The Eyebrow
Robyn Cosio experiences creative giddiness every time she meets a new  client's eyebrows. "What other calling allows you to give women an instant  'facelift' that will elevate their spirits as well as widen and enlarge their  eyes?" the author and renowned make-up artist asks inThe Eyebrow, a  thoroughly fascinating encyclopedia on eyebrow beauty.Starting with a historical view of the brow, Cosio includes bizarre facts--for  example, fashionable women of the early 1700s wore false eyebrows cut from mouse  hides to make themselves look perpetually surprised. The bulk of the text and  photos, however, is devoted to the famous eyebrows of the 20th century,  including those of Greta Garbo, Lauren Bacall, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor,  Ali McGraw, and Uma Thurman. Drawing parallels between the fashions, politics,  and ideology of each decade, Cosio shows how the eyebrow has given shape to  different eras--more perky and defined in the '50s, wild and wayward in the  early '70s, powerful and statement-oriented in the '80s. She also devotes a  section to understanding the allure and hidden messages behind the male  eyebrow.By the time readers reach the final chapter, they'll be itching to use their  tweezers. Fortunately, Cosio delivers 25 well-illustrated pages on how to find  the ideal brow design and offers a slew of tips for tweezing and maintaining  shape. Simply flipping through the pages of this generously photographed book  will make you look upon your own eyebrows--and just about everyone else's--with  a new eye.--Gail Hudson