Eyebrows are lowkey the “make or break” point of your face. Too thick, too thin, too close—too much of anything and your look is going from cute to crazy real quick. Unfortunately, there’s quite a few of us that struggle with getting the right brow shape for our face. Whether we want a nice, bold brow to compliment our makeup or just want some gorgeous natural brows, it can really be a daunting task.
Luckily, there’s a few tricks that’ll help you get it together once and for all. We’ve compiled 5 of the best tips to help you achieve perfect, pro-level brows all by yourself.
Try A Brow Wax
Pencils, powders, and gels are among the most common products used to shape and groom your eyebrows at home, but have you heard of eyebrow wax? Brow wax is exactly what it sounds like: wax for your eyebrows. It’s a clear wax that often comes in little jars or in the form of a pencil, and is used to effortlessly sculpt and hold your brow hairs in place. While it doesn’t do much for thin, sparse eyebrows, this is an absolute must-have for those of you who want to tame your unruly, bushy, or thick eyebrows without plucking or waxing all the time.
Use Slanted Tweezers
The basic function of tweezers is to simply pluck unwanted hair, and still, not all tweezers are created equally.
Slanted tweezers, for example, are far superior to your standard pair of tweezers or those with an ultra-pointed tip because they easily allow you to pluck your hair in the direction that it naturally grows—causing less pain and effort, and ultimately a more natural brow.
Additionally, most slanted tweezers have a flatter edge which helps you pluck those tiny, hard-to-reach hairs that tend to grow around the arch and blur the definition of your eyebrow shape.
Tint Your Own Eyebrows
When we use pencils and gels to draw on our brows, we typically get them in a tint that is a richer, bolder version of our natural color. This is actually super helpful for those of you who have really thin or light brows, and would like them to look darker and fuller.
However, if you like the shape of your brows and all you want is for them to be a little darker, eyebrow tinting may be a better option. Eyebrow tint is just applying a semi-permanent dye to your brows for more body and definition. The best part? It’s not an everyday thing—you only have to apply it ever 3 to 8 weeks!
Choose the Right Pencil Shade
It’s way too easy to see generic “black” and “brown” pencil shades and think they’re all going to be the same. But trust and believe that there’s levels to this, sis!
The general rule of thumb for choosing the right eyebrow pencil is to not go too dark. For example, it might be tempting to go with the blackest black if your hair color is super dark, but the reality is that an off-black or deep brown would actually suit you better.
Or maybe your hair is dyed a natural red hue, you wouldn’t go for a clownish, bright red when medium brown and auburn are the better options. Always ask yourself, “is this natural and flattering?” and go from there.
Give ‘Brow Mapping’ A Go
In simple terms, brow mapping is a three-step technique where you draw a grid on your face in order to determine what the perfect brow shape for you would be. While it sounds elaborate and does take some practice, it’s actually worth all the effort.
Brow mapping is usually done by professionals who are trained in threading and microblading, but can be done at home with at-home kits and a white mapping pencil.
While professionals obviously have more in-depth knowledge, and thus more complex tactics, the graphic above gives you a good of how to draw the perfect brows for your face using your eye as a guideline.
Whew! All of these tips can be a bit intimidating, right? The good thing is that you don’t have to try everything at once. Start with the most obvious issue, give it a little time and practice, and you’ll be good to go before you know it.