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A Brow Above

Tweezed Is Out: The painful trend of tedious eyebrow plucking is over with new products like BeneFit's Brow Zings, where color tinting gives eyebrows depth and shape. Shape and color give eyebrows a painless, softer look By Diana Rupp Last year's severe drawn-on-with-a-black-Sharpie brow has finally given way to a new, more organic shape. "The over-tweezed look is out," says BeneFit National Makeup Artist Arianne Damboise. "We're seeing a softer brow. It's more flowing, not so done and tight." Although beautiful brows are well worth the trip to a salon once every three to four weeks, the trend allows those lucky enough to be born with a good arch to skip a few visits. "But when in doubt don't tweeze," cautions Damboise. "Plucking damages the follicle and makes it harder for hair to grow back. Start by trimming brows instead." Damboise also recommends tinting to the brow-savvy. "Color gives depth," she says. "Done correctly, it helps to alleviate darkness under the eyes and makes you look younger." The mild vegetable-based dye simply fades away in about a month, with no line of demarcation (i.e., no roots). A perfect, temporary alternative to tint is BeneFit's Brow Zings (cleverly invented by Damboise herself). Applied with a hard-angled brush, this creamy wax-based product is 100 percent waterproof and comes in three shades. Brow Zings ($18) and tinting treatments ($12) are available at BeneFit's SF stores, located at 2117 Fillmore St. (415/567-0242) and 2219 Chestnut St. (415/567-1173). [ San Francisco | MetroActive Central | Archives ]