Eye Brows - Shape and Color

Perfect eye brows are easy to create and maintain if you know the tricks! Find the best shape and color for you...

Each person has a slightly different face shape, skin tone, hair color and eye shape. You need to coordinate all the different factors in order to create the best look for you.

Eye brows are meant to define the shape of your face, and bring attention to your eyes. They shouldn't alone draw attention, but merely be a help to your beautiful eye shape and color.

SHAPE:

How do you determine the perfect shape for you?

It is really SO easy.

There are several methods to doing this:

1. Follow your natural shape and simply pluck side-line hairs.

2. Wing it! Ignore all rules and pluck away! (I'm kidding, of course!)

3. Follow the pencil method:

**Hold a pencil straight up and down next to your nose. Where it crosses the inner part of your eye, is where your eye brow should start. Mark that place with the tip of the pencil. (To make things easy, use an actual eyeliner, lip or brow pencil as these will mark easiest).

Then keep the bottom of the pencil touching your nose (nostril) and tilt the top of the pencil till it lays over the pupil of your eye. Mark where the pencil touches your brow. This will be your arch.

Finally, keep the bottom of the pencil still touching your nose, but move the top of the pencil till it is touching the outer corner of your eye and make a mark where the pencil touches your brow. This will be where your brow shape ends.

Then simply connect the dots and fill in. Pluck away excess as needed.**

WIDTH:

Most people will look best with a medium-width shape. This is your safest bet.

However, venture out slightly if you wish. Some prefer a stronger, bolder look. Simply pluck less, and use a pencil or loose mineral makeup brow powder with an angled brush to stipple in more color.

If you like more of a thin line, feel free to go with that, but remember these guidelines, whichever width you choose:

**Round faces look even rounder with thin brows. Avoid them. Go with a medium-width instead. Make sure you have a defined arch. If your arch is very round, then once again, it will only make your face look rounder.

Skinny, angular faces look harsh with thick brows. Go with a softer, medium brow and soften the arch. Don't do anything too angular. This applies to square faces as well.

Oval and heart faces can get away with most brow shapes and widths.**

COLOR:

If you are a natural type person, just stick with your natural brow shade. If you like to spice things up a bit, or if nature left you without proper coloring, then read on...

GOLDEN RULE: If all else fails, go with a medium, taupe brown. This goes great on just about everybody.

However, to get it JUST RIGHT, follow our help guide below:

Black hair: go with chocolate brown or black brows

Medium to dark brown hair: go with light brown to medium brown brows

Light brown hair: go with a soft taupe brown brow (taupe is a muted brown with a slight gray undertone)

Medium to dark blond hair: go with a dark blond color or light taupe brown. Some blonds choose to go with a brown brow, which is fine, just make sure you don't go too dark.

Platinum to pale blond: Go with a shade slightly darker than your hair color, like medium blond to dark blond.

TRENDS:

Eye brows vary greatly according to time periods. In general, I recommend sticking with what you feel comfortable with. Stay as close to what nature gave you as possible.

Branch out slightly if you wish to be more trendy, but keep in mind the shape, width and color that looks best on YOU. Just because a shape looks great on a celebrity, doesn't mean it will flatter you.

HAIR REMOVAL:

To pluck or not to pluck?

Various hair removal methods exist.

Before removing ANY hair, make sure to take a white eye pencil and color over the areas you ARE going to remove. This will make it easy and ensure you don't remove anything that was supposed to stay.

PLUCKING: Some prefer simple plucking with tweezers every few days. This requires more upkeep than other methods, but is gentle on the eye (comparatively speaking) and makes it easy to create a defined shape. Make sure to pluck right after getting out of the shower, when your pores are open. Use a magnifying mirror and good lighting. Invest in quality tweezers ( I like the scissor-shaped ones, but any will work).

SHAVING: Some like to shave away excess hair, but this is tedious and dangerous around the eye area. It also requires constant upkeep, so I don't recommend it.

HAIR REMOVAL CREAM: These work by chemically dissolving the eye brow hair, which you can wipe away after about 8 minutes. I haven't had great success with these, but some people love them. I personally don't like applying such a harsh chemical to my skin.

WAXING: If you don't like plucking every few days, then try waxing. It can be a little more painful, but lasts much longer; usually several weeks. You can have this done professionally at a salon or do it at home, if you are brave enough. It involves simply applying a layer of wax to your skin, followed by a thin cloth. You then swiftly remove the cloth, which pulls the hair out of your skin, root and all. Ouchies! Try rubbing an ice cube onto your skin to help numb the pain before and/or after waxing.

Here's to perfect eye brows!

Return from Eye Brows to Makeup Tips

Return from Eye Brows to Mineral Makeup Help Home Page