Brow Expert Elke Von Freudenberg and The Brow Collection

The eyes are the "window to the soul," but as celebrity makeup artist and guru of brows, Elke Von Freudenberg will tell you, the wrong brows framing those eyes, can really ruin your look!
Elke's not just someone who has plucked and shaped the brows of stars and models (visit her Web Site to see her amazing portfolio) she's a woman who also knows that a bad brow experience can be truly traumatic. I visited her in her beautiful, sunlit, Manhattan studio to learn how she works magic on eyebrows on both coasts, and to view some of her newest brow makeup products from The Model Brow Collection.




Elke has a very calm and re-assuring demeanor when she's coming at your with brow tweezers. She prefers tweezing to waxing for better immediate and long-term results, but her technique is virtually painless. She confided that both men and women are often very nervous about having their eyebrows shaped because their past experiences and results were unpleasant. But if anyone can a brow-phobic around, it's Elke! I am hoping to interview her in greater detail in the near future, but with the holidays coming, you'll want to consider some of new brow products.

I honestly never thought much about my eyebrows, until Elke showed me how changing the shape and adding some of these products (just a touch) make all the difference in how your entire face, looks. When you wear glasses as I do, having beautifully groomed brows are even more important as the lenses magnify everything around your eyes.

The Brow Collection products are exclusive to Elke Von Freudenberg. They are housed in elegant, shiny black compacts with clear, peek-a-boo tops . These high-performance products perform well and look expensive, but they're actually affordable (Elke offers a "compare to" list for each product on her site, so you can see how her products stack up against some of the other, popular favorites). Purchase them online and make that "frame for your eyes" even more fantastic!


A definite "must-have" is one of the silky-smooth, wet/dry Day Brow Shadow $20.00. They are available in shades that flatter most brow colors (and avoid muddy, gray or green undertones). Choose from: Blonde; Auburn: (the warmest red brow color, but not too red and not too orange. Also great for brunettes that have a lot of warm red tones in their hair for a different brow look); Ash Brown: (popular, perfect brown brow color that blends with all brown brows from light to medium shades); and Dark Brunette: (for extremely dark brown to black brows). I tried Auburn and applied it with a fingertip (a brow brush is a better tool). It is amazing how just a small amount of color defines brows and make eyes, pop! Tip: choose a shade slightly lighter than your eyebrow color. For travel, this silky, pressed powder brow shadow multi-tasks as an earthy eye shadow, or wet, as a shadow liner.


Nite-Brow Shadow $20.00 have more intense color and shimmer/sparkle to make brows stand out at night. The look is glamorous, not gaudy. You can also use these are eye shadows and shadow liners. "Wana" is a shimmering blonde gold; "Big Time" is for redheads and has a touch of sparkle; "Hot Pants" offers brunettes a shimmering warm bronze for medium brown brows and for darker to black brows, there's "Sin City," a chocolate with golden glitter. Tip: try these wet for intense color.




High-Lite Shadow $20.00 helps define your eyebrows. The shadow also adds a shimmery glow to distract your eye from unruly hairs if you are growing back over-zealously plucked brows, or you haven't had time to groom your brows. These shadows also multi-task as light, shimmery eye shadows, or as a face/body highlighter. I tried "Canary," a shimmering golden yellow highlight that is Elke's best seller. I also loved it in several layers of color as an evening eye shadow, perfect with a bronze liner. There's also "Cyber Glow" a glamorous, frosted golden yellow with sparkles; "Sugar" a 3-d matte white with a pearlized finish makes that is reminiscent of abalone; and "White Star," offering a glittery snow-white for starry evenings! Tip: use white highlights for light skin tones and golden yellow highlights for medium to darker skin tones.

There are two other indispensable brow products you can purchase from Elke's web site that are clear and guys love them too:

Brow Tamer $16.00 is a pot of eyebrow wax that is water-resistant and keeps too-long brow hairs from flying out and away without being obnoxiously sticky. Tip: use this alone, or before applying brow shadow to create a stronger eyebrow shade and after brow color to keep brow pencil color in place and create a softer brow. Brow Ware $16.00 is a wanded, clear mascara that also keeps your fine eyebrow hairs in check (with a soft hold and a soft sheen). Tip: Just brush through your brows and let it dry. You won't even remember you have it on--but your brows will look better than ever!





Elke is a seriously busy woman. She's not just the creator of The Brow Collection and a Celebrity Makeup Artist in LA & NY and Brooklyn, she's also Editor of The Beauty Ideal Magazine and Founder of the Beauty Blog Network. The video above is for The Model Brow! Visit Elke's web site to view and purchase brow tools and makeup, get makeup tips, and book Elke for your own personal brow services. TIP: if you purchase products for the holidays you'll get free shipping and a free *$10 gift card!