“I wear makeup, but still don’t look polished”—the culprit might be your eyebrows. Hitomi Fukui, the revolutionary brow artist, reveals a 90-second morning routine for beautiful brows. 'HBL Style Beauty Brow Method' releases June 16.

JULIA IVY Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Meguro-ku, Tokyo / President & CEO: Hitomi Fukui), the company behind the eyebrow beauty brand 'HBL,' will release 'HBL Style Beauty Brow Method'—the first book by HBL founder Hitomi Fukui (published by President Sha)—on June 16, 2026. The company will also release the results of its original nationwide survey, 'Eyebrow White Paper 2026,' conducted among 500 women aged 20 to 50 across Japan.

I wear makeup, but somehow I still don’t look polished.

I don’t quite feel like myself in photos.

I feel stuck in an outdated eyebrow makeup routine.

The reason might not be your facial features—but your eyebrows.

In this survey, 57.2% said they “don’t know how to improve their first impression,” and 54.9% said they “don’t know what style suits them.” Meanwhile, about 80% of those who actually groomed their eyebrows felt they “looked more polished or improved their impression.”

Eyebrows determine 80% of your facial impression.

Yet, while people invest in skincare for their skin, hair salons for their hair, and lash salons for their lashes, eyebrows remain an afterthought—many women simply draw them in vaguely each morning.

This book compiles the HBL Method—developed through training over 13,000 brow artists and delivering more than 7 million treatments—into an easy-to-follow guide anyone can start today, aimed at the countless “lost in brow” women across Japan.

The nationwide survey reveals: women who want to change but don’t know how

HBL conducted the original 'Eyebrow White Paper 2026' survey (https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000057.000084130.html) targeting 500 women aged 20–50 nationwide. What emerged were the real struggles of modern women:

57.2%: “I don’t know how to improve my first impression”

54.9%: “I don’t know what style suits me”

Many women want to “look better” or “appear more polished,” yet continue their daily eyebrow routine without knowing what to change.

On the other hand, hopeful results emerged: 79.7% of those who actually groomed their brows felt they “looked more polished or improved their impression.” Because eyebrows offer a low-risk, high-visibility change compared to hairstyles or full makeup, they’re increasingly seen as the “fastest route to looking polished.”

Moreover, the purpose of eyebrow care itself is shifting. For the first time, “wanting to know what brow shape suits me” (43.0%) surpassed “to save time on makeup” (37.2%) as the top reason. Eyebrow beauty is evolving from mere convenience to “beauty as self-discovery.”

Groom before drawing: transform your first impression in 90 seconds

Most people treat eyebrows as the final step—something to “draw on” at the end of their makeup routine. But HBL proposes the opposite.

Eyebrows should be groomed before drawing.

Just as you fix your bedhead before styling your hair with wax or a flat iron, the same applies to eyebrows.

Drawing over messy hair flow makes brows look too dark. Trying to fill in asymmetry entirely with pencil makes them look unnatural. Focusing only on shape makes them clash with your natural face.

This book doesn’t teach complicated makeup techniques. There are only three things to remember:

First, align the hair flow

Apply color only where needed

Fill in only missing areas

Just 90 seconds each morning: brush, groom, and lightly fill. That’s all it takes for naturally beautiful brows and a more refined overall look.

From “bold brows” to “effortlessly polished brows through natural hair flow”

Traditional eyebrow makeup focused on drawing in sparse areas, plucking unwanted hairs, and shaping toward an ideal form. Of course, both drawing and grooming are necessary. But what truly transforms your look is how you enhance your natural brows.

HBL doesn’t advocate forcing your brows into trendy shapes. Instead, it focuses on understanding your natural hair flow, growth patterns, density, and asymmetry—to unlock the full potential of your existing brows.

From filled-in brows to brows that highlight natural flow. From overly constructed brows to brows that harmonize with your face.

From “bold brows” to “groomed brows.”

Eyebrow beauty is undergoing a major transformation.

The author: Hitomi Fukui, the revolutionary brow artist

Author Hitomi Fukui is the founder of HBL and President & CEO of JULIA IVY Co., Ltd.

After graduating from Waseda University, she worked as a reporter for the information program 'Ousama no Brunch' for about nine years and hosted business programs—gaining experience both in front of the camera and in corporate leadership.

In 2020, she created a new eyebrow care treatment called 'HBL,' introducing the profession of 'brow artist' to Japan, training over 13,000 artists and delivering more than 7 million treatments—expanding a new eyebrow beauty market in Japan. Furthermore, her eyebrow-dedicated cosmetics brand 'HBL BEAUTY' has won 26 Best Cosmetics awards. She has elevated eyebrows from a mere makeup step to a cultural force that shapes first impressions.

What Fukui has witnessed firsthand is how a person’s entire expression changes the moment their eyebrows are transformed. “When your brows change, your life changes.” This book is her first practical beauty guide, compiling that belief into a single volume.

Comment from Hitomi Fukui

Eyebrows are not just a small facial feature. They are the switch that instantly shapes someone’s first impression.

Today, skincare, haircare, lash care, and aesthetic medicine are all standard choices. Yet strangely, eyebrows remain something many people still do “somehow on their own.”

I wear makeup, but still don’t look polished. I don’t quite feel like myself in photos. I feel stuck in an outdated eyebrow routine.

The reason might not be your facial structure—but your eyebrows.

Through HBL, I’ve repeatedly seen how a person’s expression, gaze, tone of voice, and even aura change the moment their brows are transformed.

People who start showing their faces instead of hiding them behind bangs. People who begin to enjoy being in photos. People who laugh in front of the mirror saying, “So this is what I really look like.”

When your brows change, your face changes. When your face changes, your expression changes. When your expression changes, your behavior changes.

That’s why I truly believe: when your brows change, your life changes.

'HBL Style Beauty Brow Method' is not a book about perfectly drawing eyebrows. It’s a book to help you discover the untapped potential still hidden in your face.

90 seconds each morning. Groom your brows before drawing.

Start by transforming your first impression—one brow at a time.