© mashe (Fotolia) Human Eye
© mashe (Fotolia)
The first step to achieving brow perfection is to find a shape that suits your face. While eyebrow fashion has varied wildly over the years from the ultra-thin, barely there look of Greta Garbo to the thick, untamed brows sported by Brooke Shields, a well-shaped brow is timeless.
Happily, nature nearly always gets it right when it comes to finding the best eyebrow shape to suit your face.
Whilst it is possible to maintain your natural shape with regular plucking at home, it’s worth while visiting a beauty salon to have your brows threaded or waxed.
A professional will be able to give you a clean, perfectly symmetrical finish and you can maintain the look by plucking away re-growth and stray hairs at home in between visits.
If you do decide to shape your brows at home, be careful not to over-pluck. Few things look worse than sparse, pencil-thin brows; the natural look is far more modern, and flattering for all face shapes. Hold a pencil vertically by the side of your nostril – the place where the pencil meets the brow bone is where you eyebrow should start. The arch should sit above the edge of the coloured part of the eye, and the end of the brow should not extend much beyond the outer corner of the eye. Before plucking, ensure the area is clean of any moisturisers or cosmetics. For a groomed brow, pluck hairs mainly from underneath your eyebrow- the odd straggler from above can be plucked too but be very cautious when removing hair from this area; a few false moves can ruin the whole shape of your brows and result in an uneven finish.
If you do make a plucking error, fill in your brows with brow powder until the hair has time to grow back. Choose a brow product that is approximately one shade lighter than your natural hair colour and fill-in over-plucked areas using soft diagonal strokes in the direction of the hair growth. An angled powder brush is perfect for filling in sparse areas but remember less is more; you want to create a subtly polished look, not draw attention to dark and heavy brows.
