Turns out, those arches do more than just give you something to furrow. "A strong brow gives you an air of confidence—even if you don't have it," says makeup artist James Kaliardos. "When you have hardly any eyebrows or when you have too much space between your brows, you look more surprised and afraid." Not *quite* the HBIC vibes you're trying to channel on interview day.
Yanna Belilovsky, a recruiter at the employment agency Manpower (who screens candidates, yes, every single day), agrees brow grooming is an interview essential. "Your brows are a reflection of you, just like every other part of your appearance is," she says. "How you look especially matters in any role where you're the first line of interaction with clients." Read: If you're up for a position in sales, financial services, public relations, or the like, a strong, natural-looking brow makes you look current and polished. (Not to mention, great brows are just a game-changer in general.)
So how do you achieve the perfectly prepped brow? Follow these easy steps from Kaliardos:
1. Brush up your brow hairs with a spoolie (AKA an eyebrow brush).
2. Square the inner corners of your brows: Dip a brow brush into powder, hold the brush horizontal at the brow hairs closest to your nose, and brush upwards.
3. Use your fingertip to pat in the color, softening it.
4. Now that the innermost edges are set, lightly fill in your brow with a pencil using feather-like strokes. Try Maybelline New York Eye Studio Brow Drama Pro Palette, which comes with a spoolie and a brow brush, and Maybelline New York Brow Precise Shaping Pencil, which also sports a spoolie at one end.
5. To keep the look neat and clean (i.e. ready for any interview), keep the rest of your makeup neutral, both Kaliardos and Belilovsky say.
Lastly, always step back and do a mirror-check from farther away. Bold brows are in, but "you don't want to look like Groucho Marx," Kaliardos warns. His tip to keep the look understated: Use a pencil one shade lighter than the color of your brows. Then go get 'em, #girlboss.
1. Maybelline New York Eye Studio Brow Drama Pro Palette, $10.99; amazon.com.
2. Maybelline New York Brow Precise Shaping Pencil, $6.39; amazon.com.
