Want to buy or sell something? Check the classifieds
  • The Fedora Lounge is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Vintage eyebrow shapes

jacqueline101

New in Town
Messages
36
Location
Saint Joseph MO
I was looking for vintage eye brow shapes came here

I do like the help you gave. I guess bottom line pick what flatters you. I have another question is it wise to shave or pluck brows. do you touch the top part. i heard that is not good.
 

Inky

One Too Many
Messages
1,743
Location
State of Confusion AKA California
Be very careful if you shave your brows - there are many stories of ladies not having them grow back once they shave them for a while. I can attest to that myself - I shaved them for about 5 years in the early 80's and they never did grow back quite the same way, but thankfully they did grow in.
 

Laura Chase

One Too Many
Messages
1,354
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
jacqueline101 said:
I do like the help you gave. I guess bottom line pick what flatters you. I have another question is it wise to shave or pluck brows. do you touch the top part. i heard that is not good.

I've heard the "not pluck the top" thing too, but I pluck stray hairs from the top, and I plucked a lot of them when I tried to make straight 20's brows. It isn't a universal rule, but if you want arched 50's brows, you probably wouldn't pluck the top.
 

DameIniquitous

New in Town
Messages
28
Location
Canada
I pluck the random stray from the top as well.

As for my eyebrows, I'm not sure what era the shape falls into, I just clean them up and make sure the arch looks nice.

This is the most recent picture of me, it was raining out hence the minimal hair/makeup.

I think I should start filling them in a bit more, they've always looked kind of sparse to me, and they're blonde which doesn't help.

Kinorhyncha047.jpg
 

Laura Chase

One Too Many
Messages
1,354
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
I'm no expert, but I would probably define them a bit more by plucking just a tad more. I've allowed myself to draw, very primitively, on your photo. lol

If you want to try it, you could draw on the hairs you want to remove with a soft white pencil and then use that as a guiding line when plucking.

Suggestion, the black line indicates the areas where I would remove the hairs:

3429944440_68284cc98d_o.jpg
 

chanteuseCarey

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,962
Location
Northern California
transitioning from 30s to 40s

I'd had my eyebrows done much narrower for a 30s look the beginning of March for an Art Deco weekend. Since then I've decided my best look is vintage 40s. So I've been letting them grow out. They are almost there! I had my aesthetician work on them Wed night; she did threading, a little scissor trimming and tinted them. The left side is still a bit thinner, as I had overplucked them myself at first in late Feb. I should have never tried to do them myself- I then had to go to her to fix them for me, lesson learned!

Here is the 40s version, using eyebrow pencil- the right eye is the perfect one! The left will catch up, but the arch is flatter on this side naturally, compared to the right. So I accommodate that with the eyebrow pencil to get them more even looking. I really like this shape, this is my 40s makeup. The late 30s hat, 40s eyeglasses, clip earrings, and chinese print blouse are all vintage pieces.
361674675.jpg
 

Lillemor

One Too Many
Messages
1,137
Location
Denmark
I just can't draw my brows up 1950s style witha browliner pencil:


Natural:
my.php
[/URL][/IMG]
Sparse, coarse, with bald spot near nose ridge and the left brow isn't as long as the right brow.:(

Older picture but slightly clearer:
my.php
[/URL][/IMG]

"Naturally" drawn up:


Do I: a) let them grow into the woods? b) is my pencil technique wrong? c) will brow powder work better? d) is it just a question of me buying a pencil intended for use on my brows? I'm using an old Body Shop eyeliner in black. I've never drawn up my brows before this year or thought of the importance of it.

:eek:fftopic: Again, excuse my antiquated webcam. I'm actually wearing full make-up in all photos! Purple in the old one, blue/purple today, green in some other photo I posted on another thread today. :eek:fftopic: I'm going to prioritize better brow pencil/powder, eye primer and eye colors with deeper pigmentation so people can actually see my efforts.
 

Laura Chase

One Too Many
Messages
1,354
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Lillemor, I think it's very difficult to judge from the photos because they are too dark and blurred. :(

And you can just use a brown eyeshadow to draw in your brows if you feel uncomfortable with using a pencil. I always use an eyebrow pencil, though, and just use the brush of the pencil to soften out the harsh lines.
 

Lillemor

One Too Many
Messages
1,137
Location
Denmark
Laura Chase said:
Lillemor, I think it's very difficult to judge from the photos because they are too dark and blurred. :(

And you can just use a brown eyeshadow to draw in your brows if you feel uncomfortable with using a pencil. I always use an eyebrow pencil, though, and just use the brush of the pencil to soften out the harsh lines.

I'll try to get hub to take a photo of me without glasses on or maybe your post just highlights the fact that I'm not drawing them up enough.
 

chanteuseCarey

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,962
Location
Northern California
trying NOT using a eyeliner pencil to start...

Hi Lillemor, Me I have several white or blonde hairs, so I have to do something on my brows, plus the one grows differently.

Every once in a great while I mistakenly pick up the eyeliner pencil instead of the eyebrow pencil to do mine-EEK. Looks completely different! Also I cannot get the look I want to line brows, eyes and lips with the newfangled twist up liners, I have to use the true pencil kind that you have to use in a makeup pencil sharpener. I did eyebrow powder so many years ago, I cannot remember if it looked good on me or not! Worth a try... buy an inexpensive brand and experiment.

Lillemor said:
I just can't draw my brows up 1950s style witha browliner pencil:


Natural:
my.php
[/URL][/IMG]
Sparse, coarse, with bald spot near nose ridge and the left brow isn't as long as the right brow.:(

Older picture but slightly clearer:
my.php
[/URL][/IMG]

"Naturally" drawn up:


Do I: a) let them grow into the woods? b) is my pencil technique wrong? c) will brow powder work better? d) is it just a question of me buying a pencil intended for use on my brows? I'm using an old Body Shop eyeliner in black. I've never drawn up my brows before this year or thought of the importance of it.

:eek:fftopic: Again, excuse my antiquated webcam. I'm actually wearing full make-up in all photos! Purple in the old one, blue/purple today, green in some other photo I posted on another thread today. :eek:fftopic: I'm going to prioritize better brow pencil/powder, eye primer and eye colors with deeper pigmentation so people can actually see my efforts.
 

LelaViavonie

Practically Family
Messages
675
Location
Old Town Orange, CA
After reading this thread.. and with lots of thought.. I decided to let my eyebrows grow out.. Ekkk! SCARY! LMAO!
I clean them up at the bottom.. but have not touched the arch or the top... my plan is to let them grow out and have them shaped.. but.. Im not sure what im goin for.. I just need something new :)

The brows are bushy.. its scary.. cause im not used to it! lol
 

cecil

A-List Customer
Messages
396
Location
Sydney, Aus.
I'm debating whether or not to pluck mine a bit thinner to make them more 40s-looking. I sortof like them a bit thicker though. Help? I like Gene Tierney's eyebrows (though i like Gene Tierney's everything, really).

Here are what mine are like now. Apologies for the silly face and the mandarin, it was the only photo i could find, all the other ones either had my bangs in the way or the flash was too bright. I don't believe I'm actually capable of taking a non-silly photo though so if it wasn't this silly photo it would be another! lol

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v464/hotbake/2.jpg
 

Tigerlily

One of the Regulars
Messages
110
Location
San Diego
So, I've been having a couple girls at my beauty school tell me that my eyebrows need waxing and that they need to be thinner. I keep telling them that I don't want thin eyebrows but they keep insisting everyday and honestly, it's getting a bit irritating :( I just don't think thin eyebrows the way they have them would look good on me, and I really like the 50s brow. I've always had problems with my eyebrows because the hair is very light and just plucking one hair makes it look like I took out a bunch, so I use an eyebrow pencil! I admit, they need to be shaped and groomed a little but I don't want to take a lot of hair out. I already had a bad experience with one of the girls. She waxed my eyebrows and I looked sad and as if I had no brows for about a month. Also, it's not like I don't appreciate thin eyebrows on others, but it's just that if my eyebrows are thin, I end up looking like a chola. Don't want that! lol
I just want some advice on what I can do to make them look better, how to achieve a better arch and a 50s brow shape overall. Please help. :)

Colored in a little:
brows2.png


Not colored in:
brows1.png

Some of the hair hasn't fully grown back yet.
 

Tigerlily

One of the Regulars
Messages
110
Location
San Diego
Lillemor said:
Do I: a) let them grow into the woods? b) is my pencil technique wrong? c) will brow powder work better? d) is it just a question of me buying a pencil intended for use on my brows? I'm using an old Body Shop eyeliner in black. I've never drawn up my brows before this year or thought of the importance of it.

Personally, I like using a pencil better than powder because you can draw on little hairs more easily (one by one, in light strokes). My eyebrows have always come out darker than I'd like when I use powder. I'd reccommend using a light gray or dark brown pencil since your hair is black. I read somewhere that you should never use black pencil on brows because it makes them look overpowering. Hope I helped. :)
 

chanteuseCarey

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,962
Location
Northern California
HEllo Tigerlily,

JMO, I wouldn't let 'em get to ya dear! Thank them nicely for their input but don't do it! I'm assuming the gals at beauty school (unless they are the INSTRUCTORS) are your age?? Have you tried going to a high end dept store and looking for a beauty saleswoman that is a bit older (40-50), and talking with her? What about threading? I used to have mine waxed, but my Nordstrom saleswoman said it was burning my skin. She does threading in her home, and she can do them so nicely for me. I use eyebrow pencil- the pencil sharpener kind, not the twist up type, as the powder never worked out to look good for me. If you want a fiifties look, DON'T go thinner. Tell them in a nice way to bug off, that you are tired of their irritating you about it. Chola look- no good... My advice, if you want a fifties look, find some pics on line of online, copy the pics and save it , print it out and take it to someone older to work on your brows for you. There is great pic on the Powder Room's Clothing Color Combinations thread right now, of actress Elizabeth Taylor in the fifties that would look great for you! Look for it...


Tigerlily said:
So, I've been having a couple girls at my beauty school tell me that my eyebrows need waxing and that they need to be thinner. I keep telling them that I don't want thin eyebrows but they keep insisting everyday and honestly, it's getting a bit irritating :( I just don't think thin eyebrows the way they have them would look good on me, and I really like the 50s brow. I've always had problems with my eyebrows because the hair is very light and just plucking one hair makes it look like I took out a bunch, so I use an eyebrow pencil! I admit, they need to be shaped and groomed a little but I don't want to take a lot of hair out. I already had a bad experience with one of the girls. She waxed my eyebrows and I looked sad and as if I had no brows for about a month. Also, it's not like I don't appreciate thin eyebrows on others, but it's just that if my eyebrows are thin, I end up looking like a chola. Don't want that! lol
I just want some advice on what I can do to make them look better, how to achieve a better arch and a 50s brow shape overall. Please help. :)

Colored in a little:
brows2.png


Not colored in:
brows1.png

Some of the hair hasn't fully grown back yet.
 

Tigerlily

One of the Regulars
Messages
110
Location
San Diego
chanteuseCarey said:
JMO, I wouldn't let 'em get to ya dear! Thank them nicely for their input but don't do it! I'm assuming the gals at beauty school (unless they are the INSTRUCTORS) are your age?? Have you tried going to a high end dept store and looking for a beauty saleswoman that is a bit older (40-50), and talking with her? What about threading? I used to have mine waxed, but my Nordstrom saleswoman said it was burning my skin. She does threading in her home, and she can do them so nicely for me. I use eyebrow pencil- the pencil sharpener kind, not the twist up type, as the powder never worked out to look good for me. If you want a fiifties look, DON'T go thinner. Tell them in a nice way to bug off, that you are tired of their irritating you about it. Chola look- no good... My advice, if you want a fifties look, find some pics on line of online, copy the pics and save it , print it out and take it to someone older to work on your brows for you. There is great pic on the Powder Room's Clothing Color Combinations thread right now, of actress Elizabeth Taylor in the fifties that would look great for you! Look for it...

They are around my age, and they all have this mentality that tells them that hair anywhere on the body is not good, especially on the face. Sometimes I just feel like drawing on some Groucho Marx eyebrows and going to school and showing them! I also noticed that a lot of the girls in my class barely have any hair left on their eyebrows, and I know their intentions might be good but I think they're just hair hungry... They make fun of me when I say no thank you! It's just so weird to me to think that thin eyebrows will look good on everybody.
I've actually been considering threading since I've heard good things about it. Waxing just hurts too much! There's a really nice girl at my school who knows how to do it and I'm sure she won't make them look horrible. I'll take your advice though and go to a department store to hear what they say.
I've always loved Liz Taylor's eyebrows, so I'll have to check out how they'd look on me. Thank you so much for your input and advice, chanteuseCarey! I'll try not to let them get to me anymore.
 

MissHannah

One Too Many
Messages
1,248
Location
London
Tigerlilly - your brows have a fantastic natural arch with a point - you could do fifties brows a treat! I have a natural arch which I can exaggerate when I want to but my daily look is this:

Hair220109D-1.jpg
 

SweetieStarr

A-List Customer
Messages
314
Location
CA
cecil said:
I'm debating whether or not to pluck mine a bit thinner to make them more 40s-looking. I sortof like them a bit thicker though. Help? I like Gene Tierney's eyebrows (though i like Gene Tierney's everything, really).

Here are what mine are like now. Apologies for the silly face and the mandarin, it was the only photo i could find, all the other ones either had my bangs in the way or the flash was too bright. I don't believe I'm actually capable of taking a non-silly photo though so if it wasn't this silly photo it would be another! lol

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v464/hotbake/2.jpg

Your brows are beautiful; I would not change them.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
107,026
Messages
3,026,654
Members
52,533
Latest member
RacerJ
Top