MAKEUP ARTIST Roberts rules of order apply to unruly brows

The eyebrow guru is on a mission to reshape wayward hair.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
We've become a nation over-tweezed. It's a beauty epidemic.
"Women take off more and more, and before you know it, they have thin eyebrows that age them," warns Damone Roberts, the Beverly Hills eyebrow guru who tamed Madonna's swooping arches into softer curves. "Marlene Dietrich looked 40 when she was 20 because her brows were so thin."
Roberts opened the country's first brows-only salon in Beverly Hills. He's on a mission to reshape the world's wayward brows -- one celebrity at a time. He makes house calls to Heather Locklear, Kevin Costner and Sela Ward when they're feeling a bit bushy.
"This is the last untapped market in the beauty industry," says Roberts, who charges a brow-raising $60 for a 15-minute wax. "It's what manicures and pedicures were 20 years ago. With good eyebrows, you look made up even without makeup."
Plucking those hairy beasts is hardly a new concept, but now the face-altering trick has moved from magazines and movie screens to the general public. Even average guys are becoming self-conscious about their unibrows.
But what exactly makes Roberts such a whiz? He started out as a makeup artist with MAC and believes in using powder and pencil to enhance what's there. But mainly, he's a rebel -- bucking the common practice of aligning a pencil from the nose to the inner corner of the eye to determine where brows should start. "Traditional measurements don't work," he says.
Follow the rules
Roberts offers these rules instead:
UNever tweeze eyebrows more than an inch apart. "Too much space makes the eyes appear a lot smaller."
UColor in what's missing -- particularly near the nose, with a matching eyeliner pencil. You can also fill in with eye shadow, which tends to look more like hair. (Apply with the side of an angled brush rather than the point for a softer look.) A brow gel will seal in the color.
UHighlight the arch with a white or silver-tinted shadow. MAC and Aveda have specific products for this.
UConsider your face shape. Avoid round brows on a round face. Instead, raise the arch to add length. For a square face, try to soften the arch. Heart-shaped faces require more of a straight line. Ovals, Roberts says, are perfect.
UDon't try to copy another's brows -- even on a picture-perfect face. "Julia Roberts' brows may work for her, but that doesn't mean the shape will work for you."
UTinting makes a huge difference. "Blond brows can erase you. Darker brows emphasize your features." (Tinting can also cost more than waxing. The color lasts about a month.)
UIf you're having trouble growing back brow hairs, try Rogaine. "I've been able to grow in eyebrows that haven't grown in years," Roberts says. He's had success with castor oil, as well.
It's no surprise Roberts recommends everyone get their brows shaped by a professional. At least for the first time, he says. After that, you should be able to maintain. But if you're staring at an unruly hair, debating whether to take it out, Roberts says leave it alone.