Explainer / How have beautiful brows evolved over the decades? From Pamela Anderson’s Y2K high arches to Zendaya’s versatile styles and the full, natural brow
From understanding your natural shape to choosing the right products and techniques, here’s everything to know for flawlessly groomed arches
Achieving perfect brows is an art, a balance of enhancing what nature gave you and employing the right tools and techniques.
The journey to beautiful brows begins with understanding your natural eyebrow shape. “This is not about forcing your brows into a predetermined style but rather discovering the shape that best compliments your features,” says make-up artist Lisa Moore. To do this, start by examining your face in a well-lit mirror. Note where your brows naturally begin, arch and end. “Ideally, your brow should start in line with the bridge of your nose, peak in line with the outer edge of your iris, and end at a diagonal from the outer corner of your eye,” Moore says.
Once you’ve identified your natural shape, the next step is knowing how much hair to tweeze or wax. Over-plucking is a common mistake that can leave you with sparse, uneven brows. To avoid this, using a good pair of tweezers and working in natural light are key. “Start by removing stray hairs outside your brow line, and be conservative,” advises Moore. “You can always remove more hair, but growing it back takes time.”
Laura Pucker, owner of BBE Media and author of the blog Pucker Up Beauty, shares a few must-have tools in her arsenal for achieving perfect brows. The first is what is known as a spoolie brush, which Pucker explains has two uses: “Use it before going in with any product to shape and groom your eyebrows, then come back to it after the product is applied to even it out and blend it in well.” She adds that when using powder, or a gel or pomade, an all-angled brush is a must for ensuring a natural, feathered look rather than a harsh, overly manicured one.
