Here's the ultimate guide to perfect brows for every face shape

June 26, 2015 4:07 AM

The basic rule is that your arch should line up with the outer edge of your pupil.

Perfect brows

The basic rule is that your arch should line up with the outer edge of your pupil.

How high, how long, and how thick you go depends on your face shape.

For square faces

A strong jawline calls for one thing: even stronger eyebrows. Go ahead and start filling, because if you don't have bold, well-defined eyebrows, it puts more focus on your jawline, says New York City based brow groomer Jo-Anna Lynn.

For round faces

Eyebrows with sharp, angular lines "give the face structure," says Lynn. To achieve them, swap your tweezers for brow scissors. "Usually I advise against trimming because that extra heft gives softness, but in this case it's OK to go precise and severe," Lynn says.

For long faces

Elongating brows horizontally—not vertically, balances a long face. If the tails of your brows are sparse (they thin with age), use a powder to extend them just past the outer corners of your eyes.

For heart shaped faces

Since your face comes to a sharp point at the chin, your eyebrows should look soft, with a low, straightish arch that hugs the brow bone. And go easy with the brow pencil. "In this case, less weight is a good thing," says Lynn.

How to fill your eyebrows

With sleight of hand, you can plump up sparse brows in a matter of minutes.

Step one

Fill in obvious bald spots. Grab a pencil two shades lighter than your hair or a taupe pencil and make short, angled strokes in the direction of your brow's hair growth. Stay within your natural line.

Step two

Bulk them up. If your brows are sparse or you have fine hair, skip ahead to step three. Otherwise, lightly sweep a tinted brow gel (tissue off the applicator tip first) in the opposite direction of the hair's growth, from the tail to the inner corner. Then, using just what's left on the brush, sweep the wand through your brows in the direction of hair growth. "Covering the fronts and backs of the hairs makes them look fuller," says New York City, based brow groomer and makeup artist Maribeth Madron. Go straight to step four.

Step three

With a small angled brush, apply a brow powder, it should be somewhere between the color of your skin and the color of your brows, going over the pencil. This does three things: helps set the pencil, blends the pigment, and adds natural-looking dimension to your brows (pencils have a slight sheen while powders have a matte finish).

Step four

Sweep a clean spooley brush upward through the hair to remove the excess pigment and soften the edges and lines. It's a simple, but essential, step that makes a big difference, according to makeup artist Pat McGrath.