Eyebrows – you may not think about them all too often, but when they’re long overdue for a little maintenance, it’s hard not to notice! With a little planning, trimming and plucking, you can easily perfect the shape of your brows, without having to visit a pricy salon. Just follow these steps:
Step 1: Dividing lines
Take a pencil or pair of tweezers (any small, straight tool or utensil will do), hold it vertically in front of your face and place one end on the outside bridge of your nose, pointing it in a straight line upwards. The point where the outer edge of the utensil meets your brow should mark the beginning of your eyebrows. Do this with both sides and mark each edge with a brow pencil – doing so can help you determine if your brows are even with your facial features and identify outlying hairs in between the lines that need to be tweezed. (Goodbye, unibrow!)
To mark the end of your brows, use the same tool and angle it diagonally from the bridge of your nose to the corner of your eye – where the tool hits your brows should be the ending point. Mark each side with a brown pencil and pluck any hairs that fall outside this point. TIP: Pluck the lowest hairs first and make your way up.
Step 2: Sweep & trim
Using a brow brush, sweep eyebrows up and outward to target unruly hairs. With a pair of brow scissors or a small hair trimmer, carefully snip the straggly strands. Smooth the brow hair back into place and use a magnifying mirror to make sure your brow hairs are evenly trimmed.
Step 3: Get in shape
The peak of the arch should be in line with the outer (side) rim of your eye’s iris. Start at the iris and trace a straight line upwards toward your brow with your finger — gently push down on this point until you feel your brow bone. You’ve pinpointed your arch! Mark it with your brow pencil and remove the lowest row of hairs from the inner brow point all the way to the arch. On the outer side of the arch, trim and tweeze to taper your brow into a tail shape.
Step 4: Fill in the blanks
If you have any sparse areas or (OOPS!) you accidentally plucked a bit too much, don’t panic. You can apply a colored brow powder with a small, angled brush or a natural brow pencil. Be sure to pick a color 1 or 2 shades lighter than your brow hair color and gently blend with a brush or comb. Use eyebrow pencils, powders and gels sparingly – you want your brows to look natural, not overly dramatic.