If you've ever scrolled through James Charles' Instagram feed, you know that there are a lot of things to be jealous of: The fact that he was named the first ever male CoverGirl, the fact that he's friends with Zendaya, the fact that his following doubled pretty much over night. More than anything else, though, there is one extra-enviable thing that stands out — James Charles' flawless, on fleek eyebrows.
As someone who has been very open about her own eyebrow woes (you can read about them here), as soon as I found out I was going to have the chance to chat with Charles, I knew I was going to have to find out his secret. His brows are always combed, colored, and filled to straight-up perfection, which is really no surprise considering how talented he is as a makeup artist.
"A brow pencil is probably the one product I don’t leave the house without," Charles tells me over the phone. Considering he hardly ever wears makeup (unless it's for an event or a photoshoot), this just proves how dedicated he is to keeping his brows looking fab at all time.
Here is Charles' three-product, three-step method for sharp, on fleek brows.
1. Fill In Your Brows With Pencil
Cover Girl Perfect Blend Pencil, Mink Warm, $4, Target
James loves CoverGirl's eyebrow pencil almost as much as he loves the brand's So Lashy Waterproof Mascara (the product he's the face of). "I start doing my eyebrows by lining the bottom of the brow to kind of get the shape in place, then I’ll fill in the tail and fill in the middle part," he says. "Then, with whatever product I have left on the brush or the pencil I’m using, I’ll just start to draw little flecks on the inner corner to create that faded look, like the ombre type look.
2. Define With Concealer
CoverGirl Ready Set Gorgeous Concealer, $4, Target
This is Charles' dirty little secret to keeping his brows #onfleek. "I kind of try to get the shape in place, but then once I have it I’ll go in with some concealer on a flat brush and really carve out the bottom of that brow," he says.
3. Finish It Off With Gel
Benefit Cosmetics Gimme Brow Gel, $24, Sephora
Charles only uses gel when he really wants to make sure his brows will stay in place for the long haul. "If I’m going to be wearing it for a long period of time, I’ll definitely throw gel on there," he says. "But usually I’ll only wear makeup for photos or special events, so if I’m wearing it for a little bit of time and I’m just gonna take it off, I’m not going to put gel on it. But for long wear, for sure, because I want those hairs to stay in place and on fleek." I wonder if he's tried using a bar of soap?
Images: JamesCharles/Instagram
