Anuoluwapo Adebayo: How To Shape Well Groomed Eyebrows, For The Right Looks

Having well groomed and shaped eyebrows should not be overlooked; this is imperative in getting that ‘properly put together’ and commendable look you desire.
For those who may have almost pulled their hair out in frustration of never getting the perfect brows and may have even considered tattooed eyebrows, the first step to achieving this is to get your brows done into the right shape that fits your face by a professional makeup artist or beautician. This can be done by tweezing, threading, waxing or using a razor.

Look at the chart below to see what brows suit your face shape

After you’ve got your brows done to their perfect shape, you may need to fill them if you don’t have full brows already. This can be done using the right shade of brow filler, pencil, eye shadow or gel liner. Basic items needed to create your brows include a filler, concealer, stiff end brush, spoolie (mascara wand) or eyebrow brush, mascara or brow gel (optional).
Beginning: You may have seen countless illustrations that tell you to use a pencil or ruler to measure the distance between your nose and the arch in your brow or where to begin filling your brows etc. However, I dare say some of these measurements are not accurate as people do not have the same facial features; for instance if I have a wide nose that would inevitably alter the point to begin filling my brows thereby creating unwanted wide space between my eyes.
The Arch: Everyone is born with a natural arch in their brows; even if you feel yours is more rounded if you look closely you’d see ‘the peak’ in your brows and this can help you choose the point to follow. However, typically the arch you create in your brows will be determined by the shape of your face; a lady with a very long face needs to ‘elongate’ her brows in order to give the illusion of a shorter face therefore her arch will have to slightly exceed the middle of her eye (iris).
Note that you don’t have to ‘over-do’ the arch in your brow; even if you naturally have a really high arch try to soften it. A ridiculously high arch in your brow can make you look surprised or angry.

The End: You want your brows to frame your eyes gracefully and not look like a semi-circle you drew round your eyes. Don’t let the tail (end) of your brows exceed the outer corner of your eye as this gives a droopy effect. Whoever did your brows professionally should show you where they end.
– Always fill your brows with a color that is closest to the shade of your hair.
– Well groomed moderately full brows always look better than having a thin line or almost disappearing hair sitting above your eyes. Eyebrows that are too thin have an aging effect.
– It is advisable to consider the size of your eyes; really thick brows can be overshadowing if you have small eyes. Also the distance between your brow and eyes or between both eyes can affect the size of your brows.
– It is ok to improvise if you don’t have a particular eyebrow product; you can use an empty mascara or brown mascara in place of brow gel; you can mix two shades of pencils to get that perfect shade most suitable for your complexion and hair color.
– When using a pencil, fill in using soft strokes rather than ‘drawing in’ the color; this gives a more natural and soft effect.
– Brush your eyebrow hair back and upwards, then trim off outstanding hair that fall out of the original shape or long strands that can look unruly later. Tweeze hair at the bottom of the brows giving brows a neat and clean look when highlighted with concealer.
– Using concealer round your eyebrows sets the filling and keeps the brow in shape. It also highlights the brow bone, giving a defined and fresh appearance. Just make sure you blend carefully into your forehead and crease
– Always tweeze or shapen your brows in a well-lit area to avoid any accidents like cutting yourself or removing too much hair.