I came of age when skinny, over-plucked eyebrows were the style. Prior to that, I was the owner of a fine uni-brow. It took me years to have the courage to actually pluck all those unwanted hairs out; the pain and watery eyes were too much for me. I hadn’t heard about waxing, and I don’t even know that my hometown had it back then! So, over the course of high school and college, bit by bit I plucked and shaped what I thought was a great looking brow.
For Emphasis
See….no eyebrows! 🙁
Over the last 20+ years, I’ve always used an eyebrow pencil to bring additional emphasis to my brows, preferring to make my eyes “pop” with a frame rather than have my brows fade into oblivion. Besides, I’d darkened my hair over the years so I wanted my brows to reflect my hair color.
Welcome Menopause
And then I headed into menopause…and there went my eyebrows. I hear this is not uncommon, the result of hormonal changes. In fact, I watched my mom battle the same issue in her day. The first thing she did in the morning was put her eyebrows on. But I didn’t expect it to happen to me. I’d stopped plucking years ago as the style started trending toward fuller brows. I don’t know why my brows never caught on that they were supposed to grow back into trend. All those years of plucking must have scared the root right out of them. To add insult to injury, what little brows I have left are now turning gray and it left unchecked, start to look a bit like Andy Rooney brows.
Eyebrows on….ready!
The Art of Penciling
The art of penciling a brow is just that, an art. While there are stencils available, I prefer the challenge of a freehand draw, hedging my bets by marking where my brow should start, arch and end. And, in the hunt for the perfect natural shade I have emerged the victor with IT brand Brow Power Universal Taupe. It goes on smooth, and it lasts. I LOVE it!
Like my mother, I won’t leave the house without my eyebrows, and I worry about who will draw them on when I’m old and no longer able. When my mom was in her final months, it became a weekly ritual that I would put her eyebrows back on every Saturday visit. You see, she very carefully washed her face….around her eyebrows….all week long to make them last until I came. I expect I’ll do the same. And that, my friends, is Menopause….Without the Pause.
