Ever wondered what makes Mona Lisa so captivating? It’s not her eyes, which tend to follow admirers around the room, nor her soft smirk (is she smiling or isn’t she–we can’t decide). It’s her brows! While they may be sparse, da Vinci helped develop the formula behind them, which Eye Design technicians use today in our Fifth Avenue studio.
Italian Renaissance artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci (everyone’s second-favorite Leo!) is famed for works such as Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. And although it is widely accepted that da Vinci is the father of modern sciences, like paleontology and ichnology (and played a huge role in the further development of other studies), these accomplishments take a backseat to his famous paintings.
But, his role alongside mathematician Luca Pacioli helped create the formula Eye Design uses in its studio today to perfect the brows of tens of thousands of clients.
For Pacioli’s 1509 text De divina proportione (English: The divine proportion), da Vinci designed a series of geometrical drawings, including the first-ever Rhombicuboctahedron, that depicted the theoretical “skeletons” of regular solids. During da Vinci’s time, these drawings helped the curious mind better understand the material, and they are still incredibly helpful and relevant today.
As illustrated, quite literally, by his notes on the brain, skull and arm, da Vinci also had a profound and seemingly innate understanding of human anatomy. His most famous contribution to the study of the human body? The iconic Vitruvian Man illustration, whose intricate design has true-to-life proportions.
All of this work went on to become what we know today as the Golden Mean, a mathematical ratio that equals 1.618 to 1. The Golden Mean is used in art and architecture all over the world, but at our Fifth Avenue studio, it helps Eye Design technicians give you the eyebrows of your dreams!
We designed our calipers–the ultimate microblading and semi-permanent makeup tool–based on the Golden Mean because we know it is essential for flawless customized brows.
The calipers open and close the way dividers do, and the distances between the first, third and fourth points are always equal to the Golden Mean. So, this tool allows our techs to draw perfectly symmetrical and proportionate brows in as little in 15 minutes. It is universal and works on every client, helping technicians create brows that are not only symmetrical to one another, but that also work in harmony with the rest of the client’s unique facial features.
All techs (and aspiring techs!) should familiarize themselves with da Vinci’s work, and the Golden Mean in general, in order to design the best brows for each and every client in the shortest possible time, without sacrificing beauty, artistry or quality!
Much like da Vinci’s work, the results you are able to give clients with the help of the Golden Mean will withstand the test of time. We’re guessing he had a caliper of his own that helped him create Mona Lisa’s signature gaze and incredibly realistic facial expression that still draw millions of visitors to the Louvre each year.
