Start the eyebrow shaping process by
determining the correct design for your face and features. You
will need a thin eyeliner pencil to start. First hold the pencil
against the side of your nose, vertically, straight up to where
it meets the brow. This is the spot where your eyebrow should
start. As a guideline, make a small mark with the pencil there
on your skin.
Next you will turn the pencil at an angle,
holding it against the nostril, so that it crosses over the
center of your eye. Notice where the pencil now intersects the
eyebrow, this is where the peak of your arch should start. Make
another mark on your skin as a guide here.
Lastly, keep moving the pencil at an angle
against your nostril until it meets the edge of the outer eye.
Where the end of the pencil now meets the eyebrow is your
eyebrow’s ending point. Make another mark on your skin here.
Using these three marks on both eyes provides
you a general guideline on how the shape of your eyebrow should
be based on the shape of your face.
The other consideration for the correct
eyebrow shape is the thickness. Ideally, the impact of your
eyebrows should balance with the rest of your face and hair. If
you have thick hair with larger facial features, your eyebrows
should be thicker and more dramatic. In contrast, if you have
thin hair and petite features, your eyebrows should be more
subtle.
Tweezing
Before you begin your eyebrow shaping, gather
all your tools – tweezers, brow brush and small scissors.
Preferably, you should begin by checking to see if your eyebrows
need a trim. Eyebrow hairs are longer than most people realize,
and simply trimming them can be enough for some faces. When the
hairs are lightly cut, not only will it decrease the brow
density, it also helps the hairs to lie flat - instantly
creating a clean line to your brow.
Always trim before tweezing, not after, as you
might end up removing some hairs that just needed to be trimmed.
Start by brushing the eyebrow hairs straight up with your brow
brush, and then trim any stray hairs that extend past the upper
brow line. Next, brush all the hairs straight down and trim the
hairs extending past the brow line underneath. After you have
done your trimming, brush all the hairs back into place.
Tweezing can be a painful process for some, so
to ease the discomfort, you should pluck after a steamy shower
or a warm face washing. This will help the pores to open and
enable the hairs to remove easier. If you are particularly
sensitive, slightly numbing the area with ice before tweezing
will also help.
Always make sure that you have good lighting
when eyebrow shaping. Using the previous method for ensuring the
proper shape, follow the marks and tweeze the hairs in the
direction they grow. Move back and forth between the brows after
every couple of plucks, to ensure proper symmetry.
Adding to your Brow Line
For those of you with sparse eyebrows,
tweezing is not necessary. Instead, you will need to build your
eyebrows back to a proper shape. Selecting an appropriate pencil
color is crucial, so test a few at the makeup counter to be sure
the color is right. Some makeup artists also recommend an
eyebrow powder, which looks less intense on your face.
After you have the correct tool for adding
color, you will need to find the previous shape of your brows
before they began to lose their hair. Look at old photos if you
can’t remember, or try the technique described above with the
pencil for guidance. Fill the area with hair like strokes of the
pencil, or up and outward strokes of the powder wand.
Specific Tips
For pale or thin eyebrows, try tinting as
it looks more natural than an eyebrow pencil. Just be sure to
use a professional, licensed cosmetologist, and never try
tinting at home. You don’t want to risk your eyesight, just
for beauty!
Embrace the natural shape of your eyebrows
and don’t try to change them completely. You are born with the
correct eyebrow shape for your face, so let it guide you.
Preview the look of your eyebrows before
shaping by hiding the hairs with a white eyeliner pencil.
Avoid overdoing eyebrow shaping, as less is
truly better. Thin eyebrows tend to make your face look
instantly older.
Tweezing is usually more effective than
waxing as the wax process can lead to a change in the hair
direction and skin texture if overused.
Ultimately the point of eyebrow shaping is
to adjust the viewer’s focus away from your eyebrows, to your
eyes instead.
While it is not preferred to completely
change your eyebrow structure, you can make minor changes to
what nature recommended in order to alter some eye
appearances. For example, remove a few extra hairs from your
eyebrows at the starting point to make close-set eyes appear
wider.
Consider permanent makeup techniques if you
have very sparse eyebrows.
