brow color for red/auburn hair

sdkitty

O.G.
Jan 16, 2006
39,873
92,532
I have pale skin and auburn hair. sometimes I think I like auburn for my brows (sparse, mostly drawn on). other times I think I prefer a lighter color like taupe.
sometimes I think the lighting affects it. In lower light, the auburn is deeper and looks better but in sunlight maybe it's too bright.
how to decide?
 
Brow colour, like hair colour, is a made-up of different shades. Brow hair is usually sparser that on the top of our heads too.

In additions, like natural blondes, redheads usually have less thickness to their hair (than brunettes) and therefore all but the deepest auburn ladies have strongly discernible eyebrows naturally. if the red hair is light, the brows can almost disappear (natural blondes often have a similar problem).

If you want to do a 'done' brow that's been in fashion for a while, go dark taupe. A strong reddish brow will never look natural. If you want a more natural brow, use a mixture between a dark-taupe, then blend with stokes from an 'auburn' pencil.
 
Brow colour, like hair colour, is a made-up of different shades. Brow hair is usually sparser that on the top of our heads too.

In additions, like natural blondes, redheads usually have less thickness to their hair (than brunettes) and therefore all but the deepest auburn ladies have strongly discernible eyebrows naturally. if the red hair is light, the brows can almost disappear (natural blondes often have a similar problem).

If you want to do a 'done' brow that's been in fashion for a while, go dark taupe. A strong reddish brow will never look natural. If you want a more natural brow, use a mixture between a dark-taupe, then blend with stokes from an 'auburn' pencil.
I've been doing a line with taupe, the some auburn on top
 
  • Like
Reactions: papertiger
As a redhead who is also an esthetician, I would tell you that a cooler color looks better, especially against pink-toned skin like ours. A true red brow looks fake...and too dark/intense for our pale skin. Very rarely is anyone’s brow color an exact match to their hair color, no matter what color their hair is. So your taupe or even a neutral to slightly golden light brown looks best. Or, as Papertiger suggested, adding a few LIGHT pencils strokes of auburn to a taupe brow would work if you aren’t a fan of the taupe brow. If taupe does not look right to you, your shade may be too cool (grayed out) and you may need a warmer (camel-ish or caramel) shade. You may need to experiment with different shades and different brands to get different undertones...makeup for redheads is a balancing act between warm and cool to compliment both the warmth of our hair color and the coolness of our skin tone.
You could also try a lighter, taupe-ish pencil color topped with a brow gel in a warmer color for definition. And never forget to brush and blend your pencil, no matter what color you use.
 
As a redhead who is also an esthetician, I would tell you that a cooler color looks better, especially against pink-toned skin like ours. A true red brow looks fake...and too dark/intense for our pale skin. Very rarely is anyone’s brow color an exact match to their hair color, no matter what color their hair is. So your taupe or even a neutral to slightly golden light brown looks best. Or, as Papertiger suggested, adding a few LIGHT pencils strokes of auburn to a taupe brow would work if you aren’t a fan of the taupe brow. If taupe does not look right to you, your shade may be too cool (grayed out) and you may need a warmer (camel-ish or caramel) shade. You may need to experiment with different shades and different brands to get different undertones...makeup for redheads is a balancing act between warm and cool to compliment both the warmth of our hair color and the coolness of our skin tone.
You could also try a lighter, taupe-ish pencil color topped with a brow gel in a warmer color for definition. And never forget to brush and blend your pencil, no matter what color you use.
thanks for that advice
I've been using cream products for a long time and very recently started using pencil instead. I haven't been brushing and blending on a regular basis.
I'm not a natural redhead but I do have a similar skin tone - pink, as you said, with freckles. My brows used to be very dark but now they are sparse and I'm pretty much drawing them on. So they have become more important. If you don't do a decent job of it you can look off balance.
I may try using the taupe pencil topped with a bit of a warmer brown.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BowieFan1971
My hair is naturally a light auburn brown. My brows are microbladed and they're a cool light brown. I really like the Elf Instant Lift brow pencil (the white ones that are $2 or $3) in taupe and auburn. I use the auburn to add a little bit of warmth to my brows when I have more red/copper highlights going on. It isn't overly red, more of a very light warm brown (camel, maybe) with a hint of red tone, so I do not find that it looks unnatural. I'd definitely recommend giving that one a try, and those pencils are so inexpensive that you can experiment and see what you prefer. Also, the Maybelline brow pomade in soft brown is a slightly warm light brown that works really well for me.

I agree that a truly red brow does not look natural. Every natural redhead I know (including in my own family) has light brown or blonde brows. My mother is a natural auburn redhead and her brows are a very light cool brown.
 
Last edited:
My hair is naturally a light auburn brown. My brows are microbladed and they're a cool light brown. I really like the Elf Instant Lift brow pencil (the white ones that are $2 or $3) in taupe and auburn. I use the auburn to add a little bit of warmth to my brows when I have more red/copper highlights going on. It isn't overly red, more of a very light warm brown (camel, maybe) with a hint of red tone, so I do not find that it looks unnatural. I'd definitely recommend giving that one a try, and those pencils are so inexpensive that you can experiment and see what you prefer. Also, the Maybelline brow pomade in soft brown is a slightly warm light brown that works really well for me.

I agree that a truly red brow does not look natural. Every natural redhead I know (including in my own family) has light brown or blonde brows. My mother is a natural auburn redhead and her brows are a very light cool brown.
thanks
I tried using pencil for a month or so but now have gone back to using a pencil for outline first followed with ELF lock on liner in blonde/taupe. (I have a lot of filling in to do)
this stays on pretty well and if I wanted to make it even better for a long day I could follow it with the clear brow gel/mascara.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BowieFan1971
  • Love
Reactions: Lux.