Vanity Affairs: Anastasia Soare On How She Achieves The Perfect Brow

You don’t become the undisputed queen of eyebrows for no reason.

Welcome to Vanity Affairs – an editorial series where we document the early morning beauty routines of notable men and women.

There are some people who have an I-can’t-put-my-finger-on-it kind of glow – a certain je ne sais quoi, if you will. You know the ones – their hair falls just right, their skin is dewy but never shiny, and they exude confidence without being arrogant.

In the interest of public service, we’ve set about tracking these aforementioned unicorns down to find out their secrets. So far, GP has spoken to model Georgia Fowler, personal shopper Gabriel Waller, Queer Eye’s resident grooming expert Jonathan Van Ness and supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (amongst others).

Today, we’re speaking to the founder of iconic eyebrow brand-turned-makeup empire, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Anastasia Soare.

If Hailey Bieber, Victoria Beckham and Kris Jenner trust you to do their eyebrows, the rest of the world will come running. (Hey, if it’s good enough for VB…) But it wasn’t always that way for Soare. After immigrating to the US from Romania, Soare slowly built her billion-dollar empire, turning her vision into a reality by exploiting a gap in the market.

“When I came from Romania, in the early 1990s, I was surprised at the lack of eyebrow services available,” says Soare. “At home, I used to go and get my facials and before each session the aesthetician would tweeze my eyebrows for me, but in America I was told that no one would want that because everyone can do their own.”

Soare, not satisfied with taking no for an answer, decided to start her own business: “By 1994, I was the best kept secret in Hollywood.” Opening her first salon in 1997, she quickly became the go-to, helping women both understand their brows and do them properly. The rest, as they say, is history…

“The perfect eyebrow is created based on the Golden Ratio, which will be different for everyone because everyone has a different bone structure. To start, you mark out from the edge of your nostril straight up for your starting point. Then, the corner of the nose to the corner of the eye – that is the end. And the arch will be from the nose through the middle of the iris.”

“Then you outline the brows. I personally use the Brow Wiz ($43) to shade the shape in. Then I go in with the Brow Powder Duo ($43) in a lighter colour than my brow and the 7B Eyebrow Brush ($33) as this will create a 3D effect. To finish, I will go in with the Micr0-Stroking Detailing Brow Pen ($41) to make light strokes and little hairs. Then set with the Clear Brow Gel ($39). Not only will this keep them in place but it will also diffuse any harsh lines when you brush them up.”

“The perfect eyebrow is created based on the Golden Ratio, which will be different for everyone because everyone has a different bone structure. To start, you mark out from the edge of your nostril straight up for your starting point. Then, the corner of the nose to the corner of the eye – that is the end. And the arch will be from the nose through the middle of the iris.”

“Then you outline the brows. I personally use the Brow Wiz ($43) to shade the shape in. Then I go in with the Brow Powder Duo ($43) in a lighter colour than my brow and the 7B Eyebrow Brush ($33) as this will create a 3D effect. To finish, I will go in with the Micr0-Stroking Detailing Brow Pen ($41) to make light strokes and little hairs. Then set with the Clear Brow Gel ($39). Not only will this keep them in place but it will also diffuse any harsh lines when you brush them up.”

“I think the reason why I use so little makeup is because I am such a skincare fanatic and have recently been loving Dr Barbara Sturm’s products. I use her Enzyme Cleanser ($107) in the shower to clean my skin and also love her Face Cream($267) and Eye Cream ($213). I also use the Vitamin C E Ferulic Serum ($218) from Skinceuticals. It’s my favourite and I have used it for over 20 years now.”

“Then I top with either the Victoria Beckham Beauty Cell Rejuvenating Priming Moisturiser ($224) or Cell Rejuvenating Power Serum ($480 in a set) or our Anastasia Beverly Hills Hydrating Oil ($84). What is key to my routine is using layers of product as I have extremely dry skin. I also like to alternate between a few different serums and creams as my skin does get used to products quite easily and I find it works well with my skin to go back and forth.”

“My signature scent is Frederic Malle Portrait Of A Lady ($498). I just love it. It must be something to do with my pH but it is just the best scent on my skin.”