A well-groomed brow has the amazing ability to frame your face and transform your features, but often, the feature gets overlooked-and over-tweezed! Just by taming a few stray hairs and filling in the sparse areas, full brows instantly give your face a more symmetrical appearance with a slight liberated edge. With thick arches like Emma Watson's and Jennifer Connelly's gaining in popularity, we put together our best tips for rocking a statement brow. Keep reading to see them all!
To recreate Camilla Belle's perfectly-shaped set, the first step is plotting out where your brows should start and end. Line up a pencil with the side of your nose where your nostril begins (labeled A) to find your brows' starting point, then tilt the pencil over the center of your pupil to find the arch. The peak of your arch should appear where the pencil crosses the brow (labeled B). Finally, drop the pencil out toward the corner of your eye, making a 45-degree angle from the side of your nose. This is where your arch should end (labeled C).
• Use a brow comb to brush long hairs upward in the same direction of their growth, then trim the excess length with tiny scissors.
• Apply a white pencil to "erase" stray hairs that fall outside of the lines, then remove them one at a time, pulling in the direction of hair growth.
• Pick up a brow pencil to fill in sparse areas, using short, quick strokes.
amp#149; Use a white pencil like the Prestige Kohl Liner ($5; ulta.com) before picking up the tweezers to determine which hairs to pluck.
amp#149; Use a pair of slanted tweezers like Rubis's ($35; rubistweezers.com) to remove stray hairs-but do so in moderation! Tweezerman's Point tweezers ($22; tweezerman.com) are great for tackling stubborn hairs.
amp#149; A pencil like Clinique's Instant Lift for Brows ($17; clinique.com) conceals sparse areas. Blend the pale, shimmery hue across your brow bone to highlight your work.
When it comes to recreating full arches like Cara Delevingne's, the general rule of thumb is to choose a pencil no more than two shades lighter or darker than your natural hair color-although we do love the contrast between Delevingne's blond strands and her tawny brows. If you're afraid to create an overly-stenciled effect, take baby steps with a tinted brow gel. We love Per-fekt's Brow Perfection Gel ($22; perfektbeauty.com) which is available in three versatile hues, as well as a no-fuss clear option.
Growing out ultra-fine brows can be intimidating, but with time, patience, and a little smudge-proof brow powder, the look will come together naturally. We recommend picking up a palette with both light and dark hues like Anastasia's Bold & Beautiful Kit ($36; anastasia.net), which is also equipped with a handful complementary neutral eye shadows. Apply the lighter brow powder first, filling in thin patches and uneven areas, then add touches of the darker color where needed.
Your perfect brow shape is closest to how they grow in naturally-give or take a few stray hairs-but if years of over-tweezing have left you unsure, see a brow-shaping pro to avoid plucking your set into an awkward form. Look for celebrities with face shapes similar to yours to see examples of flattering options. A softer arch balances the prominent features in heart-shaped faces like Scarlett Johansson's, while oval faces like Kim Kardashian's can pull off a more angular look.
You Can Do: Bold Brows
A well-groomed brow has the amazing ability to frame your face and transform your features, but often, the feature gets overlooked-and over-tweezed! Just by taming a few stray hairs and filling in the sparse areas, full brows instantly give your face a more symmetrical appearance with a slight liberated edge. With thick arches like Emma Watson's and Jennifer Connelly's gaining in popularity, we put together our best tips for rocking a statement brow. Keep reading to see them all!
The Basic Tips:
To recreate Camilla Belle's perfectly-shaped set, the first step is plotting out where your brows should start and end. Line up a pencil with the side of your nose where your nostril begins (labeled A) to find your brows' starting point, then tilt the pencil over the center of your pupil to find the arch. The peak of your arch should appear where the pencil crosses the brow (labeled B). Finally, drop the pencil out toward the corner of your eye, making a 45-degree angle from the side of your nose. This is where your arch should end (labeled C).
• Use a brow comb to brush long hairs upward in the same direction of their growth, then trim the excess length with tiny scissors.
• Apply a white pencil to "erase" stray hairs that fall outside of the lines, then remove them one at a time, pulling in the direction of hair growth.
• Pick up a brow pencil to fill in sparse areas, using short, quick strokes.
The Basic Products:
amp#149; Use a white pencil like the Prestige Kohl Liner ($5; ulta.com) before picking up the tweezers to determine which hairs to pluck.
amp#149; Use a pair of slanted tweezers like Rubis's ($35; rubistweezers.com) to remove stray hairs-but do so in moderation! Tweezerman's Point tweezers ($22; tweezerman.com) are great for tackling stubborn hairs.
amp#149; A pencil like Clinique's Instant Lift for Brows ($17; clinique.com) conceals sparse areas. Blend the pale, shimmery hue across your brow bone to highlight your work.
I'm afraid bold brows will look too harsh on me.
When it comes to recreating full arches like Cara Delevingne's, the general rule of thumb is to choose a pencil no more than two shades lighter or darker than your natural hair color-although we do love the contrast between Delevingne's blond strands and her tawny brows. If you're afraid to create an overly-stenciled effect, take baby steps with a tinted brow gel. We love Per-fekt's Brow Perfection Gel ($22; perfektbeauty.com) which is available in three versatile hues, as well as a no-fuss clear option.
My brows are too thin for this look.
Growing out ultra-fine brows can be intimidating, but with time, patience, and a little smudge-proof brow powder, the look will come together naturally. We recommend picking up a palette with both light and dark hues like Anastasia's Bold & Beautiful Kit ($36; anastasia.net), which is also equipped with a handful complementary neutral eye shadows. Apply the lighter brow powder first, filling in thin patches and uneven areas, then add touches of the darker color where needed.
I don't know which brow shape suits me.
Your perfect brow shape is closest to how they grow in naturally-give or take a few stray hairs-but if years of over-tweezing have left you unsure, see a brow-shaping pro to avoid plucking your set into an awkward form. Look for celebrities with face shapes similar to yours to see examples of flattering options. A softer arch balances the prominent features in heart-shaped faces like Scarlett Johansson's, while oval faces like Kim Kardashian's can pull off a more angular look.
