What you need to do your eyebrows
First of all, you need to gather your gear. We have deviled everything you'll need for a perfect brow grooming job.
Eye Pencil
The eyebrow pencil is one of the simplest but best products for eyebrows, whatever your skills. With this classic makeup tool, you can make the brows appear more defined and thicker. The pencil is also handy for smudging out lines and faking a completely different shape.
To use an eyebrow pencil to define your brows, be sure to draw in the outline of your brow shape and fill in with light, feathered strokes. Always start filling in from the center of your brows out. Never apply color from closer to the nose; otherwise, you risk an overly harsh, drawn-on look. After filling your brows, use an eyebrow brush and gently brush the hairs upward to blend in the strokes of the pencil.
Eyebrow Crayon
An eyebrow crayon is like a pencil but thicker and usually has a waxy-formulated texture, giving a neat finish of long-lasting wear and a whisper of healthy shine. You can fill in with an eyebrow pencil alone or use it along with an eyebrow crayon.
If using it with a pencil, outline the brow shape you wish to have with the pencil and then go in with the crayon to fill in sparse areas using short feathery strokes. When you use the eyebrow crayon alone, do the same without the pencil. Using a pencil and crayon together allows for more controlled and precise definition; only using the crayon creates a soft, natural look.
Another awesome product that's been sung high praises for sparse brows is the brow gel, which some swear is also the best at getting you out the door fast. A fiber and gel brow product temporarily thickens the look of your brow hair, coating each individual hair in hardly any time at all.
Besides providing for a fuller displacement of the brows, the brow gel can also be a good tint for other brows types, as well as work in detaining them and keeping all the individual brow hairs in place. Who doesn’t need a multi-tasker? Simply comb the product through your brow in upward strokes to set it. Start with a good finish by working through the inner corners to the outer sides.
Eyebrow pomade
Whenever you see those lush, sculpted brows on #beautytok, there's a very good chance brow pomade was involved in achieving them. Creamy and light as mousse, they help define your brows while giving them an overall thicker appearance.
Despite having virtually no hair, you can still create naturally beautiful looking bold brows with this pomade-as long as you know the right techniques. With that said, to wield your brow pomade, go ahead and dip an angled makeup+ brush into the product, then fill in the sparse areas while you shape them. Start with the inner corners and work outward.
Eyebrow mascara
Like brow gel, this type of eyebrow makeup is super easy to use and perfect for a beginner. They are primarily useful if you have full brows that need just a tad more definition, or if you need them to stay intact.
Which eyebrow shape is best for me?
We'll start by mapping the brows! Basically, if you don't know how to map your brows, you could be entering a disaster zone. Although that sounds a little intimidating, mapping here means identifying and marking the three key parts of your brow so you can easily clean up after brow makeup, basically:
Where should your brow start: Move your brow pencil or finger straight up from the bend of your nose, behind the brow, to see where it should start.
Map the arch in your brow: Move your brow pencil at an angle from the side of the nose through the iris of your eye to the brow to find the center spot that should be the top of your brow.
Where should your brow stop: Point your pencil to draw a line from the side of the nose across the brow to the end of the tail to mark where the tail of your brow will end.
How to do your eyebrows
Step 1. Find Your Shape
Before you begin grooming, you need to figure out the eyebrow shape for you. While you can always pay a visit to a professional brow stylist (or a waxing or threading professional) to get started, you can also do this at home with just your eyebrow brush from your toolkit above.
Place one end of the brush against the outside of your nostril and then the other at the inner corner of your eye so that it appears as a straight vertical line. This is where you will want the front edge of your eyebrow to start. Mark the spot with a little dot in brow pencil, then repeat on your other brow.
Next, move the top of the brush to line up with your pupil. The spot where the brush overlaps your brow is where your ideal arch should be located. Mark it with another dot of your brow pencil, then repeat on your other eye.
Finally, sweep the top of the brush to the outer corner of your eye (still keep the bottom of the brush beside your nostril). That is where your dream brow shape would come to an end. Mark with a dot, and do the same on the other side. Connect the dots until your brows are outlined.
Step 2. (Beware!) Tweezing Time
Now that you’ve found your perfect brow shape, it’s time to use your tweezer to pluck any hairs that fall outside of this shape. If you're after a bushier, feathered brow shape, feel free to skip this step entirely.
To remove the whole hair you are plucking, locate the root of it with the edge of your tweezers and then pull in the direction of hair growth. On either side of your arches, scan for those stray hairs; they're fair game. Another hot spot is between your eyes, just on the upper bridge of your nose.
Alternate both eyebrows while tweezing, and glance at yourself in the mirror after every pluck-it will give you a chance to keep them even. And of course, be careful while plucking and not go crazy with the tweezers. Makeup trends of the '90s are re-emerging, but mercifully thin brows aren't. So keep in mind that if you should happen to find yet another stray, it's easy enough to go back later. But trust me, your brow hairs take so much longer-and it's so much harder-to grow back if you over-pluck.
Step 3. Brush Then Up and Grab Your Brow Gel
Brow gel is super fast and easy to apply. So if you are in a hurry or are one of the 'no makeup makes up' crowd, you can stop there.
Brush from the root of your brow hairs, sweeping out and up from the center or innermost corner of your brows. This is where the gel really comes in handy to keep your shape in place and tame your unruly locks.
Use a tinted brow gel for a little color and a stronger shape, or clear gel for a super clean and natural look (they work fantastically smooth down fly aways on your hair, too).
Step 4. Apply Your Brow Product
Fill in those brows. With your pencil, start in the middle of your brow and gently flick the pencil upwards in small hair-like strokes to fill in all the sparse spots or gaps. Try to hold the pencil lightly and apply gentle pressure-you want to mimic those tiny hairs that make up your brows, and pressing down too hard can lead to blocky, chunky pigment.
Tend to find it easier to draw in your eyebrows at the base of your eyebrow, near the roots of the hair, and then draw up from there to mimic natural growth. Once you've put a few sparse spots in, you can go back in and add some more to fill up your desired fullness and definition.
Finish off the look with your eyebrow powder or pomade; select the product that is closest to your eyebrow color. A good rule of thumb for getting that more natural, natural appearance from eyebrow makeup is to try to go one to two shades lighter than your eyebrow color (trust us, it'll still make an impact). Apply with a light hand; you can always go back and add another layer for a bolder brow.
And as you're building and filling in your brows, keep these extra tips in mind:
- Just don't make the arch super pointed. You can always tone it down if it starts to get a little too obvious, with your brow brush or spoolie.
- Don't overextend the tail of your brows too much, since this can start to droop too much and make you appear tired or shocked. REMEMBER: typically, your eyebrows should be shaped to not extend beyond the outer corner of your eye.
- Harsh lines and angles can make the look a little too done sometimes, but don't worry if that's the case-it's probably just because you used too much product. You can fix it by gently buffing it out with your spoolie brush or by dipping a Q-tip into some makeup remover to erase and rebuild that section.
Finish off all that work you put into your brows with a highlighter. Swiping your highlighter right underneath and just above your eyebrow arch can really carve out your brow area and emphasize the shape of your brows. Then just blend it in with your ring finger. Use some concealer on those quick fixes.
Should I begin to trim my own eyebrows?
Just like you could ruin your bangs in a minute, trimming eyebrows can go ridiculously wrong in no time at all. Your brows are right up there, up front, and one slight wrong cut will create an uneven surface. So if you can't wait for your next trip to the salon, it is vital to proceed cautiously with dynamite patience while trimming.
Begin by setting the surrounding brow hairs up with a clear brow gel so you can see the natural full length of your brows. Handily, take small brow scissors and comb the hairs straight up. Use the scissors to trim the hairs on the other end as long as they are sticking outside and comfortably across the brow line and with an angle cut. Trim only a millimeter at a time; do not pull the hair when you are cutting unless you plan to hold it tightly until you trim. Once you let it go, it pops back up and in a very short time.