Well-groomed brows assist frame the face, so learning how to shape your arches is a valuable skill. However, the prospect of over-plucking or getting the shape absolutely wrong can be a little intimidating. Furthermore, if you’ve ever tried a new brow product, you know there’s a learning curve to getting it exactly right.
So, what is the catch to creating beautiful arches? And how can you get that precise shape that lifts the face and highlights the eyes? We contacted specialists Anastasia Soare, Jared Bailey, and Sarah Redzikowski to find out.
Continue reading for the best brow shaping ideas and how to get some of the most popular brow styles.
The golden ratio
While working as an esthetician, Soare realized that many of her clients did not pay care to their brows, sometimes treating them as an afterthought. “When you spend enough time looking at faces, you realize that eyebrows have the transformative power to change someone’s entire look,” Soare recently told InStyle.
Recognizing a significant gap in the market, she began offering brows as a distinct service. “I was inspired by the Golden Ratio, a concept I learned about during art school,” Soare recalls. “It hit me that brows should be shaped and tailored according to an individual’s particular bone structure, bringing balance and proportion to the face, and so I developed a formula for the Golden Ratio’s application.”
The Anastasia Beverly Hills Golden Ratio Shaping Technique employs three measurements to create brows that are properly suited to each individual’s unique bone structure. The brand has introduced The Brow, a groundbreaking phone app that allows you to perfect the Golden Ratio Shaping Technique from the comfort of your own home. The program analyzes your face to discover the ideal form for your particular bone structure. It also provides virtual consultations, tutorials, and product suggestions.
Bailey believes that brows should always be suited to your face. “At Benefit, we use a technique called brow mapping to help identify a shape that will bring balance and proportion to the face and eyes,” he claims.
Eyebrow Shaping Tips
Always use natural light.
Bailey recommends shaping your brows wherever you receive the most natural light, as not everyone’s bathroom is designed like a terrarium. “Take a mirror you can prop up and tweeze near a window with even lighting on your face,” according to Bailey. “Natural lighting helps ensure you get a glimpse of every stray hair.”
Avoid Using Magnifying Mirrors.Using a little magnifying mirror should be outlawed since you can only see a field of tiny hair rather than the actual shape and what it is doing to your complete face,” argues Bailey. Brows add harmony and proportion to your face and eyes, so choose a mirror that shows you your complete face, not just your brows.
Start with an outline.
When grooming at home, it’s best to begin by outlining and filling in your eyebrows. “Once your brows are filled in, tweeze only what is outside of this area. This ensures that you never overdo it,” explains Soare. Just make sure to use a good pair of slant-tipped tweezers to avoid breaking off hair around the base and inflicting additional pain.
Trim, do not cut.
The most challenging aspect of DIY brow grooming is trimming, yet a good trim can improve your entire appearance.
“To trim your brows, you’ll need a tiny pair of brow scissors and a flexible brow gel like Benefit 24-Hour Brow Setter,” Bailey tells me. “Begin by brushing the hair up towards the hairline and out towards the temple, then let it dry fully. Next, use the tiny brow scissors to cut only the ends of the hair that reach beyond the form. If you cut the hair too short, the coarse hairs will stick straight out instead of lying flat.”
“First, I brushed the brows up and used my finger to lay the hairs down flat using Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze,” Redzikowski wrote.After the Brow Freeze dried, I used the Chanel Stylo Sourcils Waterproof Defining Longwear Eyebrow Pencil to create hair-like strokes in the direction of hair development.”
“Acacia [the model] has beautiful brows that just needed a little refining,” Redzikowski says.
If you have similar brows and want to define them, the artist recommends using Maybelline Tattoo Brow Pencil to fill in sparse areas and Grande Cosmetics Grandebrow-Fill Volumizing Brow Gel in Clear to fix them in place. “This combination of products is great for oily skin or hot days, as they stay in place, and you don’t have to worry about your brow sliding off,” Redzikowski tells me.
The Full and Natural Brow
