KILAY is Life! [My Kilay story + Tips to achieve #KilayGoals]

TODAY’S WOMEN are crazily obsessed with their kilay (eyebrows) more than anything! Yes it sounds weird and hasty generalized, but it’s true. Gone are the days when women go out with their eyebrows unfixed; every single ladies are now trying their very best to achieve the so-called #KilayGoals. But why are we so devoted in perfecting those arches above our eyes? In this post, I’ll share my one-of-a-kind “Kilay Story” and everything about achieving your own eyebrow goals! 

Why go gaga over beautiful eyebrows?

The answer is very simple. Our eyebrows define our look. One can go out with nothing on her face except for her properly groomed kilay, and still look pretty. On the other hand, I believe no one would look pretty with a perfectly painted face but messy eyebrows. That’s why “Kilay is Life” to us girls, funny, but true! It is the first thing that a lady should be able to learn in Basic Makeup before applying foundation and eyeshadow. Everything follows after achieving a perfect eyebrow makeup. 

From Bald to Bold: Miss G’s kilay Story

Those who have known me since primary school up to college wouldn’t be so surprised with this story for sure, as well as the pictures that you’ll be seeing as you scroll down later. I’m not a hairy person, period. I believe I got that trait from my father, because he doesn’t have much hair on his armpits and legs as well. As for me, I don’t have hairs on my armpit (Thank God) and just a few on my legs and arms (but I still shave them…that’ll be a different story tho). And so, we can conclude that facial hairs would be less too---YES, that’s right. And so I dealt with bald eyebrows since birth, wasn’t an issue for me before, not until I started with my practice teaching.  

THE DAYS when I really don't care about how I look! haha! College struggles definitely consumed me!

I was discussing a lesson when a student gave her nasty comment: “Ma’am, pansin ko lang, wala ka palang kilay! *giggles*” (Miss, I just noticed, you don’t have eyebrows!). Then everyone laughed. I didn’t care at all. In my mind, I was just telling myself that I shouldn’t take it seriously. I just let it pass and continued with my business. And so I graduated in college, still with bald eyebrows. Then came the day when I found myself shaping my arches with a brown eyebrow pencil I borrowed from Mama. I put on makeup that one sunny day because I have an interview as a high school teacher for a private school (which happened to be my first job for four years straight). From then on, I wear makeup, particularly eyebrow makeup. 



The picture below was taken 4 to 5 years ago when I started trimming my messy eyebrow (which made it look more invisible haha!). Before, I thought keeping it thinly lined (my eyebrows) was okay...*face palm* But at least, several years after, I was able to pull it off! Hello to thicker and more defined eyebrows! 

AFTER I DECIDED to trim my eyebrows, it looked thinner and less visible :(

   

I thought I’m doing it right before, but today as I look at the pictures, I can’t help but laugh!!! I looked horrible before! Yikes! That super thin lines above my eyes made me look like an extra-terrestrial being *face palm* I wonder why my students before don’t react about them…or I guess they were talking about me behind their backs! *suspicious look*. I honestly don’t know if it’s really a great idea bringing back these memories of ugliness! But I hope I’ll somehow inspire you to seek improvement, rather than laugh at them privately. 

KILAY 101: Essential tools for 
natural-looking eyebrows

There are tons of products out in the market that promises the best solution for your kilay problems. Some can be so expensive, while some are just below a hundred bucks. I’m no professional, but my experience will prove that I have something to say on this “kilay-thing”. First and foremost, the perfect tools are of great importance in slaying the goal. I will recommend the stuff that I’ve used for a long time already, because I believe they are very effective, especially for beginners. No-no to expensive products lovelies! But also, never settle for cheap and low-quality items which may do more harm than good. 

In the beginning, I started with an eyebrow pencil from fashion 21, and then moved to a brow taupe from Clinique (which I borrowed from Mama). But then finally, through years of kilay drawing, I discovered these three items which already become part of my daily eyebrow makeup routine :) I bet your kilay obsession has brought you too far and you’re now confused with all the products in Sephora or BeautyMNL. I tell you, all you need to have are these three staple items.

[from left to right] Etude House Pink Bird eyebrow razor (78.00 php); Etude House Easy Brow pencil (128.00 php) and Fashion 21 Mini palette (199.00 php)

*For the eye shadow palette, I only use the fifth bar (creamy dark brown).

*Actually, you can survive with the razor and brow pencil only :) Very affordable yet awesomely effective!

SLAYING THE LOOK: How to achieve your #KilayGoals

Achieving your “kilay goals” will take a lot of patience and practice. At first attempt you may fail to meet your target, but after sometime, you’ll surely hit bull’s eye. What am I trying to imply? Simple, aside from having the right products, you must also have the skill to use them correctly. If you already have those thick and beautifully arched eyebrows, congratulations, you’re one of the blessed. Now all you need to do is to clean it up a bit and make it look more flawless and more defined. But as for those with bald (almost) eyebrows, it will be a great challenge to create a perfect set. 

Well they say it’s easier to work on a thin rather than on a thick eyebrow, because you can totally draw the desired thickness and shape, but for me it’s a big no. The more hairs you have on your arches, the more natural it will look like with eyebrow makeup on. But of course for the ladies with the same case as mine, I’ll share the tricks here. And the secrets are: (1) Know how to draw the perfect arch and (2) Imitate the little hairs on it.


You must first know how to draw the perfect arch. And the most fool-proof technique in finding your perfect arch is by doing these steps using a blending brush. (1) Hold it against the side of your nose to determine where your brow begins; (2) Tilt it diagonally (still testing on the side of your nose) to determine the highest point your arch; and (3) Move the brush to the tip of your lips to determine where the brow should end. 

Now you're ready to draw perfect eyebrows! Just follow these steps:

(1) Using an eyebrow razor, remove the unwanted hairs (those scattered under your arch). Never use tweezers for this because tugging can damage the skin.

(2) With an eyebrow pencil, draw lines using small strokes on your eyebrow, in order to imitate the tiny hairs. Never draw thick and continuous lines from the base to the tip of the eyebrow, that will look unnatural.

(3) Using the brush end of the eyebrow pencil, brush the hairs gently towards the tip of the eyebrow. Make sure to do this using small strokes as well. 

(4) End this with a little brown eye shadow; concentrate on the middle part going to the tip to create dimension. I use creamy dark brown eye shadow always because it helps in making the makeup last longer. 

AND YES! #KilayGoals achieved!

I believe this has been a long post, so thank you for keeping up with me until the end. It’s true that we should embrace what was given to us naturally (since birth), but it won’t hurt if you’ll try to improve on what you have---knowing that it’ll make you more confident to face the world. And in the end, my advice would be: “Just try to keep it as natural as possible”. Let it improve your look not sabotage your beauty. 

'til my next beauty story,