Perfect Eyebrow Shaping Techniques

Bright eyed and bushy browed? The good news is, few things make you appear as glamorous as a well-groomed pair of eyebrows – they are the perfect targets for a quickie makeover that will instantly prettify your face. The bad news is that done wrong, eyebrows can make you appear frightening or old or frighteningly old – and there are few ways to hide the damage.

Eyebrow Shaping – So how do I get a perfect result?

First, take a good inventory of your eyebrows and face shape and determine the eyebrow style you want. Do you want a dramatic look? Do you want shaping to give you full eyebrows or thinner eyebrows? As a general rule, most faces are best with an eyebrow shape close to their original shape – only tidier. Some women do make dramatic changes in the shape and color of their brows, though – and look fabulous. If you want dramatic change, take your brows to a good salon or spa, or your results may be dramatically traumatic, not to mention long lasting.

Next, go “eyebrow shopping” in magazines. Find pictures of eyebrows you like and check out the face shapes of models who have them. If you have a round face, Gwyneth Paltrow brows may not be great on you. Find models that have similar features and choose a brow shape accordingly. As a general rule, you’ll find that women with round faces look best in arched brows that angle towards the top of the ear. Long faces are great with straighter brows, and oval faces look nice with brows that angle dramatically towards the bottom of your ear lobe. If you are changing the shape of your brow, take these pictures in with you to your aesthetician.

What if I just want to tidy my eyebrows?

It makes sense to take your first shaping to a salon. Yes, it costs extra, but eyebrow hairs that have been plucked take a lo-oo-oong time to grow back, and your brows are right on your face. If you have your shaping professionally “done”, then later pluckings are as easy as tweezing away any stray hairs. Plus, you can learn a lot about shaping technique from a professional.

I’m ready to go ahead and do eyebrow shaping myself … now what?

Start with a good pair of tweezers – this makes a lot of difference. You don’t need to spend very much (around $10.00). My personal favourites are gold-tipped ones; they grip well and they don’t rust. An old pair could leave you very frustrated just trying to grip stubborn strays and it could even break delicate skin in your eyebrow area. It’s a good idea to do your eyebrow shaping after a bath or shower – your skin is softened and pain is kept to a minimum. Prepare your eye area by using eye make-up remover to do away with all traces of dirt and oil. Use a brow pencil to trace the natural shape of your eyebrows. Then, sitting by strong natural light and using a magnifying mirror, start tweezing. Pull your brows taut when you are tweezing to keep pain at a minimum. If you still find yourself smarting, apply heat with a hot wash cloth or gently “freeze” the area you are plucking with an ice cube wrapped in a plastic baggie. Tweeze one hair at a time and keep switching between your left and right eye with each tweeze to get an even effect. Stick to hairs under and between your eyebrow and be sure not to do the shaping. This will keep your general, natural eyebrow line – you certainly do not want to encourage unruly growth.
It takes a while, but the effect is worth it. If you have long scraggly brow hairs, snip them – one at a time with manicure scissors – very carefully and only a little bit before tweezing.

After tweezing, use a gentle toner to cleanse your brows (make sure not to get any into your eyes) and take a look at the total effect. Use a shaping pencil or powder to make your brows look even more dramatic and defined. Sweep your eyelashes with a subtle blend of eye shadow and mascara, apply matching lippie, slip into your best party dress and you’re well on the way to a superb evening out! With a little practice, eyebrow shaping is easy, good luck!