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Translucent brows...ungh

Miss Peach

One of the Regulars
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126
Location
Hometown
Hullo, ladies!

I'm a fair redhead and my eyelashes and eyebrows aren't just white...they're translucent. From what I've seen of vintage makeup, the brows are essential for framing the face and have a very tailored look. It's difficult for me to get that with the brow crayon that I use (just a cheapo drugstore one) and I was wondering if you ladies had any tips for making brows prominent without making them too dark. My hair is a red/strawberry blonde color and most things besides the lightest shade are just too dark or faux-looking.

If this thread should be expanded to brows in general, that's fine! If I'm repeating, delete away! :)

Thank you ahead of time.
 

lolly_loisides

One Too Many
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1,845
Location
The Blue Mountains, Australia
I'm in the same boat as you. A friend of mine suggested I try Prestige liquid eyeliner in the bronze colour as an eyebrowliner. It works brilliantly, it gives a neat & precise line & the colour is perfect for redheads. Have a look at my avi, I've done my eyebrows with the liner.

I know you can buy Prestige products anywhere in the States, they are also available on line. The shade is called Legend. http://www.prestigecosmetics.com/eyes_liquid_eyeliner.cfm
 

Miss Peach

One of the Regulars
Messages
126
Location
Hometown
That is amazing...I never would've been gutsy enough to try liquid eyeliner but it looks just wonderful on you. I can't wait to try it.
 

ZombieGirl

One of the Regulars
Messages
296
Location
Minnesota
I've used a felt-tip eyeliner to fill in my brows... It's goes on a bit softer than a liquid liner in my opinion. If you could track down a felt-tip liner in the right color it might work too.
 

FraeuleinBerlin

One of the Regulars
Messages
106
Location
England
Have you tried a little eyeshadow? You have more choice of shades than with an eyebrow pencil. Just apply with a good brush and be careful not to smudge! You could use a little make-up fixer to make sure they stay in place - MAC does a good one.

It also might be worth trying to find a red-head beauty site. I bet there is one! And they would have links to all the best make-up brands etc.
 

C-dot

Call Me a Cab
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2,908
Location
Toronto, Canada
I'm a fair redhead and my eyelashes and eyebrows aren't just white...they're translucent.

This sounds very close to home ;)

Generally fair redheads can get away with a taupe or ginger-red colour. Urban Decay has these cute little brow boxes with a precision brush, two different colours, and wax to keep it tidy. It even comes with little tweezers! I got the gingersnap shade as gratis when I worked at Sephora, and I'm glad because it wasn't something I would have tried on my own. The effect is very natural, and very tailored.

Another thing I will point out is that the ultimate colour of your brows is going to be what you get used to. I colour my brows in nearly black, and I did even before I dyed my hair burgundy. I use this cheapie drugstore black brow pencil, and heres why: The black colour is so bad, it has a red hue to it, which matches perfectly with my hair! Even cheap 2 dollar pencils work well if they are razor sharp, and the pencil will stay on all day if you brush some powder over it.
 

Red Diabla

One of the Regulars
Messages
178
Location
Lost Strangeles
I also have see-through lashes and brows and it drives me bonkers!

Have you tried brown eyeshadow and an angled brush? I find using that combination creates brows that are natural looking, but you can add color with precision. I'd recommend finding a way to set the brows afterward, or else the powder will wear off if you're rather active. Or, in my case, the powder comes off when I ride the motorcycle to work!

RD
 

crwritt

One Too Many
Messages
1,109
Location
Falmouth ME
I don't know if this would help,but along with my hair going gray my eyelashes and brows have tons of white in them. I don't tolerate mascara, but I can use powder on my brows.Of course you know that's a daily thing. At the same time, I've been using Ardell lash accelerator stuff for about a year and it actually worked to fill out and lengthen my lashes. So they are long, just invisible.
About a month ago I decided to get them dyed.I went to the beauty college and spent $20, well worth it!
We went super dark, blue black. My hair is ranging from white thru gray to brown/black, and most of the white is in the front.
I love the contrast, I think my white and gray brows were more aging than my white and gray hair.
Its been over a month and my brows and lashes still look very black.
Blondes or redheads could go with a brown color.
 

Miss Peach

One of the Regulars
Messages
126
Location
Hometown
These are all fabulous ideas...heck, I could change up brow looks daily now! Plus, like I need an excuse to stroll into Sephora or any makeup aisle. You ladies are wonderful, thank you so much. Aren't we lucky to have a place to talk about all of our 'stuff,' at its random best?! :)
 

zombi

A-List Customer
Messages
491
Location
Thoracic Park
I'm a fair redhead too ;)

I'm using this "Anastasia Brow Powder" -- they make a shade for redheads titled "strawburn". It's a reddish blonde. The powder comes with a darker and a lighter shade in the same little compact. I use this with an angled brush on my natural brows. The effect is very natural and it matches my hair very well. I am a coppery strawberry blonde, for reference. I bought this at Sephora I think.
 

crwritt

One Too Many
Messages
1,109
Location
Falmouth ME
They say that Castor Oil thickens lashes- I wonder if it would work on eyebrows? And if so- does it darken them? (I don't have this issue- my eyebrows are plenty dark, but now I am curious! ;) )
I used this
313zA2xhT7L._SL500_AA300_.jpg
and it really made my brows and lashes grow, but no they didn't darken.
 

Clabbergirl

One of the Regulars
Messages
227
Location
Nashville, TN
Nyx has an auburn eyebrow powder that I've used with great success. It's a teeny bit redder than in this swatch.
ECP04.jpg

My eyebrows are were 'translucent' on the outer edges due to out of control hypothyroidism several years ago and while I was a redhead, I used theirs. It comes with a little brush and a spoolie, plus wax. I like the idea of painting them on with a liquid too, but haven't tried it. My standard is an angled brush and an eyeshadow or very sharp pencil that matches my hair color at the time.
 

chanteuseCarey

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,962
Location
Northern California
With being in my early fifties, I've in the last couple of years gone with having my eyebrows tinted by the lady that does the threading of my brows. I have too many white and very blonde brows now, without the tinting it looks like some of my brows are missing! Oh, never have your brows 'colored' with your haircolor, I had that done once and it looked very fake for some reason! Too match-y, match-y.
 

crwritt

One Too Many
Messages
1,109
Location
Falmouth ME
With being in my early fifties, I've in the last couple of years gone with having my eyebrows tinted by the lady that does the threading of my brows. I have too many white and very blonde brows now, without the tinting it looks like some of my brows are missing! Oh, never have your brows 'colored' with your haircolor, I had that done once and it looked very fake for some reason! Too match-y, match-y.

I guess that would depend on what color you're using. I always had that done when I dyed it chestnut brown. It looked fine. These days I like them really black, as my hair is multi gray, and I love that contrast.
 

Clabbergirl

One of the Regulars
Messages
227
Location
Nashville, TN
With being in my early fifties, I've in the last couple of years gone with having my eyebrows tinted by the lady that does the threading of my brows. I have too many white and very blonde brows now, without the tinting it looks like some of my brows are missing! Oh, never have your brows 'colored' with your haircolor, I had that done once and it looked very fake for some reason! Too match-y, match-y.

I've had this done by a stylist, and also done it myself at home. The trick is in keeping the color on the eyebrows for a much shorter period of time than the hair on your head. It's usually a softer texture and is 'virgin' in that it hasn't gone through the years blow-dried, dyed, and pulled like the hair. The brows take the coloring much quicker than the hair on your head. For dark-almost-black hair, the stylist would put color on my brows for a max of 5 min, even though my hair got a 25 min treatment.
 

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