When you think of common signs of aging, what initially comes to mind are images of silver strands sprouting from your hair, crow's feet forming around your eyes and age spots popping up on your face, right? The thing is, even before these dreaded marks of time start to appear, we are aging ourselves -and we don't even know we're doing it! One of the major contributors to an older-looking face is the eyebrows. Weird, huh? Truth is, the shape and appearance of your eyebrows could mean the difference between being mistaken for a senior citizen or being carded for a Rated-R movie. OK, we're being a tad dramatic, but the brows are crucial when it comes to looking more youthful. Here are three ways your brows could be aging you, and some solutions to make sure your mug stays out of granny territory.

1. Patchy/Sparse Brows. As we age, so do our brows. They begin to thin and become patchy, and that is not cute, girls. Hold on to youthful, full brows for dear life with the help of some trusty tools. Arm yourself with a brow powder like Urban Decay Brow Box to fill in those holes.

2. Super-Thin Tails. It's safe to say most of us have gotten a little overzealous with the tweezers and wound up with brows that look like tadpoles. The tails of your brows offset the arch and are crucial in defining the brows and your eyes, so that "disappearing tail" act can make your peepers look droopy and tired. Avoid this at all costs by investing in an eyebrow pencil that'll lengthen and shape those tails perfectly. Try a three-in-one product like L'Oréal Paris Brow Stylist Custom Brow Shaping Pencil that will fill, shape and define your brows in seconds.

3. Shades of Gray. Gray hairs come with no warning and aren't confined to the top of our heads. If your brows start to turn gray or white, it could age your precious mug a good 10 years, and no one wants that! Camouflage those suckers with a tinted brow gel like Maybelline EyeStudio Brow Drama.

What does your brow-perfecting routine consist of? Give us the rundown in the comments below.

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