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As aging happens, well-shaped eyebrows may seem elusive but needn’t be. This post is the first of a 2-part “how-to” eyebrow tutorial for beginners or for those who want to revisit the subject. Brow shaping concepts are broken down in very simple and basic terms. Topics are techniques for eyebrow shaping including brow mapping, eyebrow stencils, how to use eyebrow stencils, and a very quick overview on grooming eyebrows.
Click here for a short instructional video on eyebrow mapping.
Part 2 discusses choosing eyebrow color, eyebrow aesthetic and looks, and eyebrow products and is accessed here.
To help with Part 1 and as an additional reference, I created a PDF chart on face shapes as they correlate to eyebrows. It is one more reference point as you embark on this journey. Find it in the free Reference Library here.
My theory is that eyebrows are like lips and hair. They are transformative, and changes to them often prompt strong reactions as we look at ourselves in the mirror.
Now, I could write endlessly about how eyebrows are the ultimate youth-enhancing over 50 facial feature (they are!). I could tell you that eyebrows become more important to “master” than any other feature on the face over 50 (true that!). And I can relay to you that many makeup artists say that over 50 eyebrows are the frame to the face and more important than lipstick (gasp and maybe; I love me some bright lipstick).
If you can only “do” one thing on the face, let it be eyebrow shape and color. In fact, the technical how-to of that is what this eyebrow beginner’s tutorial is all about.
Eyebrow Changes
But, before we get into the nuts and bolts of the eyebrow tutorial, let’s talk non-technical for a brief minute.
Arguably as we age, we grow more comfortable with how we look and how we put ourselves out in the world. This is a really great thing until at times it’s not. Comfort can mean blindness to the changes that have happened to and around us while we were just being well, (finally) ok in our skin and unapologetic about it.
Our awareness (and lack thereof) of the change in our eyebrows is no exception. Over the years eyebrows become sparse and patchy, the brow length shortens, the color fades, shifts or grays, and the hairs change texture. We may be doing the same things to make up our eyebrows that we have for years. But, given the eyebrows’ changes we may be unaware that it doesn’t quite work as well anymore and doesn’t accentuate our best natural beauty.
What’s more, given how amazingly transformative eyebrows are, any change can be a shock to the system. It is like getting a big haircut for your face! Our immediate reaction may be to dislike the change simply because we are unaccustomed to it.
MY ASK
Go slow with the changes, sit with the uncomfortable for a day or two, and ask a fashion-forward friend to give you honest feedback. Modify if needed and know that this is a process. The end result just might be a better version of you.
Eyebrow Tutorial for Beginners – 5 STEPS
Eyebrow Shaping Options
Shaping eyebrows, in the beginning, can be intimidating because there are multiple factors to consider: the shape of brows, shape of the face, coloring, and even our own personal brow goals or brow aesthetic. It’s a bit of a science and an art and it takes practice and even, depending on your experience level, a bit of courage.
With that said, once you understand the concepts, it becomes less intimidating and easy to do well.
Brow Stylist
If you have never touched your eyebrows before or regretted touching them, one option is visiting a (highly recommended) professional brow stylist to do them for you. If you don’t want to outsource this on the regular, you can go once or sporadically and then follow what he/she did. Eyebrow outsourcing will still require a once or twice every week at-home touchup.
On a personal note, I stopped going to a professional years ago because there are so few good brow stylists even in the very metropolitan area where I live. My skin ended up abraded and my brows overplucked.
I say this last part because if you can master this, you control the outcome.
To that end, as a nod to beginners, I include the use of eyebrow stencils in this eyebrow tutorial. This is an optional safety net step. My experience is that the stencils assist with better brow shaping and help to avoid possible irrevocable eyebrow plucking. Particularly if you are just starting out.
STEP 1: Eyebrow Mapping (DIY)
Eyebrow mapping is an important first step before making any modifications to your brows. If you haven’t focused on your eyebrows in a while, it forces objective familiarity which is a good thing.
Mapping is a standard accepted technique to shape and draw eyebrows that are uniquely natural and symmetrical to each person. 3 elements are leveraged: face, brow and eye.This is a basic Eyebrow Map Diagram, and it is what we will follow.
The letters correspond to where your eyebrow should start (A), the brow’s ideal arch or highest point (B), and the estimated ideal end of your brow (C). You will mark these 3 areas in relation to your nose, eye and natural brow. These marks are guideposts to help lay out your own natural shape.
How To Eyebrow Map Yourself
Using a thin brow pencil or even a piece of string or dental floss that has been colored with an eye pencil (so the color from the string can be easily transferred to the skin):
- Start of Brow (A): Place the pencil or string straight up and down against the side of the nose up next to the inner corner of the eye. Place a brow pencil mark where the pencil crosses the brow or press the colored string to the eyebrow to mark it.
- Arch/Highest Point of Brow (B): Place the same pencil against the side of your nose extending it on an angle to cross above the pupil (no further than the iris) extending beyond the brow. Place a pencil/string mark at the highest point of your brow where it crosses.
- End of Brow (C): Place the pencil/string against the side of the nose but this time angling it so that it crosses the end of the eye. Mark this as well.
- Repeat above stepson both eyes
- OPTIONAL-Check for asymmetry in height of arches. Lay the pencil or stretch the string or floss spanning across the highest arch points of both eyes. Eyebrows are not and will not ever be exact replicas of each other. However, this marking will detect if there is a relatively large unevenness in height. You will be able to compensate for this in Step 2.
As crazy as it looks, this is me mapping my face with string that I have colored with an eye pencil. Bottom right photo are the markings for both eyes although I have focused in on one eye. If you look closely, I have also begun to do Step 2 in the bottom right picture.
STEP 2: Eyebrow Shaping
Once you have completed the mapping process with the marks, start to shape the brows with the marks you have made.
- Start with the first half of the eyebrow first. Follow the natural thickness of your brow from the beginning (A) to the middle (B) on both the top and underneath the brow and connect the 2 areas, drawing an outline with a brow pencil.
- Once you have bottom and the top of the first half of the brow outlined, then draw the beginning or “head” of the brow where mark A was placed. It’s important to have the general outline completed before you do the “head”.
- Now move on to the second half of the eyebrow. Connect the middle (B) mark to the end of the brow (C), again following the natural thickness of the brow.
- You may or may not want to compensate for any asymmetry in the height of the brows at this point. Don’t go overboard. Asymmetry is natural.
- Fill in these areas lightly with a pencil
Stand back and inspect the shape. Is it as thick or thin as you would like? Are there a few gaps to fill in? The answers may all be very straight forward. Or you may want to refer to the PDF in the reference library at this point. It is a guide to identifying your face shape and the best corresponding eyebrow shape.
Step 3 (Optional): Stencil Eyebrow Kit
As you stand back and inspect in Step 2 above, you may not be happy with what you see or want to see other options. You may be confused as to how thick or thin you should go on your eyebrow. A stencil can help you “play” with different shapes without commitment.
If you aren’t familiar, stencil kits are templates of different “standard” eyebrow shapes that you place over your eyebrow. You can then fill in the stencil via the opening with an eyebrow pencil or powder. I use the Anastasia kit below:
Click above to buy from Amazon- $20
Other buying options include Sephora or Ulta
This kit includes 5 different stencils.
Another highly rated and very affordable stencil option is the E.L.F. Cosmetics Eyebrow Stencil Kit–Walmart.com – $6.00
- Place each shape over an eyebrow to discover which stencil matches your own eyebrow shape best and what you have mapped (if you have already done so).
- Once you have chosen the best shape, put a little Vaseline or Aquaphor on the stencil. This helps adhering the stencil a bit more to your skin while working with it.
- Place it on your skin aligning the beginning middle and end as best as possible. The Anastasia stencils are marked with marks indicating the A,B,C areas of the eyebrows.
- Draw the outline of the stencil on the brow. Fill in very lightly. I say lightly because you want to be able to assess the eyebrow shape and not be distracted by the color.
- Pull off the stencil and see how the shape looks in real life.
- If you don’t like it or have picked the wrong stencil, do it over or use another one as a guide to fill in more or less.
This is yours truly modeling the use of a stencil:
Grooming Eyebrows
Step 4: Plucking your Eyebrows
Once you have finalized the eyebrow shape you want from Steps 1-3, it is only then time to pluck the eyebrow hairs that are outside of your outline. I emphasize plucking vs waxing because in general at over 50 we have less hair to remove, and the skin is looser and thinner. Waxing may hurt more and be overkill.
Regarding shape, go slow with plucking and err on the side of caution (even sit with your eyebrows for a couple of days). Always pluck in the direction of the hair because that will minimize ingrown hairs.
Step 5: How to Trim Eyebrows
Trimming is the final step after initial shaping. It adds a more defined, clean look to the brow.
Take a spoolie or eyebrow brush and brush your hairs upward:
- With a small pair of scissors, carefully trim (a little bit at a time) any eyebrow hairs that are above the top of the brow line. Trim only the very tops of the hairs.
- Brush your hair downward and with scissors, repeat #1 above. Again, being careful to trim only the very bottom of the hairs.
- As a last touch, you can shave (or pluck) the finer hairs around your brows with a small eyebrow razor like this one from Ulta.
Final Thoughts
With the right brow shape, we will then be ready for Part 2 to explore color, aesthetic, and some different looks and products to make up your brows. You can access Part 2 here.
This post is Part 1 of a 2-part “how-to” eyebrow tutorial for beginners. Topics include techniques for eyebrow shaping including brow mapping, eyebrow stencils, how to use eyebrow stencils, and a quick overview on grooming eyebrows.
Click here for a short instructional video on eyebrow mapping.
Thank you for reading!
xO
Andrea
