Your Guide to the Perfect Eyebrows
If the eyes are the windows to the soul, the eyebrows are the window treatments. Many makeup artists will tell you that the eyebrows are THE most important feature on your face, and therefore, the most important feature to shape and maintain. Your eyebrows provide expression to your face and help prevent moisture from getting into your peepers. But aesthetically speaking, eyebrows serve an even greater purpose. The perfect eyebrows can become a great beauty asset to the structure of your face and the framing of your eyes, creating drama and a focus. So for all you first-time pluckers or those of you interested in redefining your look by redefining your eyebrows, follow this guide to your brow makeover. Plus take our quiz to find out if your makeup skills could use a makeover…
What’s the Best Eyebrow Shape for Your Face?
Today, we see all sorts of shapes of eyebrows, but one universal truth about eyebrows remains – eyebrows look best when most naturally groomed. There are six basic face shapes, each of which has a specific eyebrow shape that naturally balances out the face or can be groomed or shaped to balance the angles or lack thereof. 
- Round: A round face looks best with high arched eyebrows where the peak is toward the end of the brow and the tail is short.
- Oval: Lucky you - An oval face looks great with any eyebrow shape.
- Square: Square faces have strong jaw lines that can be balanced with strong, angled eyebrows, where the peak is close to being directly above the square of the jaw.
- Heart: To emphasize this pretty face structure, the eyebrows should have a rounded shape.
- Long: A long face looks best with a flat brow to avoid further elongation.
- Diamond: Diamond faces are quite angular and look great with a more rounded or peaked eyebrow to narrow the width.
After you’ve determined the shape of your face and which eyebrow shape works best for you, it’s time to get grooming. Whether you’re shaping your eyebrows for the very first time or are trying out a new shape, follow this basic brow-grooming formula for the perfect eyebrows:
- Start in a well-lit area, preferably in natural sunlight because you’ll be able to see the most hair.
- Take a pencil and hold it vertically along the side of the nose. This is where the eyebrow should start, where the inner eye begins. While still keeping the bottom of the pencil in contact with your nose, slide the tip of the pencil diagonally to the outer corner of the eye. This is where the eyebrow should end.
- Make sure you have something to work with by letting over-plucked eyebrows grow in before you begin shaping.
- Brush your eyebrows upward with an eyebrow brush and then trim any long hairs with eyebrow scissors. You can find these scissors in any beauty aisle of your drugstore or beauty supply store.
- To draw an outline of the shape you want, use a powder or white eyeliner. Tweeze in the direction that the hair grows into a natural arch. Start from the inner eye and work your way out. When you’re finished with the first row, brush up the brows again, and clean up any hairs that extend beyond the border. Avoid tweezing above the eyebrow line.
- When you’re finished shaping your eyebrows, apply a small amount of gel to the eyebrows (regular hair gel works fine) in an upward motion and fill in any bald spots with a pencil or powder.
- Tweeze after a nice warm shower or bath, which opens up the pores to make tweezing less painful. Use an ice cube for any redness or swelling. If you find tweezing painful, keep in mind that the more you do it, the less painful it gets.
- Don’t forget to maintain your eyebrows for a clean look as often as needed – you might have to pluck the re-growth every two days, but once it becomes part of your beauty regimen, you won’t even notice the upkeep time.
Tweeze or Wax?
Tweezing your eyebrows is the most cost effective and often least painful method of getting rid of unwanted eyebrow hair. However, waxing can provide a more accurate shape, especially when done by a professional esthetician, and requires less maintenance. Waxing is usually a little bit more painful and the cost usually begins at $10 for each session. If you don’t feel confident with your grooming skills, recruit the help of a professional to tweeze or wax and make sure they give you a few tips.
Eyebrow Threading
If you’re not crazy about waxing or tweezing, try eyebrow threading, where cotton strings are twisted and rubbed over the eyebrows, removing the hair in a quick, straight line. This method is gentler on the skin, ideal for sensitive skin, but can cause just as much discomfort as tweezing or waxing. However, the results can last from 2-3 weeks.
Eyebrow Color
The basic rule for eyebrow color is that it should be two shades lighter than your hair color. If you’re very blond or gray, the color should be two shades darker. Leave the bleaching up to a professional to avoid accidental harm to your eyes. Ask your hair stylist if he or she offers eyebrow bleaching for free after a hair color. To fill in any bald spots, take a brow pencil or powder that is one shade close to or slightly darker than your hair color and use light, feathery strokes to finish off your perfect eyebrows.
There’s a fine line between a uni-brow and non-existent, over-plucked eyebrows – neither one is a flattering eyebrow shape for your face. But for the perfect eyebrows that stand out and are never going to go out of style, stay in-between these two options with a natural look that flatters your face shape.
Are You a Makeup Maven or a Makeup Mishap?
Most women experiment with makeup beginning in their adolescence, which means they should have plenty of time to figure out which products and techniques work best for their face. However, some women never learn, and perhaps you are one of these makeup offenders. Find out now if the foundation of your makeup knowledge is well-blended, or caking under layers of bad makeup habits.
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