10 Simple Steps for Beginner’s Eyebrows

It’s 2019 and everyone’s OBSESSED with their eyebrows! You walk in to any shopping center nowadays and there’s an eyebrow threading kiosk in every corner. You’ve probably seen a few women reveal their microblading results on social media about half a dozen times. Who would have ever thought we’d live in a world so invested and consumed with our eyebrows? 

If you’re anything like me, managing perfect eyebrows can be quite tricky… Especially if you don’t have half a clue on where to start and what to do with them. Whether you are an eyebrow virgin or you’re interested in perfecting your current brow, I’d like to share a few easy tips and tricks for beginners who are still trying to figure it all out.  

1. Get them done professionally.

Unless you’re an artist with a keen eye for shaping and sculpting, I highly recommend you book an eyebrow wax/thread with a specialist at LEAST 1 time. Your brow specialist can evaluate your specific face structure and give you the right eyebrow shape. You can use this as your go-to shaping guide for the future if you decide to maintain the look they have given you instead of making monthly appointments, which can get pricey! It’s easier to up-keep a styled brow than it is to shape them by yourself for the first time. 

2. Know where the brow should start and where it should end.

I know it sounds silly, but find a Popsicle stick, pencil, or any straight object to measure. You should start your eyebrows by aligning them with either the bottom of your nose or the inner corner of your eyes. The brow arch should align with the tip of your nose or pupil. The brow should end when aligned with the bottom of your nose and outer corner of your eye.

3. Lightly fill in your brows to your preferred shaped and tweeze excess hair.

As you can see, there are some easily noticeable hairs on the bottom of her brow line as well as a few on top. Once you’ve filled in the desired shape, you will see a more clear outline on what hairs should and shouldn’t be there.

4. Trim overgrown brow hair.

Use an eyebrow brush (essentially an unused mascara wand you can swipe from your local Ulta or Sephora) to comb your eyebrow hairs in the opposite direction of hair growth (above the brow). With a small pair of scissors (cuticle scissors or small specialized eyebrow scissors you can find at any grocery store) trim all hairs that are longer than your brow shape. Use photo as reference to what overgrown hair looks like and where to trim.

5. Purchase the right tools.

I love ELF brushes when it comes to my brow. Nothing fancy or expensive but does wonders! I use #20 (Or any straight cut brush) to lightly START my brow. As you can see in the photo above, her eyebrow starts with a nicely blended boxed look. (Never go too dark when you start your brow- always very light in color while still accentuating the shape) Then, I use a slanted brush to form my arch and perfect the tip at the end of my brow.

 I personally believe just 2 brushes for your brow is plenty. 

1 straight cut and 1 slanted will do the trick.

6. Fill in your brows.

If you are new to the eyebrow world, I highly recommend using the lightest shade of eyebrow coloring as possible. It’s very discouraging and shocking to see your once bare brow being transformed with color, even in the slightest bit. Using blonde or light brown the first few weeks of your eyebrow transformation will be subtle enough to notice, but won’t make you feel like you drew them on with a sharpie (I’ve experienced that initial shock before). 

7. Use the right colors (two toned)

I find that compressed eyebrow powder, as opposed to gel or pencil, is the easiest and more natural approach when it comes to filling in your brow. Always use two tones that compliment each other. I love my Anastasia Beverly Hills compressed eyebrow powder in their lightest shades. 

As you can see from the photo above, this brow has two complimentary tones in her brow. From the start of the brow and working her way to her arch, you can see a subtle yet blended color transformation. It’s best to go lighter to darker. I use the lightest shade of my two toned compressed powder at the start of my brow and get a little heavier and bolder as I move down to the arch and especially darkest when I reach the end of my brow. The begging of your brow should not look heavily boxed in. Those subtle sparse hairs from the start of your brow are completely normal and give your brow a more natural approach. Below is a photo map to where the start, arch, and end of your eyebrows are.

8. Remove excess product to better shape your brow.

I always keep q-tips handy when doing my brows in the morning. They’re thin enough to really get into small spaces and erase excess product in order to perfect my shape. It’s common to over-filled your brows when you’re first starting out. I especially use them when I try to lift my arch and perfect the ending tips of my brow to be thin, pointy, and bold. 

9. Optional: Highlight the brow.

If you feel confident and bold with your new brows, add some white eye shadow or highlighter underneath them to really make those babies pop. Highlighter, well, highlights! 

10. Examine, critique, and keep on trying!

Now that you have fresh new brows, check them out! Look in the mirror and ask yourself what you like and dislike about them. I’ve seen many photos of myself when I started my eyebrow transformation and had days where I either loved or hated them. That’s perfectly okay and completely normal. If they’re too dark, use a lighter color next time. (Light brown eye shadow can do the trick!) If they’re too thin or too bold for your liking: Erase, reshape, and repeat! Trial and error, ladies! Last but not least, there’s an old saying that stands true to this day if you ever find yourself flustered over your brows, 

“Eyebrows are sisters, not twins.”