The Beat on Your Brows

If the eyes are the window to the soul, the eyebrows are the frame. Your irises should attract all of the attention, not your overgrown or over-plucked brows. Eyebrow threading, waxing, and tweezing have become common, and most salons will offer such services. Proper eyebrow care has become so popular that eyebrow boutiques (or “brow bars” as they’re called) are showing up in major cities.

Many experts recommend having your eyebrows professionally shaped before attempting to maintain them yourself since you can follow the professional template. I decided my brows could use some expert intervention in high school and I was left with almost no above-the-eye hair. While most estheticians are probably more skilled than mine, I swore to shape my own eyebrows from then on (once they grew back in). If you too choose to forego salon service, I’ll walk you through the basics of eyebrow shaping. Here are a few tips for achieving the perfect arch to fit your face and enhance your eyes.

First off, make sure that you are tweezing in bright, natural light. A shadow can spell disaster when you pluck one side more than the other. You will need a clean pair of tweezers that feel comfortable in your hand (slippage is dangerous). Wash your face before you begin to make sure no bacteria will be hanging around your open pores. If you have low to no pain tolerance, consider using a baby teething gel like Orasol on the area to numb it. Once you begin tweezing, pluck the hairs in the direction they grow to minimize irritation and the chances of an ingrown hair.

The shape your brows take will affect your entire face; for example, eyebrows that are too far apart will make a nose look wider. Don’t let that scare you away from the task; there are just a few key lines to keep in mind; an eyeliner pencil or eye shadow brush will help you find them. Eyebrows should start where your eyes start, which is along the same line as where your nose ends. To find your starting point, take your pencil or brush and hold it parallel to the side of your nose. Where the pencil meets your eyebrow is where it should start, so pluck any hairs that fall in the middle.

To find where you should make an arch, line your pencil up to the outer side of your iris, the colored part of your eye. Where the pencil intersects your brow is where your arch should be. Keep in mind that slight arches are in style right now. If your eyebrows are naturally a straight line, you can even try to work the look many models have right now with little to no arch. To find where your eyebrows should end, take your trusty pencil and line it up with the base of your nose again, but this time match it to the outer corner of your eye. Where the pencil meets your brow this time is where your brow should end, so pluck anything beyond that point.

Now that you’ve identified your targets, you’ll need to plan your attack. The first time you weed-whack your brows, an eye shadow pencil can help you draw a map of where your new eyebrow path will lead. Make sure the eye shadow color contrasts with your brow shade so that you can easily see it when it is drawn on the hairs. Use the eye shadow pencil to draw an outline of the brow you envision, including the arch. Remember that thick brows are in…besides, no one looks good with pencil-thin, overarched eyebrows. Once your eye shadow line is in place, you can pluck any hairs that are on or outside of the line to create a clean edge.

Ignore the myth about not plucking above the eyebrow; it’s fair game for hair removal. When you maintain your brows in the future, you won’t need to use the eye shadow, because you can follow the shape that is already there. Remember to pause often and look at your face as a whole. Tou can’t fix overplucking (but you can hide it with an eyebrow pencil or shadow if you must).

Ta-da, you have beautiful brows! Hopefully these tips have your brows looking their best, and you’ve got a little extra money in your pocket that you saved from DIY-ing your hair removal.