Which brow product should you use for your brow type?

In recent years, Pinays have become more and more kilay-conscious. It used to be that the general pulse for minimum makeup was face powder and lip gloss but now, many women swear that they'd never leave home without drawing their brows on. I feel naked without them is an oft-heard sentiment, followed by the overused but appropriate #kilayislife.

This rings particularly true for those with less than perfect eyebrows, a.k.a. 99% of the population. We try our best to copy the on-fleek looks we see in YouTube videos and on Instagram but the truth is, technique is only one part of the solution. It's also important to know which is the right type of brow product for your particular condition. Today, we tackle the most common eyebrow problems and the best ways to fill them in!

SPARSE

Sparse eyebrows

With sparse eyebrows, hair is present in select areas but because the strands are too few or thin, the shape of the brow isn’t properly defined. There is also a lot of skin-space in between the strands of brow hairs, so the goal is to fill up the space where there is no hair until you form a good set of arches.

For this purpose, a fine-point pencil is a great choice for quickly and easily drawing short strokes to resemble hair growth between actual strands. You may also go for an eyebrow pen to get even more precise yet natural. definition

You can also apply a brow powder to set an even shadow under the hairs and make everything look neater. If your powder is one of those two-tone duos, simply use the dark shade on the tail and the light shade to create soft ends. If a wax is included, you can use it either as an intensifying base or finishing touch to fix hairs into place.

THINGS TO TRY: Eye of Horus Brow Define, Maybelline Duo Shaper, K-Palette Eyebrow Liquid, MAC Brow Shader, Shiseido Eyebrow Compact, Maybelline Fashion Brow Powder

THICK

Thick eyebrows

Got arches that can rival those of Cara Delevingne? They're the height of brow envy as they continue to be one of the most popular beauty trends. Some people worry that they look too unruly and intimidating but before you start plucking them out, try this trick and keep your hairs intact.

The dense hair growth will already be enough to make brows look pronounced but if they're growing in all different directions, a brow gel or mascara will help to keep them in place. Get a slightly lighter shade than your hair color if you want to make them look less intense. Or if you can't find the right shade for you, a clear gel brow mascara works, too!

THINGS TO TRY: Essence Make Me Brow Gel Mascara, Benefit Gimme Brow, Pink Sugar Honey I'm Good Brow Gel, Make Up For Ever Brow Mascara

SHORT

Short eyebrows

In order to looked balanced, the end of your brows are ideally aligned with the outer corners of your eyes. If your hair ends abruptly before that mark, then you share my pain of having bitin brows. While a pencil may seem like an obvious choice, I’d only recommend it for filling in small areas of hairless space (such as patchy brows). Filling in a whole section of missing eyebrow with pencil results in a very obvious contrast of texture between the drawn-on extension and real hairs.

A color-intensive product such as a brow pomade fils in the missing piece without looking too fake and drawn on. This type of product needs to be applied with precision so It can be quite difficult to master though, so we’d recommend lots of practice before going out with pomaded eyebrows!

THINGS TO TRY: Benefit Ka-Brow, NYX Eyebrow Gel

Oily brows

People who experience oiliness on their brow are probably misdiagnosing the problem. I have seen so many friends trying on waterproof brow makeup on their eyebrows because their brows are "weirdly oily."

People often avoid putting anything other than brow makeup on their brows (because, duh) but it’s actually not a bad idea to extend your base up to the brow area. This helps keep your oil pattern more uniform, instead of your bare brows being the choke-point for oil to escape your face. It’s also very helpful in keeping your brows more defined and long-lasting!

As with all things makeup, layers and complexity make everything look more natural. You can try using a pencil or pen as a base, set it with a bit of powder, then finish off with a touch of brow mascara.

If you've ever wondered why a brow product didn't work for you, sometimes it about finding the right formula for your needs. More than taking these as strict rules to follow, I hope it encourages you to try other brow product variations and help you find your best match.

Which of these brow types are most like yours? What products do you use for your brow type?