The idea of shaping and filling your own eyebrows seems simple enough, but one wrong move and too much damage control later, and you’re stuck spending the next six weeks looking surprised.
“Most beginners tend to remove too much hair,” says celebrity makeup artist and brow expert Mary Irwin. “It’s way too easy to just go to town and then step away from the mirror going, ‘Oh no, what did I do?!’”
That’s why we typically turn to the pros when our eyebrows need sprucing up, but with COVID-19 still running rampant, heading to the salon right now is a risky proposition you’re probably not comfortable with.
We feel you, which is why we went to the experts for intel on the best way to approach shaping and filling your brows from the comfort (and safety) of your own home.
Step 1: Let your brows grow out.
Experts suggest four to six weeks of untouched regrowth before you take the plunge, since that represents a full brow growth cycle. “It’s good to let the brows fully grow out so you can clearly see your natural shape and the exact hairs that need to be removed,” says Katherine Dorn, celebrity makeup artist at Pierre Michel Salon in New York City.
Step 2: Set up shop where there’s natural light.
The best lighting for doing your eyebrows and makeup is bright, natural light. “If it looks good in natural light, it will look good in any light,” says Dorn.
If your home doesn’t have the best lighting, even by a window, consider investing in an adjustable lighted mirror—but steer clear of using any magnifying features. “Magnified mirrors don’t allow you to see your whole face and the natural shape of your brows,” says Dorn. “The more magnified you go, the more likely you’ll be to tweeze too many hairs and alter your arch, or remove a hair you didn’t intend to.”
Try the Tweezerman Adjustable Lighted Mirror, which has three different light options, including a natural light setting.
Step 3: Prep your skin.
A clean canvas is everything, so make sure to gently cleanse your face to rid your eyebrow area of dead skin cells and residue from makeup or skincare products. Then, use the Neutrogena Pore Clearing Facial Astringent in just your brow area, which contains salicylic acid and witch hazel to clear out any dirt and oil that was left behind.
Step 4: Map out your shape.
“Brow mapping is a new name for a classic technique,” says Irwin. “It’s basically a three-step process where you identify the inner corner, highest point, and end of the brow.”
Start by holding a brow pencil straight up, from the middle of the nostril to the inner corner of the brow and place a dot. (This is roughly where your eyebrow should start.) Like the hand of a clock, leave the bottom of the pencil at your nostril and pivot the top to where it’s passing through the highest part of your brow and place another dot. (This is roughly where your arch is located.)
Pivot the top of the brow pencil one last time, this time until it grazes the outer corner of your eye, and place a final dot. (This is the approximate tip of your brow.) “These dots give you an idea of where you might be asymmetrical, and where your brows should be,” says Irwin. Any brow pencil can do the job, but for super-precise markings, try the NYX Professional Makeup Micro-Brow Pencil.
Step 5: Trim very carefully.
Brush your brows straight up with a spoolie to see if there are hairs that stick up above the brow line. If there is, use a set of brow scissors to trim one hair at a time on a downward angle. “The key is individually trimming the hairs and not making a blunt line,” says Joey Healy, celebrity brow expert and founder of Joey Healy Eyebrow Studio in New York.
Trimming slowly and carefully is paramount—stick to trimming only the super-long hairs that absolutely need to be trimmed, and continually step back from the mirror to check for balance. To help you get the job done, the Tweezerman Brow Shaping Scissors and Brush are quite the duo. The spoolie brush helps prepare your brows for grooming, while the thin stainless steel blades of the scissors isolate each individual hair for optimal control and precision.
Step 6: Get your tweeze on.
Once you’ve made it to the tweezing phase, it’s important to go slowly, hair by hair, using slanted tweezers and a spoolie brush. And remember: less is more. “Don’t tweeze off half your brows just to fill them in with makeup,” says Dorn. “If you already have the hairs, just use your natural shape and clean up above and below the brow.”
Start by using your spoolie to brush your eyebrows into place. Once you’ve identified the hair you want to remove, hold the skin taut with one hand, then using your tweezers, firmly grasp the base of the hair with the other and pull it out, making sure to do so in the direction of hair growth.
One hair at a time, clean up the “unibrow” area between your brows, carefully pluck above and below your natural shape, then tweeze any stray hairs around the tail of each brow, using the dots you made earlier as a general guide. Every other hair or so, step back and look at your brows (as if they’re sisters, not twins) to ensure you’re successfully achieving a balanced look.
...and avoid over-plucking.
“The best way to make sure you don’t go overboard is to set a timer,” suggests Healy. “Maybe give yourself 10 minutes of cleanup so you don’t do too much.” If you’re not sure about a hair, leave it right where it is.
If you’re super-nervous at the thought of over-plucking, Irwin recommends busting out an eyebrow pencil that’s the same color as your skin and doing some recon first.
“Using the lighter pencil, outline the outer shape of your brow,” she says. “Draw the shape under and above the brow, in the locations you think you should tweeze, making sure to cover all the hairs you think should be removed.” This gives you the freedom to experiment with which hairs are okay to nix and which ones should stay put.
But if you do pluck the wrong hair, don’t panic and try to make your other brow match—it’s a slippery slope that can morph your brows into 90s throwbacks lightning-fast. Remind yourself it’s only one hair, and it will grow back before you know it.
To test before you tweeze, the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz comes in a variety of colors, while both Tweezerman Slanted Tweezers and the Joey Healy Elite Sculpting Tweezer will help you rock the plucking process itself.
Step 7: Calm down any irritation.
If your skin gives you ‘tude following your tweezing session, Healy recommends dabbing tea tree oil on the area if you’re prone to breakouts or aloe vera if you’re red.
Once the irritation has subsided, “you can take your brows to the next level by using a very small amount of your concealer and swiping a brush on the perimeter of the brow and blending with the finger to make them look polished and brightened,” says Dorn.
Step 8: Fill in the blanks.
Whether you’re using a pencil or powder to fill in your brows, “start with the areas that you need it the most,” says Healy. Use the product to beef up any obviously problematic areas, such as super-thin (or straight-up bald) spots you might be sporting.
“I always think you should fill in just where needed and make sure you blend, blend, blend,” says Healy, who recommends blending your product through with a spoolie brush. “Each brow may need a different technique, but the key is don’t put your brows in a box in the front and then just fill in the entire brow.”
If you prefer using a pencil, go with one that’s very thin and fine and matches your brow color. (If you’re not sure, go one shade lighter, says Healy.) Use small strokes as if making individual hairs, using lighter pressure in the front of the brows to keep things soft and natural. Do this little by little, brushing your brows up with your spoolie after each iffy spot is touched up and continually stepping back to check for balance.
Meanwhile, powders are a great choice if you aren’t comfortable using a brow pencil or prefer a softer, subtler finish to your brows. And if you’re working with lighting that isn’t the greatest, it’s the option that doesn’t require as much precision. “With a powder and clear brow gel, you really don’t have to fear overworking them as much,” says Healy.
Just make sure to tap your brush of the excess product before filling in your problem areas, then use whatever’s left on the brush on the front third of your brows, which makes them a little bit softer, he says. Going with powder? For the ultimate full brow trifecta, try Joey Healy’s Luxe Brow Powder, Duo Brow Brush, and Brow Structure Clear Set.
As for maintenance: “You only need to tweeze your eyebrows every two to three weeks,” says Dorn. “Don’t touch them in between.”
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Krissy Brady
Krissy is a regular contributor to Prevention, and she also writes for Cosmopolitan, Weight Watchers, Women's Health, FitnessMagazine.com, Self.com, and Shape.com.