“It’s a common misconception that a high arch is going to give you a facelift. If you want youthful features, look at the face of youth, you don’t see children with arches like this.” – Jazz Pampling, eyebrow artist
Australian models, Hannah Saul & Samantha Harris embrace the `Jazz Pampling’ bold brow
Thanks to British model slash `it’ girl, Cara Delevingne the bold `boy brow’ is back in vogue. Even a Google report states tweezer sales are down with Cara’s signature brows to blame.
Right now you’re probably saying to yourself, `yeah but she’s a model, of course it looks good on her’. And you’d be right in thinking that. We all remember the 2013 shaggy bob hair trend that looked incredible on Karlie Kloss, but it didn’t always work for us mere mortals.
So how do we know the bold brow will suit our face shape? And in making the brow bolder, how do we keep it feminine? It’s all in the grooming.
Sydney-based eyebrow artist and educator, Jazz Pampling is re-defining the way women shape their brows and her bold tweezer trend has taken off. Think Naomi Watts, Samantha Harris and Network Ten’s Natarsha Belling who have all had a personal plucking session with the brow queen.
In this chat, we ask Jazz on why she thinks the look has been so widely embraced; how to achieve a groomed yet bold brow without looking like a boy; and how to fake it with products during the `growing out’ phase.
Why do you think this look has been so widely embraced?
Brow queen, Jazz Pampling
The 90s were not kind to us, I think women have more awareness now of the importance of their brow. Like so many trends in the world, sometimes we go from one extreme to the other, so we had the thin over plucked brows of the 90s and now women are taking it to the other extreme and growing them right out.
A thin highly arched brow can be very aging and women are starting to realise less is more.
For those who are having a slight freak out at the mention of `boy’ when it comes to brows, can you please explain what this means? It’s not actually a bushy unkempt boy brow is it?
Put simply it is a fuller brow, generally wider, but still groomed. Your brow says as much about you as the clothes you wear. A stronger brow like Cara’s has some masculine traits.
Men often have brows that are wide and straighter. I think women are feeling more empowered then ever before and this is a sign of that. This is not to say you will be wearing a boy brow, however it is a strong brow and shows the mark of determination.
Do you believe in waxing? Or is it tweezers only? Why? and what’s your opinion on threading?
All hair removal involves a pulling of the skin, so the gentler we are, the better. We are removing hair from some of the most fragile skin on our face, and we are often doing this once a month for the rest of our lives, so it’s important to be gentle to our skin. I prefer to use the gentlest wax I can find. I don’t like strip waxes that can pull at the skin. My wax doesn’t get every little blond hair, however this is not a bad thing.
Western culture has a slight obsession with hair removal, but remember that we have hair for a reason, it helps maintain our natural moisturizing barrier. Our natural moisturizing barrier isan essential part of keeping our skin healthy. I use wax to remove the bulk of the hair, and then tweezers to find the shape. I sometimes just tweeze if clients prefer.
Threading can also be good, however there is still tension applied to the skin to help the thread grab the hair, so don’t be fooled into thinking it’s more gentle. It’s great for people with sensitivities to wax who want more hair removed than tweezing can achieve, however finding someone good at threading is difficult. I often find threaded brows become thinner over time.
The below image is of my sister, Heather Maltman. This is her brow over the last 10 years. In the top left image she is 16 years old, the top right image she is 25, and the bottom image she is 28. I have been growing her brow out for the last three or four years.
For those who are in the process of growing their brow back, what can you do to fake it while you wait?
The best way is with make up, brow pencils and powders. I can help women maintain a clean defined brow while still growing the brow out, it doesn’t have to look messy while you grow it out. You do have to have patience though, one bad wax can take up to a year to regrow.
There are so many products out there from brow pencils to complete sets, even brushes for daily grooming. What products do you use and recommend for at home brow maintenance and grooming?
For brow maintenance I love Inglot professional tweezers and just a simple brow spooly. To fill them in I love the Mac Brow Pencils and Kevyn Aucoin Brow Pencils. Gels or even hairspray can be a great way to set the brow hairs in place.
You have worked your magic on many famous Australian’ s from Naomi Watts to Samantha Harris and Hannah Saul – these girls are already genetically blessed with big brows – what about us regular gals? Can we really achieve this look? How does it translate from high fashion to street style?
Most of us cannot grow brows this wide and full. I find the best way to achieve a fuller brow is with make up. Women are always hesitant to wear a fuller brow, however I am a huge advocate for it. You would be surprised the difference it can make. The key is not to fill your brow with a dark pencil/powder, but to fill it with a slightly lighter shade. A full brow does not mean a dark brow.
To help create this look at home I work with two colours when I fill the brow. I like a lighter colour to put through the entire brow. The trick is not to be afraid to take the colour right to the edge of the brow, if you only put the colour in the middle of brow you are not defining the brow at all. I then use a slightly darker colour to fill any little gaps I may have.
I love using an angle brush to taper the tail of the brow. The Rae Morris brush range has a great angle brush.
You travel to beauty expos to give demonstrations of brows and give regular brow classes – what are some of the key takeaways and learning’s people pick up from this.
I have a couple at home key points that I teach everyone I meet:
– The moment you go to take a hair and you “ummmm” and “ahhhh” about taking it…. Don’t take it. Step back and see if it is even that visible.
– If you do make a mistake, don’t try and balance it on the other side, put the tweezers down and step away from the mirror. Let the hair grow back, a mistake is a mistake for a reason.
– If you are unsure of the shape you want, try penciling the shape in first and then tweezing round that shape.
Who are your brow icons?
My brow icons of the past would be Audrey Hepburn and Brooke shields in Blue Lagoon. In present day, I love Kiera Knightly and Miranda Kerr. They all really embody the brows I love.
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