My girlfriend hired a makeup artist to teach her how to do it. Maybe a Sephora employee could assist?

I'm sorry to hear about your health issues, and glad you are better, Seagrass.

Of course you care! I think we should always practice self-care, whatever that means for us. I would try Latisse or the various knock offs; they do work. I would also visit a salon your trust and see what they suggest. They can tint and shape your brows for you.

Fellow survivor here giving away her secret. There are products out that that are basically mascara for your brows. I have purchased them cheaply at Target. You just brush them on your existing brows and it thickens and darkens the hair. I find that this gives mine enough presence to make me happy. Link to an Elf product that wasn't bad but not dark enough for me. It comes in a few other colors.

Elf Brow Wow

Agree with both of the above - there are professionals to help with product, application and a number of hair growth products. In the meantime, try this just for kicks - easy and as temporary as you want. If you have brown or brown black mascara, wipe most of of it off the brush on a tissue then very gently (use a magnifying mirror) brush through the brows you have, even though sparse. It will darken and thicken each individual hair. I do not have luck creating a brow shape that is beyond the natural growth of my own - I feel too made up. But just darkening and thickening even the almost peach fuzz hairs in my natural brow line is enough to make me feel 'finished'.

Have you tried removable eyebrows tattoos? I have seen many YouTube videos about them. They come in a variety of shapes. I tried them once. They are very realistic.

If you live near an Ulta or Sephora, definitely visit and talk to an associate there. I went to a salon for an eyebrow henna in the spring. It's not permanent and looked very natural. She recommended these micro-tip eyebrow pencils to me. They are great for filling in sparse brows and are pretty inexpensive.

Morphe pencils

I picked up a product like DLM describes, recommended to me by an Ulta employee. It's easier to use than mascara IMHO, and less "sticky."

Have you considered Rx Latisse? You're exactly the type of patient the FDA thinks of when approving the medication (while the drug company thinks of all the $$$$ it can make).

• Published in Dermatologic Surgery (2016) study followed 357 w/ eyebrow hair loss, used Latisse or placebo 1x or 2x daily for 7 months. Those who used Latisse had more significant eyebrow growth. Most reported noticing difference after second month.

• Published in Dermatology Online Journal (2014) researchers studied eyebrow growth in 10 patients using Latisse. They applied Latisse to one eyebrow for 6 weeks. They found all participants experienced eyebrow hair growth with no adverse effects.

• Literature review published in journal 'Drug Design, Development, and Therapy' reviewed 6 studies. Conclusion Latisse for eyebrow hair loss was a “safe, effective, and well-tolerated option."

Thank you all. I live in a remote place and don't have easy access to any cosmetic counters at malls. I have tried ordering a few things on line, and also have purchased some eye cosmetics at CVS etc. but I always end up looking "surprised" when I apply them. I will try the Morphe pencils, thank you @czarinalex.

I just want to say that there is nothing wrong with caring about your appearance at any age!

I have the mascara from Thrive cosmetics and they also have an eybrow gel.

You could also look into magnetic eyelashes. I obviously don’t wear them for every day but I enjoy them for a night out. I have the Natural kit from Moxie Lash.

I'm feeling grateful for everyone's responses. I'd like to share some positive things from the other side of stage 3 cancer. I decided to live breast free. No bras! I don't have to shave anywhere. I threw away my wigs - felt like I had a dead squirrel on my head. I've embraced scarves. And earrings. I'll try all of the options you've graciously shared with me.

Many thanks.

I understand @seagrass_gw Cape Cod. Look at it this way, Its good that you are healthy enough to care about your appearance.

I use an old Elizabeth Arden powder eyebrow powder. When I say old, it has to be at least 20 years old. I just checked and what I have is no longer in the product line. The secret to natural looking is to use a light hand, with short strokes.

Every morning, I am sorry that I did not have permanent eyeliner done a few years ago when some friends did. After washing my face I lightly apply a soft pencil eyeliner. This does the trick so I don’t look too ghostly over coffee. Full eyes, complete with mascara on the 15 lashes I have left comes later in the morning.

I also found that when I take care to use lipstick the eyes aren’t quite as important.

Although the med I am is not called ”chemo”, it is sorta because its a chemical going into my body to fight the devil. My recent ‘hair situation ’ is a side effect of my targeted therapy.

Stay healthy, 💕

Not sure if this would work for you, but I've used brown powder eyeshadow and a stiff little brush to fill in bare spots. There are angled eyebrow brushes that are small and stiff and perfect for coloring in eyebrows...

Waterproof mascara in brown, applied very lightly, can work too.

I like this Clinique eyebrow powder. It's got a bit of wax in it that keeps it in place better than using eyeshadow powder. Like Maddielee's Elizabeth Arden eyebrow powder, I've had mine forever.

https://www.clinique.com/product/1595/5634/makeup/brows/brow-shaper?shade=Shaping_Taupe

Microblading tip I purchased THIS and it's real easy to get a hair like eyebrow Order a light color.

Maddielee - the journey through cancer is a long, hard one. Progress through research is encouragring. My drug therapy lasted 10 years after my surgeries, chemo and radiation. I never got back to myself again and had severe physical impairments that led to depression and anxiety. i hope you are able to enjoy your life, find comfort and pleasure everyday. I found that hard to do.

Thank you @seagrass_gw Cape Cod. I’m sorry your journey has been so rough.

Seagrass, you sure have been through a lot and for a long long while. I admire your spunk and of course you want to look pretty and natural, and on your terms. That’s good. You are thriving.

I cannot offer you any suggestions because I am a tad hair challanged. Straight, thin brows, si I get what you mean when you tinker with your and somehow get tangled up in that surprised look. As Maddie or someone else suggested — just a very light touch.

I like the scarves solution. A wig would drive me bonkers as would padding. It seems that more women are tossing a lot of the substitute gear and letting things be. Each of us must find what we are comfortable with and own it, then we can feel accepting and confident.

I wish I could express this better and hope you understand what I am trying to say.

I see you as beautiful on the outxide and inside and I’m happy to hear that you are getting your passion back. Aren’t the folks here great?

petialique - I could tell a lot of stories about living breast-free and traveling with my husband on business for many years. Probably a driving factor in deciding to have my non-cancer breast removed - but not the primary one,

Externally worn breast prostheses are made of silicone. I had to decide if I would put my silicone breast in my hand luggage and have it inspected by the TSA or the equivialnt in Europe, or put it in my checked bag and risk not getting my luggage at the end of my flight and looking like an asymmetric freak at our luncheons and business dinners.

I still get oddly examined in airports by screeners when I get X-rayed because I'm missing some "parts".

Yeah, seagrass, your accomplice has the boob key in her luggage.

Cue Mission Impossible music 🎶

^^^ You get it and the music. I had to hold my hyperventilation many times when the white gloves came out and I got patted down because I didn't have any breasts.

i would not use mascara; they make tinted brow gels for that purpose. However you may find it easier to fill in with pencil and then use clear brow gel or even Latisse to shape them.

I have dark brunette hair and thinning brows. I have found the Chanel eye brow pencil called Crayon Sourcils in #10 Blond Clair does a great job of filling in. It is a soft brown that doesn't look harsh. I get it at Nordstrum's Chanel counter. If you are interested they will mail to you.

I second the ideas of looking into Latisse. From what I understand, that is the only product that has proven efficacy for brows and lashes. (The other OTC serums are not really proven, and I think the positive reviews are inflated.)

As for cosmetics: I have dark blonde brows that have patchy bald spots that can be tricky to fill in. I prefer a really easy to use pencil, and a very soft blended look. After trying a ton of different products, this $3 pencil by Elf was my favorite. And you can get it practically any drugstore, Target or Amazon.

It's not too firm or soft, and the blonde and taupe shades have a nice, neutral undertone, not too warm.

Since posting this and looking into products you have all kindly recommended, now I'm getting a lot of ads for eyebrow products on FB!

I have very sparse eyebrows ( have had that for years). I too am not a fan of the harsh or surprised look but I have been assisting them by penciling them in . The elf product Seattle shared like 2 posts above this one is a very good, user friendly one. I would definitelly give that a a try. I just used mine up and need to remember to buy it. I do have other pencils around, some with eraser tips and brushes to soften the look and they are good too but I think I would strongly suggest the elf products. (cheap and readily available- and not much of a learning curve)

salonva - I bought the elf pencil that Seattle shared - hoping to have good results! I look old and tired (yeah, well I am old and tired) and i could use a "pick me up".

I like the Elf color also, a word of caution about the pencil though, be sure and screw the lead back down before you put the lid on. I put the lid on with it out as much as I had it out for penciling in my brows, which is to say "not much" and the lid has zero head room and ate my pencil down before I realized what was happening. So, I give Elf a big thumbs down for that design flaw. If you remember to screw down the "lead" you will be OK though. There should be at least a little bit of extra space so you can just leave the lead out a bit. I have used tons of retractable makeup pencils and never have I ever had to screw them down into the plastic before I put the lid back on!

Yeah, I think I could leave the lead poking out about 1 or 2mm, not more.

If you don't like the Elf, one other thing to try -- this eyeliner. The "smokey grey" color is closer to a neutral taupe. The color goes on heavy but if you use a light hand and blend quickly with a little brush, this could potentially make an amazing brow pencil. (I also really love it as a subtle eyeliner that doesn't tug at my lids.) Once it dries down, it's verrrrry smudge resistant. Because it's so soft, I think it would be a little easier to whisk over bare areas (I find that hard brow pencils are not always great for filling in my bald spots). Only recommended if you're ok with a subtle filled in look, it would be too hard to get hair strokes with this.