Per the theme of the first of my three-part series for cheap beauty thrills this summer, my second blog post is dedicated to achieving awesome eyebrows for a few dollars. As I said before, “cheap thrills” is meant with the most sincere praise! I’m all for looking great with quality products, at a low impact on my wallet. But there’s so much out there to choose from – let’s take a look at a few that I’ve come to love for my brows.

I think that one of the most misunderstood facial features to play up with makeup are the eyebrows – they can be either dramatically overdrawn and too dominating, or not be balanced enough and end up getting “lost” in an overall look. But there are two simple rules to getting your brows under control, and a part of your daily look. Rule #1: always clean up the brow area first by removing stray hairs. Whether it’s with waxing, tweezing or threading, it definitely helps to have a pro give you a great shape to start with – just make sure you maintain accordingly going forward. Rule #2: use products that give you a balanced, face-framing look that naturally complements you, and doesn’t overwhelm. Great brows are truly a powerful asset, even if you don’t have much other makeup on.

During summer, I’ve found that a solid combination to achieve great brows daily starts with a brow mascara, and ends with a brow pencil. Brow mascaras work two-fold: they lock down and tame unruly brow hairs, while adding color to even out and darken the brow.

I love NYX’s Tinted Brow Mascara since it reminds me a bit of Glossier’s Boy Brow, with a slightly larger brush. Begin with the thicker part of your brow (above the inner corner of your eye), and brush out to the end by following the brow’s natural arch. This formula does not flake, and darkens while blending in naturally. During a hot and humid day, a brow mascara definitely holds up better than powder or wax formulas. I use the shade Chocolate, which is a perfect golden brown that complements my auburn hair.

Next, I fill in and define where needed with a brow pencil – especially with a spoolie brush on the end. L’Oreal’s Brow Stylist Shape & Fill pencil is awesome for defining clean lines, filling gaps to give a fuller appearance, and is easily applied as a twist-up pencil. The spoolie is essential for blending the brow mascara and pencil products together, to create a natural effect. Plus, I love to use this spoolie to finish shaping brow hair into place, without adding more color. The shade below is 115 Brunette, and it blends well with the Chocolate shade from NYX. This formula is very long wearing, and does not smear – it’s held up during my regular sailing regattas, and attending an outside wedding this summer.

I also keep a spare L’Oreal Brow Stylist pencil in my gym bag makeup kit, as there’s no need for a pencil sharpener. It’s a quick and easy way to give color and control, especially if you are packing light for the gym or travel.

At ULTA and Target, it’s under $20 total for these two products together! Plus, both of these brands are coupon-eligible at ULTA, and often have BOGO deals – I’ve learned to stock up and have spares handy when needed. If you are in need of changing up your products, or are interested in playing with your brow look a bit more, both of these are easy to use and quality products to get you moving in the right direction without having to spend a lot.

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