Behold: 5 eyebrow 'before and after' transformations that prove any brow can be saved.

In case you missed it, eyebrows are no longer just two random strips of hair above your eyes.

In fact, a well-tended pair of brows have so much to offer beyond jumping up when you’re surprised, or crinkling together when you’re thinking really hard about something.

Groomed eyebrows can make a massive difference to your overall face, like opening up your eye area, and giving your face an instant lift (yes please).

But what if your eyebrows need a bit of help? What if, at one stage or another, they unknowingly wandered down a questionable path and you’re not quite sure how to bring them back?

If you need more help figuring out how to shape eyebrows, check out this lovely tutorial from Mamamia’s resident makeup artist Nat. Post continues after video.

When you think of bad eyebrows, images of a bushy monobrow or the lovely 90s drawn on thin line – you know the one – come to mind. But there are more subtle ways your brows could be working harder for you.

Benefit Cosmetics’ National Brow Artist Hannah Mutze (also known in beauty circles as the eyebrow whisperer) has seen and worked on thousands of eyebrows, and the most common problems she encounters are:

• Brows that haven’t been shaped.
• Over-waxed and over-plucked eyebrows.
• Fair brows that lack definition.
• Flat brows that need a good brush.
• Eyebrows being drawn on too thick or using the wrong eyebrow products.

But there’s good news. There is still hope for all of these types of eyebrows. Yes, even the ones who fell victim to overzealous tweezers.

From thin and over-plucked to fair and bushy, we asked Hannah to find us five eyebrows in need of some love, and show us step-by-step exactly how to turn them into perfect brows.

Side note – before we get into these incredible eyebrow before and after transformations… did you know for the month of May, 100 per cent of all profits from Benefit eyebrow waxing services will go towards making the world a better place for women and girls?

 

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To help out local women in need simply by getting your brows done, head into any Benefit Brow Bar in Myer stores Australia-wide (find your local Benefit counter here) and book a brow wax. Your money will go towards Aussie female-focused charities Look Good Feel Better, Fitted For Work and Sister2Sister. How good is that?

1. How to shape… untidy, shapeless brows.

The problem:

"These brows were in desperate need of a tidy, and lacked shape. They’re naturally blessed with feathery texture – so we wanted to embrace that finish."

How to fix shapeless brows.

Here are Hannah's tips for how to shape unruly brows:

1. Wax away unnecessary growth surrounding the brow to clean it up and create much-needed definition to the top and bottom lines of the brow. Note – the clean crisp lines and tapered tail are the keys to a groomed looking brow.
2. Trace around the shape with a micro-tip brow pencil to emphasise the clean lines.
3. Finish with a slick of clear brow gel to set hairs into place.

2. How to shape... sparse, curly eyebrows.

The problem:

"This woman has always struggled with her brows being long, curly and sparse. Too much trimming results in patchy brows, but not enough and her brows look messy."

How to fix long, sparse brows.

To strike the perfect balance between tidy but not patchy, here's what Hannah recommends for people with long eyebrows:

1. Ask for a micro trim, which involves only trimming the very tips of these curly strands to make brows look groomed and manicured.
2. Get an eyebrow tint – tinting defines the baby fine hairs in and around the brow, making them look fuller instantly. Even with sparse brows, you'll notice a big difference after a brow tint.
3. Use a fibre gel and setting gel. The idea of layering brow gels isn’t as crazy as it sounds, it produces the most natural looking brows that won't budge all day long. Use a gel with micro fibres in it to build volume and fullness through the brow, and add a clear brow gel on top for extra staying power.

Side note - Hannah used the Benefit Gimme Brow+ Brow-Volumizing Fiber Gel, $43 (you can also give it a try in the mini Gimme Brow size for $23) and the Benefit 24 Hour Brow Setter Clear Brow Gel, $43, to achieve this look. We also love the Rimmel Wonder'FULL Brow Gel, $15.95, and the NYX Professional Makeup Control Freak Clear Eyebrow Gel, $9.95.

3. How to shape... thin eyebrows.

The problem:

"My model wanted her brows to look thicker and feathery, instead of thin and skimpy."

How to fix thin brows.

Here's Hannah's step-by-step for thickening up thin brows:

1. A good brow wax and tint to remove any unnecessary hairs, and build up fullness and highlight every strand with a natural-looking tint.
2. Use a fine tip brow pencil to define the brows with hair-like strokes to keep the brows looking natural.
3. Brush the brows upwards using a spoolie (a naked mascara wand). Brushing your eyebrows instantly makes them look thicker.

4. How to shape... overplucked eyebrows.

The problem:

"These brows fell victim to over-plucking in the 90’s – Pam Anderson, I blame you. They’re very blonde, and lacked definition and shape."

How to fix over-plucked brows.

If you, like the lovely woman above, have never recovered from over-tweezing your brows, try these tips from Hannah:

1. For naturally sparse and thin brows, tint a couple shades darker to make them appear thicker in shape and fuller in density. Then, waxing will help to straighten the lines of the brows and clear away the finer, fluffy growth.
2. Use a brow pencil to then trace the edges of your shape with a fine tip for precise lines, even on the thinnest of brows. Fill in between the outline, and blend lightly with a spoolie brush to soften lines and ensure a natural finish.
3. Layer a microfibre brow gel on top of the pencil to add volume to the hairs of the brows (the microfibers within adhere to the hairs and make them appear thicker). Always backcomb a fibre gel through the brows – from the start of the brow to the tail, and then back the other way from tail towards the front – to build maximum fullness. Finish by brushing hairs into place.

Side note - Hannah used the Benefit Gimme Brow+ Brow-Volumizing Fiber Gel, $43 (scroll up for more savey brow gel options) and the Benefit Precisely, My Brow Eyebrow Pencil, $43. We also like Morphe Micro Brow Pencil, $7, and the Flower Beauty Draw The Line Eyebrow Pencil, $7.99).

5. How to shape... fair eyebrows.

The problem:

"These brows were very fair. On top of that, the woman said she had been growing out a too-thin wax job for months, making her brows look messy and undefined."

How to fix fair brows.

Fair-haired girls, listen up. These are Hannah's suggestions to highlight fair eyebrows:

1. A brow wax and tint will bring fair, shapeless brows back to life. The brow tint also allows us to see how hard work of growing out brows pays off, picking up all of the very fair, fine growth along the bottom line of the brow, making them look much thicker.
2. Wax away all the all the unnecessary growth and finess the shape with a tweeze.

Now, how bloody helpful was that?

For more helpful brow advice from Mamamia's Leigh Campbell, get this episode of You Beauty in your ears below.

Love all things beauty? Come join our You Beauty Facebook group for more chit chat about things to put on your face. And body. And hair.

Want more honest road tests of new beauty products or cult buys? Check out these below:

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• "A brow expert showed me this simple hack and it's changed the way I do my eyebrows."
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