narrow your focus. “Brows should align with the bridge of the nose. One of the most common brow mistakes is that brows are too far apart, which can cause all other facial features to appear wider and off balance,” says Vucetaj.
2. Know your angles. “The arch should fall 3/4 of the way back,” she says. “Brow tails should align at a 45-degree angle with the outer corner of your eyes.” Once you’ve determined your three points, “use brow pencil to create a personal stencil for yourself,” notes the guru, who created her own Angled Mechanical Brow Pencil ($30, saniasbrowbar.com) with its own brush. “Fill in brows to their desired fullness and correct shape. Then, use tweezers and only clean the hairs that fall outside of this line.”
3. Toss the magnifying mirrors! “You will always lose perspective and over-pluck,” she advises. “While you’re at it, make sure to tweeze in dull lighting rather than an overly lit room to ensure you do not get tweezer-happy.”
4. Make the cut. “Trimming is so important to overall brow shape,” notes Vucetaj. To avoid trimming brows too short, which creates a choppy look and makes eyebrows appear thinner, she says, “Take a spoolie and slightly brush brows upwards. Trim at an angle only the hairs that are much longer than the majority.” She adds, “Think of a staircase when you trim. Do not trim straight across — you will then trim right into your arch.”
