While not the first thing that is noticed, the shape of the eyebrows can enhance your appearance by beautifying the shape of the face, balancing your features and creating a frame for the eyes. If your brows are thick and bushy, they may need to be trimmed; if they are thin and sparse, you may need to fill them in with a pencil instead. Either way, here's how to find the right shape for each face type.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Determine the Most Suitable Shape
Step 1. Determine where the inner browbone should end
Hold something straight, like an eyebrow pencil or ruler, vertically in front of your face.
- Line it up so that it touches the outermost part of the nose and the inner corner of the eye. This line will tell you where to start the eyebrow.
- Mark the spot with an eyebrow pencil. Repeat for the other eye.
Step 2. Determine where the eyebrow should peak
Angle the instrument so that it passes through the outermost part of the nose and the outer part of the iris.
- It is very important to look straight ahead; both your face and eyes should be facing the mirror.
- The point where you meet the eyebrow should be the highest part of the arch.
- Mark the spot with the pencil.
- Repeat for the other eye.
Step 3. Determine where the outer browbone should end
Angle the tool so that it passes through the outermost part of the nose and the outer part of the eye (not the lashes, if you're lucky enough to have them that long).
- This indicates where the eyebrow should end. Mark the spot with the pencil.
- Repeat for the other eye.
Step 4. Draw a line along the bottom edge of your eyebrow
This will determine its thickness.
Follow the natural curve of your brows
Step 5. Remove the excess hair (the one not included in the marks you made)
- Your brows should be 0.5 to 1cm thick at the most.
- Don't go overboard with hair removal since you want to maintain the natural curvature of the eyebrow. Just get rid of the loose hairs.
- If you're not a fan of pulling hair, try styling your brows without it.
- If your brows are too sensitive, use ice to numb the area before you start using the tweezers.
Step 6. Take into account the shape of your face
Certain brows better compliment specific face shapes.
- To minimize the curve of a round face, make the outer third of the eyebrow point towards the top of the ear.
- For a square face, towards the middle of the ear. Helps keep the face balanced.
- For a more elongated face, it is better to keep it more towards the opposite direction, orienting it above the ear.
- An oval face already looks balanced, but to maximize harmony you can orient the outer part of the eyebrow towards the earlobe.
Part 2 of 2: Daily Maintenance
Step 1. Trim your eyebrows
You may notice some excess hair than the ideal shape, but it's probably just too long. Use a pair of scissors to clean up your look.
- Using an eyebrow comb, push them up.
- Trim the part that goes beyond the natural line of your eyebrows.
Step 2. Fill in the empty spots
If your brows are too light, use a suitable pencil.
- If you have light eyebrows, choose a pencil two shades darker than your hair color - if you have dark hair, choose it two shades lighter.
- Tighten the skin at the temple, and lightly outline the upper edge of the eyebrow. Next, outline the lower one.
- With light strokes, fill in the space between the two edges.
- Don't forget to blend the color!
Step 3. Use a clear gel
Brush your brows in their natural direction and apply the gel to hold them in place.
- You can replace the brow gel with a clear mascara.
- The gel will prevent any color smudging.
Step 4. Make it a habit
With practice, and with consistency, your daily routine will get faster.
- By maintaining a specific eyebrow shape, it will be easier to spot excess hair.
- Frequently remove the hairs between the eyebrows and along the edges. They are the ones that grow the fastest and change the natural shape of your eyebrows.
Advice
- Whatever shape you choose, make sure your brows are symmetrical, horizontally and vertically.
- A 2007 German study found that people under the age of 30 like low, slightly arched eyebrows more, while those over 50 prefer the opposite (high, heavily arched brows).
- Apply the concealer around the eyebrows for an even more defined look.
- When the end is way above the beginning, it can give you a grim and almost angry look, which may or may not be what you wanted.
- If you have almond-shaped eyes that have the outer side up, you will naturally already have higher eyebrows behind than in front. If you want to shape them, don't change this detail: in this way you will not only follow the natural shape of your eyebrows, but you will accentuate the shape of your eyes; you could get a ridiculous effect by trying to lower the end of the eyebrow to line it up with the beginning.
- Use a hand mirror to look at your brows in profile. Make sure they are not "hook" shaped on the inside - it looks like you did something wrong. Remember they don't all see you from the front. If you need to fill them in with a pencil, experiment and check often with a mirror. You don't want to look silly after all the effort you went through to get beautiful brows.
