5 brow-blessed women on the products they swear by

Nothing incites beauty envy quite like brows do. There are plenty of good reasons for this, top among them: the fact that a full, fluffy set affords you the freedom of a nearly bare face! Here, we tapped five women with impeccable brows for their trusty products, detailed grooming tips — and some advice for bouncing back from the era of razor thin eyebrows. 

Matilda, copywriter

"I've been blessed with thick, dark brows thanks to genetics. My parents actually forbade me from plucking them, which, in retrospect, was a blessing in disguise. Now I basically clean up my eyebrows every day. People are always so shocked when I tell them that, but it's not an exaggeration. I'm not really messing with the shape — I mostly just clean around the brows and cut the hairs from the top when they get a little long. The process really makes a difference and it only takes me five to 10 minutes. I always turn to the Tweezerman slant tweezer that I've used for years. It's one of those fancy ones with a built-in light (so extra, I know). I hate misplacing it because the other ones I have just don't work as well. The slant is key!"

Expertweeze Lighted Slant Tweezer, $36, Tweezerman

Adrien, fashion publicist 

"My brow journey has been about learning to embrace what my mama and papa gave me. In grades eight and nine — falling squarely within the 2000s, a time of sickly thin eyebrows — I was a little overzealous with tweezing at times. Thank goodness that, unlike many horror stories from the decade, I didn't succumb to any permanently drastic brow landscaping. In the past, if I wanted to pamper myself, I'd get a brow tint, but that only lasts for a couple of weeks, which isn't the best return on investment for my inner pragmatist. Instead, I turn to my holy grail product, Glossier Boy Brow in Black. I buy them in threes so there's always back up! I like to brush them upward for a full, fluffy look, which has a super '60s vibe." 

Boy Brow in Black, $20, Glossier 

Emmi, graphic designer 

"When I was a teen, I was spending more than five minutes of grooming time per brow — I remember getting so frustrated as I struggled to get them even! Eventually a friend told me they looked a bit ridiculous, and since then, I've been continuously simplifying my routine. I used to do the occasional pluck because I thought I had to, but now I don't even do that — I just want to let them do their own thing. I'm down to less than one minute per brow. I apply Chanel's Le Gel Sourcils in Brun very gently, taking care to only catch the hairs and not get dark streaks on the skin. The formula has these little fibres in them that add subtle, but necessary volume. I've tried a bunch of brow gels and this one is by far the best!"

Le Gel Sourcils in Brun, $44, Chanel

Tia, junior artist manager 

"I used to love getting my brows threaded, but sometimes you're at the mercy of whichever person is on duty in the salon that day. After too many mishaps, I chose to take care of my brows by myself. My full process starts with brushing my brows up, trimming them very carefully with brow scissors in line with the shape that I already have, and then just plucking the strays. The key here is having tweezers with sharp ends. When I'm styling them, I usually brush my brows up, lightly outline, and do small, hair-like strokes to fill them in. I'll also brush my brows out a bit as I go to distribute the product better. After all is said and done, I add Essence's Lash Brow Gel Mascara, which is really inexpensive, just to keep the hairs in place."

Essence Lash Brow Gel Mascara, $2.99, Shoppers Drug Mart

Joanna, accessories designer

"When I was younger, I was always embarrassed by my bushy brows. So when university came around, I shaved and over-plucked my eyebrows so terribly that they were half the thickness. I was left with basically nothing, which made it really difficult to draw them in and look natural. Now, I'm careful not to over-pluck while following my natural shape. My best tip for tweezing is to always use a magnified mirror and pluck from the root in the same direction they naturally grow to avoid ingrown hairs. For a natural fill-in, I use Shu Uemura's Hard Formula Eyebrow Pencil in Stone Grey. I love this product because it works in tandem with the oils in your eyebrows, perfect for accentuating your natural shape. I make soft, hair-like strokes after combing my brows out and prepping them with a clear gel." 

Hard Formula Eyebrow Pencil in Stone Grey, $30, Shu Uemura 

Jillian Vieira is a Toronto-based writer and stylist. Follow her at @jillianvieira.