Autumn/Winter 2013 Trends from the Catwalk: Power Brows

Model of the moment (and 2012 Model of the Year) Cara Delevingne has been pioneering the power brow trend for a while now and it's finally translating onto the catwalk at London Fashion Week A/W 2013.

Cara Delevingne at Anna Sui A/W 2013

I'm a big fan of a strong brow and a firm believer that eyebrows can change the entire look of your face. Bold brows have been seen on a number of catwalks so far this season...

Holly Fulton A/W 2013

Marc Jacobs A/W 2013

Michael Kors A/W 2013

Donna Karan A/W 2013

The good news is you don't have to have naturally big brows to take part in this trend. Firstly - stop tweezing your brows for a couple of months, only tidying up any stray hairs that fall below the natural brow line.

RapidBrow claim that their Eyebrow Enhancing Serum (£37) will restore sparse, uneven brows in around 60 days. I haven't tried this so I cannot vouch for whether or not this works - there are mixed reviews online but a lot of positive reviews amongst them. There are a couple of similar products which claim to do the same thing so it may be worth reading around before you purchase as none of them are cheap!

To create the look yourself at home, there are a number of products that can help you out. The most important thing is to keep your eyebrows looking groomed - big brows are cool, but they should look sleek not scruffy!

Benefit Brow Zings

This is a great multitasking item that comes with everything you need for great brows. The 'Brow Zings' kit by Benefit comes in light, medium or dark and contains a pigmented wax, a shaded powder, miniature tweezers, a hard angle brush, blending brush and a mirror. The kits costs £22.50 but if you are just starting out with the brows trend then it saves buying all the items individually.

Benefit High Brow

Another Benefit item - 'High Brow'-  is a luminous brow lifting pencil which costs £14. It comes in one colour, which is a glowy champagne beige/pink shade and is designed to be applied directly under the arch of your brow. I really rate this product - it definitely gives extra radiance to your face and you can actually use it to highlight your cupid's bow as well which gives your pout a plumped look.

CK One Brow Pencil and Gel Duo

This is another great multi-taking product, by CK One. The Brow Pencil and Gel Duo features an angeled pencil for precise shading and filling, plus a gel to keep brows in place. The gel is a soft-hold gel and once applied is undetectable. The angeled pencil makes application really easy and you don't have to worry about sharpening it. A really good staple product.

Bobbi Brown Brow Pencil

Bobbi Brown's Brow Pencils are, in my opinion, among the best pencils for brows. It only comes in 5 colours (blonde, ash, grey, mahogany and brunette) which is a bit of a limitation but it has a lovely, creamy texture that makes it really easy to apply and long-wearing. The finish of these pencils is very similar to an eyebrow powder and each one comes with it's own sharpener. For £15 each, considering the quality, they are pretty good value.

MAC Brow Finisher

A lot of people like the brow gels that come in bottles with a mascara brush, but I think this product from MAC is much sleeker, easier to use and tidier than the traditional gels. This is a twist-up wax-style grooming gel stick which has a slanted tip for easy and neat application. This leaves your brows with a sheer, subtle shine and keeps them in place whilst conditioning them at the same time. It costs £12.50 but you don't have to use very much and there is no waste product so it lasts a really long time.


Liz
xo

Anna Sui Autumn/Winter 2013 New York Fashion Week

Anna Sui Autumn/Winter 2013 show was ALL about the sixties. The clothes themselves were the epitome of sixties fashion with textured, patterned fabrics, bright, clashing colours and graphic accessories.

The whole show was colourful, playful and very retro.

The hair and make-up for this show was very fitting for the sixties look, with voluminous, bouncy hairstyles and the classic cats eye done with a modern twist...

Photo courtesy of @patmcgrathreal

Make-up artist Pat McGrath created a monochrome look for the face which offset the bright colours of the clothes perfectly. The cats eye was achieved by applying a black pencil along the eyelid, exaggerating the shape by increasing the width and arching the tip up towards the brow (leaving about half an inch between the liner and the eyebrow).

On the bottom lash line, a black liner was used to create a dotted line. This reminds me of the Clarins 3 Dot Liner, but in this case it was done using a pencil. Nonetheless, it adds something really different to the look, bringing a dose of modernity to an otherwise very retro look. The rest of the face was kept clean with a sheer, matte base and nude, shiny lips.

The hair for this show was very Catherine Deneuve (an inspiration for the show I believe) - bouncy, shiny hair with great height. The hair was very fresh and young. Longer styles were pulled into high ponytails, teased at the roots for volume then rolled under into a big bouffant.

I actually really loved the way they styled the shorter hairstyles for this show. Models with shorter hair were styled with a chic and classic bob. Volume was applied at the crown by backcombing the roots underneath the top layer of hair and a full fringe was clipped in which framed the face (and dramatic eyes) perfectly.

Photo courtesy of @patmcgrathreal

Gorgeous!

Liz 

xo