How to shape eyebrows

While eyebrows make shapes to express our ever-changing emotions – quizzically arching a single brow, frowning or raising in surprise – how we choose to shape them is part of the fun of self-expression. They might be subject to changing fashions going from pencil thin to tapered and back to bushy, but your brilliant brows are a big deal as one of the most defining facial features, not to mention protecting your peepers from moisture, dirt and light. Show them a little love and learn how to shape eyebrows at home with our makeup essentials and top tricks.

How to shape your eyebrows at home

In the bigger picture of your face’s makeup, your brows are pretty small, right? But different eyebrow shapes make a big impact. Consider, while they’re a bit of a supporting character among your other features, it’s no less true that when your eyebrows are beautifully shaped and well-groomed you feel more confident and look more put together, more you. Funny how the smallest of tweaks can help you feel so much more on point. All the more reason to learn how to shape your eyebrows yourself. Regardless of being thick, thin or non-existent, get yours looking exceptionally excellent with our eyebrow step by step guide.

Step 1: Define the shape

Step 2: Prepare for the plucking

Step 3: Use a tweezer

You’re now ready to finesse your eyebrows fret-free. How to pluck eyebrows? Recalling the shape you defined, you should pluck out the hairs that sit outside of this. Using tweezers, for each hair, gently hold the skin in the direction of the hair growth so it feels taut. Place the tip of the tweezer at the root of the hair, get a grip on it and pull! Remember to pluck the hair out in the direction that it’s growing, too. Ideally, you should only pluck out hairs that sit at the bottom of the brow line, as the top of the eyebrows will keep your natural shape intact. Only remove hairs above your eyebrow that really look lost and out of place. Alternate between each of your two brows as your pluck and be sure to regularly stand back at a distance to inspect the two, keeping in mind the saying – your brows should look like sisters, not twins.

Step 4: Fill in your brows

Step 5: Fix eyebrows with brow & lash gel

Natural eyebrow shapes

Now you’re an expert in how to do eyebrows, let’s look at the different eyebrow shapes. There’s a whole host out there, and certainly eyebrow trends have changed over the decades with the fashion of the era, going from painted on to severely straight, through to curved or flauntably arched, and back again to bushy being all the rage. Whatever your taste, nice eyebrow shapes come in all colours, sizes and forms, like faces and bodies, naturally. We think each and every eyebrow shape is as beautiful as the next. Just as it is with body shapes and makeup palettes, there’ll always be something that suits you best, and it’s all about finding that. So how to know which brow shapes are best for you?

The eyebrows most suited to your visage are likely those that don’t draw attention, they go unnoticed in fact. They’re simply there, doing the great work of making every feature on your face look finely balanced. Ultimately, your best eyebrow shape depends on the shape of your face, working together in perfect harmony, and your natural eyebrow shape. That’s as easy to suss out as looking to see where the majority of your eyebrow hair lies – this will indicate your most suited shape. Natural eyebrow shapes might be arched with a soft angle or a more defined hard angle, they might be rounded or straight, or even S-shaped with a softer curved taper. Of all the features that make up your fine face, your eyebrows are pretty important, huh?

How to find the right eyebrow shade?

This all depends on whether you want to go for your most natural colour or define your eyebrows more strongly. Perhaps your hair colour is dyed, so you want to find a complementary hue that has nothing to do with your natural hair colour. Or perhaps your brows are naturally sparser and lighter than the colour of your barnet and so you want them to get a bit of a boost. Whatever look you’re after, just like finding that hair shade that suits your skin tone, this is about finding the best match for you.

Regardless, for the most natural effect choose brow shades that have the same undertone as your skin and hair – check your veins on the inside of your wrist to find yours. If your veins look more blue they’re cool, if they look more green then your undertone is warm. The same goes for your hair colour – if you have red or gold-looking tinges in your hair, your hair’s undertone is warm. If your hair seems to have more ashy, platinum or lighter-hued tinges, your hair’s undertone is cool.

For a Natural Look

For a natural look, check your genetic hair colour, as this typically matches your eyebrows. If not exactly, it’s likely to be in the same family of shades. But look closer – your hair is made up of lots of differently hued strands, so you should follow the same rule with your brows and mix and match shades to create a 3D and more natural look.

For a Bolder Look

If you want to go a bit darker than your natural brow shade to more deliberately define them and help them frame your face, you might want to go one or two shades darker. This is particularly key if you’ve got blonde hair or if your brow genes means you don’t have a lot of hair to work with. If you have brunette or black hair, you might find that you can opt for a brow shade that’s one or two shades lighter than your hair colour.

Discover the best ways to fill in your eyebrows

Now you’ve learnt how to do your eyebrows at home, your most natural shades and easy shapes to perfect, we’ve got the ideal makeup products to help you get beautifully filled in statement brows. Whatever your preference for brows, choose from either of our brow boosters. Our eyebrow powder creates a more soft, textured effect, helping to add colour to both the brow hairs and any gaps in between. Our brow pomade will help keep your hairs under control, keeping them fluffy yet defined, all day long.

SCULPT IT BROW POWDER

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FRAME IT BROW POMADE

Create your dream brows in just a few swipes with this nifty pomade that’s made to tint and groom, leaving brows looking thicker. Available in four shades, including clear, it’ll help keep those hairs in place for 12 hours. Enriched with Community Fair Trade coconut oil, this creamy formula leaves hair feeling nourished with moisture. Yet it’s still sweat and humidity resistant, meaning you’ll have that flawless finish, all day long. Trust us, those brows won’t budge.

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Tips for great eyebrows

Don’t overdo the plucking

Step away from the mirror. As tempting as it might be to keep going, plucking a few too many hairs, even the tiniest ones, can result in a more sparse shape than you’d perhaps first intended. Like cutting a fringe, you can’t put back what you’ve taken away so go slowly and intentionally and be careful not to overdo it.

Mix and Match Shades

Check the hair on your head if you don’t quite believe it. Your natural hair colour is made up of varying shades and when it comes to your eyebrows, just the same. So, for a natural effect when using coloured brow products make sure to use different shades, building up a similar 3D colouring by layering the hues.

Take a Break

While plucking away rogue hairs might be satisfying, there’s no need to take to the tweezers every day. Give your brows a break and let the eyebrow hair grow from time to time before you pluck again. You might just find that your brows look better a little bushier, or basically, a little less perfect. It’s all about the real you.

Natural Light

As obvious as it might sound, the amount of light you are working with will seriously impact what you can see when you’re plucking away. Give your brows the best shot at looking their best by maximising the natural light in your bathroom. Open the blinds, and make sure you’re not squinting through the sunshine. Basically, you’ll be able to properly see what you’re doing.