Elke Von Freudenberg of The Model Brow

LaVaque tweezers

[*Interesting fact: Elke's very first male client was James Franco -- "He's the sweetest!"]. She relayed some valuable brow-grooming tips while she performed a demo on one of the attendees. We literally saw her brows transform right before our eyes with just the most subtle changes.

Elke's brow demo

Brow demo

Here are some of Elke’s tips:

*The best time to tweeze your brows are right out of the shower, when skin is the softest.

*When tweezing, keep the tweezer on the skin the whole time as you pull, to avoid the ‘ouch’ factor. It’s the skin lifting that hurts, not the hair coming out.

*When filling in eyebrows, don’t forget to fill in the brow along the top of the brow as well to make the brows appear thicker. Always go 1/2 shades lighter than your brow/hair color. When you apply a color (brow makeup) into a color (brow hairs) it always appears darker than it really is. Keep it lighter and it will blend in for a much more natural look.

*Use brow gel for thinner hairs, and brow pomade or wax for thicker hairs. Just like the hair on your head, you need the right brow ’styling’ product for your type of brow ‘hair.

Elke helping everyone shape their brows

Afterwards, Elke came around and gave us tips on how to clean up our own brows. We also had the chance to test the LaVaque tweezers out for ourselves firsthand. I’ve always been a Tweezerman girl, but comparatively, LaVaque’s are much more lightweight. They easily grab onto even the finest hairs. The only thing Elke warns us is to try not to drop them on the floor — she noticed that they’ll loose some of their ’springy-ness’ if you do.

LaVaque tweezers

Testing, testing

And of course, it wouldn’t be a Hair-To event without the generous gift bags:

Gifts to take home

Click here to purchase LaVaque Tweezers ($19 for their classic slanted tip, or $29.95 if you want one with your birthstone!).

Thank you Folica.com, Elke, and LaVaque! Hair-To Tuesdays takes place every month. The classes are FREE and open to everyone, but space is limited! To reserve your spot, email hair.to@folica.com. FYI, the next class will be especially for all you curly-heads .

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Shy
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I’m such a sales skeptic, so when a company declares itself to be “Luxury with a Conscience,” I say “prove it.” Well, Josie Maran must have heard me, because homegirl clearly put her money where her mouth…um, eyelashes are.

Josie Maran GOGO Mascara, $22

This fall, the eco-concious model-turned-business woman has teamed up with cancer care center City of Hope to launch the heartwarming Get One Give One (GOGO) campaign.  For every GOGO Natural Volume Argan Mascara ($22) purchased, the lovely Miss Maran will have her company donate one mascara to a cancer patient or survivor associated with the hospital.  After the first 5,000 mascaras are donated, Josie Maran will continue to donate $1 from the sale of each GOGO mascara to the City of Hope’s research, treatment and education of women’s cancers.

It’s rare to hear of a company that provides such a hefty donation.  This gesture alone should inspire you to run to your nearest Sephora, but if you’re still unmoved, here are a few deets about the GOGO mascara:

Like all Josie Maran products, the Natural Volume Argan Mascara is free of parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, synthetic dyes, and phthalates. The brush is extremely full and thick, which makes an application feel very luxurious–not to mention, effective in creating volume.

If you’re like me, then you probably don’t need a reason to buy makeup.   Hopefully, you are also similar to me when it comes to loyalty.  I love a brand that gives me quality ingredients.  I also love a company that uses its power and earnings to make the world a better place.  So, when it comes to Josie Maran, I’m sold!

“To keep your brows in place, you can use clear mascara, a bit of hairspray or gel on a brow brush or old toothbrush, or a brow gel.” – Carmindy, celebrity makeup artist

Benefit's High Brow

This is another one of my favorite products ever ever: Benefit High Brow.

You use this thick pencil to add just a little lightness right under your eyebrow to “lift” the eye and highlight your brow bone. The color is very matte and easy to blend.

It should be very subtle. For example, can you see the little line of brightness right under the brow in this picture of Nicole Sherzinger?

So yeah. That’s what I’m talking about.

Just apply right under your brow, and use your finger to smudge it out like so:

Hm. Picture of my eye after Nicole Sherzinger’s = very bad idea.

Anyway. More tips on highlighting your brow bone:

- Make sure your eyebrows are cleaned up and there are no stray hairs to get the best results. And uh you don’t have to necessarily judge me for mine in the pics above…since that was just for demo purposes..yeah.

- Smudge until there are no obvious lines or streaks. It should look subtle and blended.

- If you don’t have an eye pencil like this, you can substitute with a matte white eye shadow; for parties or night time, use shadows with shine or shimmers. Though, I prefer this pencil over shadows since it has more staying power with a more creamy, thicker texture.

Psssss…Good news is Benefit is having a limited-time only sale RIGHT NOW with products up to 70% off! Bad news is, High Brow isn’t in the mix, and their tangerine-gold highlighter equivalent, Gilded, is out of stock…sad face. Thought you all would still like the heads-up for money saving opportunities!

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Shy

They frame your face and can wake up your whole look. For tips on how to keep your eyebrows looking their best, I turned to brow expert, Kristie Streicher of Warren-Tricomi, who has tended to the likes of Julia Roberts and Molly Sims.

Eyebrow expert, Kristie Streicher. Photo Credit: Steven Simko

BATF: How would you define “good brows”?
KS: Good brows are the eyebrows that you have naturally. If they are naturally full, then leave them this way and just give them shape to open up the eye and properly frame the face. If they are thin, make sure they are properly shaped over your brow bone and are long enough. Not everyone can have full, thick beautiful brows but everyone can have good brows with a little work. Shape is key.

Follow your natural line to find the shape best suited for you

[Kristie advises to follow the diagram above will help you find your own natural shape!]

BATF: What are some essential eyebrow tools to maintain good brows?
KS: Good, sharp slanted tweezers are a MUST. I love Mehaz or Rubis. A brow comb/spoolie to comb hairs and trim with, and a small pair of scissors, like Rubis’ cuticle scissors.

BATF: In which cases would you recommend getting your brows waxed? Threaded? Plucked?
KS: I always say you pluck a chicken and tweeze a brow! Tweezing and threading are great for sensitive skin types. Wax can oftentimes irritate the skin, and sometimes even pull a layer of skin off with it! And, when spreading hot, thin wax in such a small, precise area, it becomes easy for the wax to ‘creep’ in to the brow line and pull out more hairs than intended, especially when the wax strip is then pressed down to lift hairs. The skin around the eye is also quite thin and sensitive. Over time, waxing can not only cause the skin’s elasticity to break down but it can cause irritation and break outs. I like to tweeze because it’s more precise and it’s more gentle to the skin.

Though, sometimes waxing is necessary and I will do if needed. For example, if brows are sparse and thin, I will tint the brows to highlight the hair that is there, and use wax to clean the area around the brow to make them pop out even more.

Jennifer Connelly's coveted brows

BATF: Which celebrity do you think has the best brows right now?
KS: I think very few celebrities have good brows these days – it’s a shame actually. They all need let them grow for 6 months and be sent my way. Though, I used to love Jennifer Connelly’s brows, circa 80s/early 90s.

BATF: What would you advise to people who are looking for a good place to get their brows shaped?

KS: It’s the person, not the place that matters. Don’t be afraid to ask to be tweezed instead of waxed. Tweezing the shape without wax takes an experienced, artful hand. Ask how long the person has been doing brows for to get a feel of their experience.

BATF: In which cases would you recommend men getting their eyebrows done?
KS: I like a thick, strong brow on a man. That said, I think all men can use a little help! It’s a part of grooming just like trimming facial hair. Sometimes, a simple trim can make all the difference. Leave the top natural and clean the sides of brows to separate it from hair line. Pulling a few hairs between the brows will also help to create a cleaner look.

BATF: How would you advise men avoiding the ‘overdone’ look with their brows if they do choose to get it done?
KS: NO WAX! Only tweeze, and leave a few hairs under the arch. This creates a sort of feathered look that looks clean but natural.

BATF: For people with sparse brows, what’s your advise on filling them in?
KS: When filling in brows, use a sharp angled liner brush or a superfine brow pencil to just fill in sparse areas. Always use a shade or two than the brow color. This will prevent them from looking too heavy and unnatural.

I like using a slightly tinted brow gel. This works like a mascara would to thicken and sometimes even lengthen individual hairs on brows, as they have a tendency to lighten from the sun. It also adds a nice sheen and color to brow that a pencil or powder can’t.

BATF: Do you have an all-time favorite brow tip?
KS: Tinted brow gel. I don’t leave the house without it.

How do you maintain your brows?

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Shy