You wax ‘em, you pluck ‘em, maybe you even dye ‘em – for many women, dealing with their eyebrows is a hassle. No matter how often you head to the salon or break out the tweezers, it feels like your stubborn brows are never just the right shape. How do the stars achieve such a perfect look every single day? They’ve got a secret – and it’s called a brow pencil.

Whether you have whisper-thin, barely-there brows or naturally dark, thick ones that don’t mess around, a brow pencil can help you define shape, add color and fill in bare patches for a flawless look in no time. The right brow shape can frame your face, bring out your eyes and soften (or toughen!) your look, so follow this tutorial for perfect brows every single day.

This isn’t art class

First, it is important to remember that your eyebrows should be natural – you don’t want to look as though you’ve drawn them on with pencil (although you essentially have, of course!). This means no picking up black brow pencil when you’re a natural blonde. Blondes and redheads, if your eyebrows are barely noticeable, you can opt for a light brown that will give added definition without looking too extreme. This tip works excellent for ladies of a certain age who are starting to gray, too.

And remember, absolutely no shaving your eyebrows and starting from scratch with your new art tools. A brow pencil should enhance your natural brows, not drastically alter them. Drawn-on brows never look natural, so stay away from anything too severe.

The right color makes all the difference

Pick a color that’s close to your natural shade. Blondes and redheads can go a few shades darker, while deep brunettes may want to go a shade or two lighter to avoid creating jet-black brows. The hue you choose should be able to easily blend into the surrounding hair. You don’t want it to look as though your natural eyebrow hair is sitting on top of a paint-shop swatch of color!

Keep a light touch

Brow pencil isn’t eyeliner, so don’t apply it like you’re lining your lids. Additionally, don’t draw an outline of your ideal eyebrow and start shading it in – it’ll look far too heavy-handed. Instead, you should gently draw tiny hairs by using short, staccato strokes in and around your existing brows. If you’ve got an area that’s overplucked or awkwardly sparse, you can fill it in by using a slightly heavier hand while drawing.

The trick to pulling off this look perfectly is making sure that eyebrow pencil is sharpened before you begin. With a sharp brow pencil, you can draw realistic hairs that’ll blend in with and enhance your natural brows.

Don’t forget to set!

To make sure your brow pencil doesn’t smudge or fade throughout the day, set your now-perfect brows with a hint of translucent powder or a makeup setting spray. Just be careful not to apply too much, or your brows will look dusty and clouded.

Finish up with your usual makeup routine, applying eyeliner, shadow and mascara. If you find yourself making a little extra eye contact with that hottie at the coffee shop today, don’t be surprised – he can’t help himself! Thanks to your flawless brows, all his attention is focused right on your peepers, so he just can’t keep himself from looking into your beautiful eyes.

For a look that shouldn’t make you appear much different than your natural self, there are so many ways to pull off a nude makeup style, especially if you’re yearning for some versatility in your morning (or evening) routine. To help you navigate the sea of flattering, effortless choices, here’s a quick pocket guide that will assist you in making up your mind as well as your face.

For your glow

There’s so much that goes in to having great skin, but most of it can be explained rather simply. Eat well, stay well-rested, drink plenty of water and get your weekly dose of fitness. As the largest organ on your body, your skin presents a tangible reflection of your body’s health, so great skincare always starts with great youcare.

Beyond that, there are quality skincare products available that will help you slip into your most beautiful skin yet. Remember – the key to a natural makeup look is having a beautiful complexion that speaks for itself. Your skincare routine will ultimately be devised based on your skin type and individual set of needs, but virtually every woman’s regimen should involve a non-drying cleanser, toner, moisturizer, night cream and any other supplements and serums you might need to target specific concerns.

When your skin is hydrated and healthy, you probably won’t require too much makeup to achieve a flawless complexion, but for whatever problem areas your routine doesn’t correct on its own, using high quality foundations, concealers and powders can help you get that extra boost.

For a timeless, natural look, mineral makeup has been all the rage as of late. Many formulas, such as BABOR Mineral Powder Foundation, are designed to do the work of three products in one, offering unbeatable coverage with a matte, natural finish that conceals as it evens out your skin tone.

Once you’ve got a flawless base, making your complexion pop with some subtle hints of blush and highlighting creams is the perfect finish for a radiant mug. Stick to a cream or powder blush in the rose or peach color family, striving to stick to shades that closely match the tone of your natural glow. Swirl onto the apples of your cheeks and up toward your temple, adding a little to your forehead or nose to finish off a natural sun-kissed glow. Dab a highlighting cream on your cheekbones, temples and browbones to add subtle definition and a romantic dewy glow.

For eyes that sparkle in their own right

Eye makeup is arguably where ladies tend to have the most liberty, so it may be hard to restrain yourself when trying to stick to a nude theme.

Remember, though – a natural aesthetic doesn’t have to look bare, so feather on the mascara and groom those brows as you normally would (structured brows are actually key to pulling off a natural look).

Eyeliner, if used at all, should be kept to natural, neutral tones of brown, navy or gray and applied in short, feathery strokes to the inner lash line and blended softly onto the upper lid.

As for shadows, feel free to play around with any combination of beiges, champagnes, taupes, bronzes and coppers – anything to give your lids an extra pop of shimmer without straying too far from your natural skin tone. If you’re feeling playful, don’t think you need to rule out all the fun – a hint of gold shimmer near your upper and lower lash line will blend right into your tawny look but feature just the right amount of glamour for a night out.

Pout if you want to

As the last (but certainly not the least) part of your makeup routine, lips can be left about as bare as a button or dressed up in a lovely shimmery gloss. Nude makeup looks aren’t the time to break out your bold berry lipstick, but a light lipstain that closely matches your natural coloring will add just a hint of color to your lips without looking overly obvious.

Some nude fashions go for an altogether muted mouth, which is best achieved with a skin-colored lipstick or by applying concealer to your mouth before finishing with a coat of balm or gloss. The result is high-fashion and always chic.

If you’re like us, you’ve heard the news that the ’70s are back – at least when it comes to fashion and makeup. But while vintage styles by their very essence are partly worthy of revival and partly better left where they expired decades ago, we think there’s something to be said about the trends of the ’70s that do deserve an encore (or two).

Think elegant ease and loose, flowy fabrics complemented by fresh, bright-eyed faces. No, we’re not encouraging you to rock the over-tanned, over-plucked and too-blue eyeshadow look, but there’s a way to delicately and demurely pull these ideas off with all the best of today’s makeup technology in mind.

“That fresh-faced ’70s glow is a lovely look you can wear even if you decide against the belly-pinching aspect of high-waisted jeans,” the Kansas City Star advises. “Several beauty items out for spring make achieving this look super-easy, flushing the skin with a sheer wash of color that feels and looks like the ’70s.”

And what, exactly, may this entail?

Face

It’s never a good idea to wear foundation or makeup that’s darker than your natural color, but you can rock the ’70s glow without betraying your complexion. Do apply your regular shade of foundation and concealer, but work in a healthy flush with a bronzer, blush or cheek stain.

To get just the right touch of sun-kissed splendor, apply a multi-toned bronzer (such as the POP Beauty Double Duty Bronzer) to your cheekbones, temples, nose and forehead. The contrasting shades of bronze and pink help balance each other out, and will look oh-so-natural when applied to the parts of your face that the sun highlights.

To really maximize on achieving this balance, add a swirl of rosy blush to the apples of your cheeks and blend into the bronzer.

Of course, it’s equally appropriate to wear blush on its own terms, and in order to achieve that iconic summer-ready glow, light stains and creams are where it’s at this season. These formulas feature a “pretty, vivid pigment but doesn’t look or feel weighty on the skin,” the news source reports. “That makes it perfect for hot, sunny days when a swipe of blush or a berry-kissed pout is all you need to look sexy and made-up.”

Apply a highlighting cream to your cheekbones and browbones to really nab that dewy-faced look.

Eyes

For those who aren’t old enough to remember, the ’70s involved lots of pastel shadows to create darling wide-eyed snow bunny gazes. The downside of this was that many girls looked permanently surprised (how much of that was due to their brows, we can’t say). Just remember: pastel colors are good and fun, but only when they actually serve to complement your coloring.

Choose a light-colored shadow that’s not overly opaque and blend it in softly all over your lid. The aim here is to create a watercolor effect – not something that mimics sidewalk chalk.

You can add some winged liner, but overdoing it will send you straight back to the ’60s. Finish with plenty of black or brown mascara.

Lips

In keeping with the sheer, beach babe beauty that characterized the times, lips should be similarly light and breezy. Apply a sheer lipgloss or balm to keep your pout fresh – a little tint wouldn’t hurt either. ModelCo Lip Lights Ultra Shine Lip Gloss in Indian Summer is just the right embodiment of this sun-kissed style.