How to Shape Eyebrows to Perfection

01
of 09

Take a Good Look

eyebrow design, tips for designing brows, eyebrow shaping
Robert Kohlhuber / IStock Photo

The first rule in how to shape your eyebrows: You can only work with what you have.

Use the eyebrows in this photo to see an example of how to shape them. These eyebrows are fairly thin on the ends and are rather straight. They can be shaped up a bit but won't have an extreme arch.

You can remove hair or use a pencil to make them look fuller, but you can't instantly grow them or make them into a shape that is not natural to you. The following shaping tips for women will help you decide how much hair to keep and how much to remove.

02
of 09

Where Eyebrows Should Start: Option 1

where eyebrows should start
Stockphoto4u / IStockPhoto

Draw an imaginary straight line from the outer sides of the ball of your nose to your brows. A good way to see this is to hold a tweezer with the open side down from the ball of your nose to your brows. This is the generally the place where eyebrows should start on most people, with some exceptions.

This is definitely where eyebrows should start if you have wide-set eyes because it makes eyes appear closer together. A large forehead also benefits from this spacing because leaving too much hair in between the brows makes the forehead look even bigger.

03
of 09

Where Eyebrows Should Start: Option 2

eyebrow design, tips for designing brows, eyebrow shaping
Robert Kohlhuber / IStock Photo

The general rule of thumb for eyebrow shaping has been that if you took a ruler to the inner corner of your eye, that is about where the brow should begin. But this is the farthest in you should go. If you're unsure, it's better to leave more brow. It's easy to remove hair instead of waiting for hair to grow and penciling them in.

This positioning is attractive if your eyes are very close together since starting at the inner corner of the eyes makes them seem to be farther apart. Women who have small foreheads, narrow faces, and small facial features also benefit from starting their brows at the corner of the inner eye,

04
of 09

Where to Arch the Eyebrows

eyebrow design, tips for designing brows, eyebrow shaping
Robert Kohlhuber / IStock Photo

The arch of the eyebrow is one of the most important features of designing its shape. Place a ruler or eyebrow pencil on the tip of your nose and take it to the spot on your brow just over your pupil. This should be the peak of the arch. Aim over the middle of the pupil for a medium arch and the far side of the pupil for a high arch. 

05
of 09

Where the Eyebrow Should End

eyebrow design, tips for designing brows, eyebrow shaping
Robert Kohlhuber / IStock Photo

Place one end of a ruler or an eyebrow pencil at the outer side of your nose and the other end at the corner of the eye. This is where the brow should end. Most women's brows end right about where this line is.

Most of the time, over-plucking has resulted in brows not meeting this endpoint. If that's the case for you, use a brow pencil like Billion Dollar Brows Universal Brow Pencil to fill in your brows until they grow out. If your brows are sparse because of stress, aging, or thyroid issues, try an eyebrow revitalizer.

06
of 09

Perfectly Shaped Brows

eyebrow design, eyebrow shaping tips
Kateryna Govorushchenko / IStock Photo

You can see the perfect eyebrow shape on this model, with the three lines used in her design.  When brows are shaped correctly, the eyes are framed nicely. If the first thing you notice about someone is their eyebrows, they're not the right shape. They should enhance the face and especially the eyes but not steal the show.

07
of 09

Trimming Your Brows

eyebrow shaping, eyebrow design
Robert Kohlhuber / IStock Photo

If you want to learn how to shape your eyebrows like the pros, trim them first if they need it. When the eyebrow hair is long, sometimes women end up taking out too much hair when they really needed to take out length.

Here's how to tell if you need to trim: Brush your eyebrows straight up, and if there are any long hairs coming out of your natural shape on top, trim it. Use a fine-tooth regular comb or an eyebrow brush to push the eyebrow hair up and then trim what is outside the shape you want with small scissors, preferably eyebrow scissors. 

08
of 09

Tweezing Your Brows

eyebrow design, eyebrow shaping, brow design
Robert Kohlhuber / IStock Photo

Choose exactly which hair you will be removing. Outline the shape you want with an eyebrow pencil or put concealer or white eyeliner on the hairs that need to go: underneath, the middle, and on top, so you don't wander off course.

Often, you just need to remove strays from underneath your eyebrow. Be careful if you tweeze above the brow; you'll find very few strays there. If you do take a few hairs off the top, maintain the main shape of your brow.

Always tweeze with a regular mirror, not a magnifying mirror, which could cause you to remove too much hair. And do it in natural light so you don't go overboard.

09
of 09

Finished Shape

eyebrow shaping, eyebrow design
Robert Kohlhuber / IStock Photo

Once you have the exact shape you like, the upkeep will be easy. You will be able to see clearly what has grown in and needs to be removed. Just trim and tweeze as needed every four weeks or so.