Adapted with permission from Facing the Mirror with Cancer by Lori Ovitz with Joanne Kabak

Step 1: Identify the eyebrow line

The easiest way to decide where to put your eyebrows is to feel the eyebrow bone. Here is how to find it.

• Look straight into the mirror and place your finger above your eye.
  
• Now run your finger along the bone that protrudes above the eye.
  
• Although there is a lot of bone in that area, your finger will automatically ride along the natural protrusion of bone that ordinarily lies directly underneath the eyebrow.
  
• By doing this you have identified the brow line.

Step 2: Defining the dots: Where your eyebrow starts, arches and ends

Starting point

• Define three key dots and then fill in the areas between those dots.
  
• Take your eyebrow pencil and put the lower end of the pencil alongside the lower part of the nostril where it flares.
  
• Put the upper end straight up from the nostril along the inner corner of the eye.
  
• Make a dot where the upper end of the pencil meets the brow line to identify where the eyebrow starts.

Ending point

• Once again, put the lower end of the eyebrow pencil alongside your lower nostril where it flares.
  
• This time, angle the upper end of the pencil along the outer corner of the eye.
  
• Make dot where the pencil meets the brow line to identify where the eyebrow ends.
  Arch
  
• Take the eyebrow pencil and hold it straight in front of the iris of your eye.
  
• Make a third dot at the spot where the pencil meets the brow line to identify where your brow starts to arch.

---

Creating the brow with no or partial hair growth

Step 1: The eyebrow pencil: Creating hairlike strokes

• Resist the temptation to press hard or make thick, heavy marks.
  
• Place the pencil at the starting point dot.
  
• Hold the pencil at a slight angle, poised to make a small stroke that goes from top to bottom.
  
• Begin to make very soft, featherlike strokes.
  
• If you have difficulty applying color with your pencil, make a fist and rub the pencil point on your hand between the thumb and fingers. This warms up the pencil and makes color easier to apply.
  
• Connect the dots with the strokes; shorten and raise the strokes, slanting upward when you approach the dot at the arch.
  
• Make fewer strokes at the arch and continue to taper the number of strokes as you create the end of the eyebrow, which is the thinnest part of the brow.

Step 2: Eyeshadow to create depth and density

• Use an eyebrow brush that has a little, angled edge with hard bristles that gradually get longer.
  
• Use eyeshadow or eyebrow powder.
  
• Tap off the extra powder before going over the strokes you made with the pencil.
  
• If the color is too dark, use your hand as a palette.
  
• After applying color, use an eyebrow grooming brush, which may be a clean mascara brush and brush upward along the eyebrow you’ve been creating, going from bottom to top, in the direction hairs naturally grow.

Step 3: Sealer

• Take the brush from your eyebrow sealer or clear mascara and dip it into the gel (you only need a little).
  
• Brush sealer over the eyebrows.

For full instructions and more detail on hair, lips, blush and more, Facing the Mirror with Cancer is available at www.facingthemirror.org. A percentage of the profits from this book support cancer nonprofit organizations.