Six common brow dilemmas, solved: From cosmetic tattooing gone wrong to thinning brows in menopause

The right set of eyebrows can enhance your face shape and highlight your best features. Eyebrows remain one of beauty’s most game-changing assets, offering emotional context, balance and depth to the face. Actors such as Brooke Shields, Lily Collins and Cara Delevingne have always made a strong But if your own set are sparse, thinning or barely there, a number of products and services can help build your brows back up again. Below, four brow specialists break down the most common brow dilemmas, and share their hot take on how to help your arches reach their full potential. Overzealous with tweezers? Never fear - there are things you can try to build back your brows once more. Photo / Bo BeautyBrow Dilemma #1: OverpluckingOur experts agree that the number one mistake they continue to see is overplucking. While the 90s trend of pencil-thin brows made a temporary comeback, being too heavy-handed with tweezers can leave brows looking sparse or uneven. For Penny Mahoney, the founder of Lab Brow Bar, correcting overplucked brows is a daily occurrence. “Plucking at home is incredibly difficult in a bathroom mirror, and getting them even is almost impossible,” she says. “Once you start plucking, it’s hard to stop.” The Fix: Step away from the tweezers and book in for a brow mapping service with the pros. Mahoney says it can be difficult to break out of the tweezing routine, but a consult will show you which brow shape will look best to complement your features - which may mean letting your brows grow out a bit. A consultation will take into account your natural brow shape, facial features and goals, so your technician can build a treatment plan to help you achieve your desired results. “We are careful about how we explain it [to clients]. They’ve got the mirror in their hand. We’re pointing out to them exactly why this brow shape would better complement their face. And at the end of the day, it’s up to them if they want to keep plucking. We can’t stop them, but we can give them our expert advice,” she says. Mahoney adds there are ways to shape, tint and style overplucked brows to make them appear fuller. Patience is key, and a good fine-tip pencil to draw in soft hair strokes while you wait for regrowth is a must. In the salon, consider long-lasting brow stains or henna to fake the illusion of a fuller brow. The latest technology in brow stain formulas means they can remain on skin for up to a week, and on hair until it grows out. Our experts agree that tint technology used in cosmetic tattooing has evolved since it first broke onto the scene in the mid 2010s. Photo / Lash NoirBrow Dilemma #2: Cosmetic tattooing gone wrongMicroblading gained traction in New Zealand in the mid-2010s, a form of cosmetic tattooing that sees semi-permanent pigment deposited into skin to mimic the appearance of real eyebrow hairs, leaving them looking thicker and fuller.Also known as feather touch brows, a decade later, many people are opting to have their microblading removed using laser treatments to lift and fade pigment. Britney Ackland, the founder of Bo Beauty, says cosmetic tattooing has evolved significantly over the last 15 years, meaning the pigments used now are far more advanced. “One of the reasons some older brows have aged poorly comes down to the pigment formulations available at the time. Unfortunately, artists couldn’t see how these pigments faded until 12 months later,” she says. “At Bo Beauty, we use premium pigments that are specifically chosen to fade beautifully. Rather than leaving behind unwanted grey, blue or red tones, they soften into a light wash of colour, allowing us to refresh your brows year after year.”Another cosmetic tattooing mishap that Lash Noir senior therapist Jess Whitbread has witnessed is clients wanting to touch up too often. “To keep feather touch brows looking soft and natural, it’s important to let them fade significantly before having them refreshed,” she says. “If you continue adding pigment too frequently, it can build up, blur over time and create that solid, blocky look that many people are now choosing to have removed. You should only touch them up when they genuinely look faded and need it.”The Fix: For clients with older pigment that hasn’t aged well, Ackland recommends lightening the existing tattoo first before creating a fresh set of brows (rather than tattooing over the top). “This gives us more freedom with shape, colour and technique, resulting in a softer, more natural outcome. Lightening is quick, effective and often only requires one treatment, with around 12 weeks of healing before we can re-tattoo,” she says, recommending Sacred Laser and Think Again. “Interestingly, many clients who choose to remove their old cosmetic tattoo aren’t giving up on tattooed brows altogether, they’re simply coming back for a softer, more modern approach that will give them the definition and fullness their brows need.”Brow growth serums like RevitaBrow can be used after microblading, Annemarie Mason, founder of Kiara Cosmetics, says. RevitaBrow is brimming with peptides and vitamins to support hair restoration and make brow hairs thicker again. “People don’t realise you can use RevitaBrow after you’ve had microblading to make your brows look a lot better. The more hair that you have, the better and more natural it’s going to look,” Mason says. When performed well, cosmetic tattooing gives the illusion of naturally fuller brows, Lash Noir senior therapist Jess Whitbread says. Photo / Lash NoirBrow Dilemma #3: Thinning brows in menopauseIn the same way that your skin changes as we move through menopause, so too can your eyebrows. Mason says that hormonal changes can impact eyebrows more than you might think. “The changes in hormones can mean the outer third of your eyebrow starts to fall out, or your hairs start to change,” Mason says. “You start getting hairs pop up where you don’t want them, but then start to lose hairs where you do want them - on your brows.”The Fix: Whitbread says cosmetic tattooing remains an excellent option to create fullness on sparse brows. “When it’s done well, it looks incredibly natural - you’d never know it was a tattoo,” she says. For something a little less permanent, Whitbread recommends a brow lamination service, which essentially is a chemical “perm” for eyebrows. Lamination uses a lifting solution to break down the bonds in hair, allowing your brow tech to set hairs in an upward, outward direction. “It lifts and redirects the natural hairs to create the appearance of a fuller, fluffier brow without adding pigment,” Whitbread says. Brow mapping is an integral part of brow service at Lab Brow Bar, including brow laminations (pictured). Photo / Lab Brow BarBrow Dilemma #4: Aiming for perfectionEver heard of the popular saying - your brows should be sisters, not twins? It’s the best mantra when it comes to mapping out the right brow shape for you. “No one’s brows are completely identical. The way our skull forms before we’re born makes sure of that. It’s not about making brows perfect - it’s about aiming for balance, not symmetry,” Mahoney says. Trying to make them identical can lead to removing extra hair or adding weight where it’s not needed, leading to a “tadpole” brow with a blocky front and thin tail. Mismatched arches can make even the most symmetrical face appear slightly off, while Ackland explains an overextended tail can drag the eyes down or make them appear smaller. The Fix: Rather than succumb to trends, Ackland says the shape and placement of brows should be mapped by a professional to ensure brows look balanced, natural and flattering. “It’s always important to follow your unique facial proportions and work with natural hair,” she says. “A well-balanced brow should lift and open the face, not weigh it down. As a general guide, the tail of the brow should finish along an imaginary line from the outer edge of your nostril to the outer corner of your eye. Every face is different, so we always customise the shape to suit each client’s unique features.” A misplaced arch can give a permanently angry look, while the right placement can help open up the entire eye area, Mahoney adds. “The best way to flatter your face is to make sure points [of your eyebrow] are in the right [place]. If they are, it can lift your face, it can change your expression. There are brows that might make you look sad or angry, but if we lift them up, we can change that,” she says.Ackland says brows that are one to two shades deeper than a client’s natural root colour creates the most flattering result. Photo / Bo BeautyBrow Dilemma #5: Wrong colour choiceBolder, darker brows of the 2010s are long gone, in favour of brows that utilise subtle colour, definition and structure so as not to overpower features, Ackland says. Using a shade that is too dark or too warm can overpower or disrupt the harmony of your facial features. Too-dark brows are a common mishap when people DIY from the comfort of their own bathrooms, Whitbread adds. “We see a lot of damage from at-home tinting and lamination. These can leave brows over-processed, damaged or far too dark.” The Fix: The most natural-looking brow colour is one that suits your natural undertones and root colour (rather than hair colour which can change more frequently). As a general rule, Ackland says she opts for a colour that’s one to two shades deeper than a client’s natural root colour as this creates the most flattering result. On fair skin, this looks like soft shades to build back a faint brow, while a deeper brunette hue offers richness and definition. Mahoney says brow laminations can make hair more porous, which means colour can sometimes grab or appear darker. She suggests always pairing a brow lamination with a tint, as the chemicals used can warm up the colour of the brows.“We’re very aware that the hair is made porous by the products, so we’re careful with laminations. The technology has come so far that it’s nowhere near an issue like it was when I started doing laminations,” she says. Mason recommends applying RevitaBrow regularly to support healthy brow hair growth and density. Photo / RevitaLashBrow Dilemma #6: No maintenance A flawless brow service is just the beginning, and your brow technician can advise the best way to maintain the shape or shade of your brows between appointments. Brow laminations need to be cared for well post-treatment, otherwise hair can become frizzy or difficult to style. The Fix: For maximum longevity, Whitbread advises avoiding getting brows wet for the first 24 hours, keeping them hydrated with a brow serum or oil, and brushing them into place daily to maintain a soft, fluffy finish. Mason agrees, saying chemically treating brows can cause dehydration, so it’s essential to find the right products to keep brows looking healthy and defined. According to Mason, an ideal at-home brow care routine starts with exfoliation (once or twice a week), cleansing brows with micellar water to remove oils or surface debris, before applying brow growth serum (like RevitaBrow) to boost growth. Finish with a brow pencil and brow gel to style. She adds the RevitaLash Lash and Brow Masque, a weekly treatment to try between visits, is popular for those who regularly book in for laminations. In The ToolkitMaybelline Brow Inserts, $30, is a dual-ended brow pencil and fibre gel designed to transform sparse, thin or overplucked brows using a formula that wears for up to 36 hours without smudging or transferring. RevitaBrow Advanced, $179, is an eyebrow conditioning serum developed to address the signs of eyebrow ageing, including over-grooming or chemical and environmental stressors. HD Brows Brow Glue, $42, promises ultra-strong hold when brushed through brows, leaving them locked in place all day long. Mecca Max Brow Guru Cutting Edge Pencil, $27, features a blade-shaped tip to create short and long strokes, building the perfect brow in a few swipes. Plus a spoolie to blend the formula, helping deliver structure, shape and softness. More beautyThe country’s top makeup artists share their favourite lipstick and lip liner combos; how to keep skin hydrated and plump in the harsh winter months; and should you incorporate creatine into your wellness stack?