Tweezing the Brow--It's All in the Details
Discovering the best shape for your eyebrows without sacrificing their natural appearance is what you want to accomplish when shaping your brows. Pencil thin or overly bushy eyebrows are dated looks that can be distracting rather than enhancing.
Just as the shape of a mustache can drastically change the appearance of a man's face, the shape of the eyebrows affects the appearance of the eyes. In many ways, the overall appearance of the eye area is defined by the arch, length, and thickness of the eyebrow. The following can help guide you in this sometimes daunting process:
- Which hairs you tweeze and which ones you don't is the difference between attractively shaped brows and misshapen ones.
- Try using an eyebrow pencil to draw on different shapes over your brow area to see which shape looks the best.
- Use a magnifying mirror, at least a 5X magnification, so you can see each hair.
- Go slowly (one hair at a time) so you don't over-tweeze.
- The beginning of the brow should align with the center of the nostril.
- The arch of the brow should fall at the back third of the eye.
- The eyebrow should follow the length of the eye but it shouldn't extend into the temple area. The basic rule is that the front part of the brow should never drop below the back part of the brow.
- Allowing this to happen, either with the way you tweeze your eyebrows or the way you draw them on, makes you look like you're frowning and overemphasizes the downward movement of the back part of the eye.
- Avoid over-tweezing above the brow. A few stray hairs are fine to remove, but removing too many can create an unnatural look.
- Do not overstate the shape of the brow; minimal brow alteration is best.
- Do not pluck brows into a thin line thinking it will make your eyes look larger. It can look dated or give the face a surprised look and this shape is not easy to correct once the damage is done.
The Best Tools for Tweezing - To shape the brow, tweezing is probably the best option for accuracy and to prevent mistakes.
- The best tweezers are the ones from Revlon or Tweezerman (www.tweezerman.com). Which type (both companies offer several options) works best for you is about personal preference.
- Waxing is an option but it's hard to control the wax. You may inadvertently remove the wrong hairs.
- Never shave. This leaves a 5 o'clock shadow on the face and that is not a great look.
Tweezing and Trimming to Shape a Perfect Brow - Before you start tweezing, use a lip or brow pencil to heavily draw on the shape you want; you can adjust it with makeup remover as you decide on the shape you want to create.
- Once the shape is drawn on, tweeze any hairs that fall outside the line of the brow.
- Next, brush the brows straight up with an old toothbrush.
- Any hairs that are too long and floppy should be trimmed with small scissors. Tweezing long brow hairs rather than trimming them can result in gaps in the eyebrow or create a patchy appearance.
Source: Paula Begoun