7 Things You Should Know About Eyebrow Shaping

ICYMI, eyebrows are all the rage right now. I mean, brows on fleek wasn't coined for nothing, but they can go from fierce to a major fail in the blink of eye (or, maybe rather, in the tweeze of a hair). Still, not everyone knows the basics about grooming their furry face framers. If you're one of those people, there are definite things you should know about shaping your brows that will make maintaining (or achieving) your ideal brow shape so much easier. And these tips come from a pro, so you know you can trust them.

Bustle spoke to Nicoleta Barbarasa from Brighton Salon in Beverly Hills (she's responsible for Sienna Miller, Nicole Richie, and Kristin Cavallari's amaze brows, to name a few) in order to find out everything there is to know about brow maintenance, from tweezing to filling them in. "Eyebrows make such a difference on everybody's face," Barbarasa tells Bustle. "When eyebrows are not proper, everything looks a little bit off. You can have the perfect hair, perfect makeup, but if the eyebrows are not perfect, there will always be something that's not right." Truth. If you think you can get away without grooming because they're such a small part of your face, think again.

This also doesn't mean you can just groom and shape them in any old way, either. Make sure you read through these seven things to know about shaping your brows before you put any tweezers to them.

Barbarasa has been doing brows for 25 years and has worked under Anstasia Soare herself, so I'd definitely heed her advice!

1. You Can't Pick Any 'Ol Shape

Maybe you want Lily Collins' brows, but are you sure they're right for your face shape? Maybe yes, but also maybe no. "A lot of people bring pictures of a magazine, but you can't always do that. Those eyebrows might look beautiful on someone else, but they might not be right for you," says Barbarasa. "I look at the bone structure — that's how I decide on the shape. You can't go wrong with that, because that's who you are!"

2. You Shouldn't Fake A Full Brow

Full brows look ah-mazing on Cara Delevingne, but if you weren't born with them, they could look unnatural on you. "Your natural brow is best — your whole face can't be all eyebrows!," says Barbarasa. "At the end of the day, you look best when you look yourself — when your brows are softer and not over-filled."

3. You Have To Measure

Don't just get in there and start plucking away at your hairs, the formula is actually more scientific than that. "According to your brow structure, your brow should start at the middle of your nose. The arch always has to be in the middle of your eye — that's where the natural arch is and should be." Lastly, remember that they should "end at the corner of your eye. They shouldn't go too long or too short."

4. If You Over-Tweeze Or Over-Wax, You'll Change The Way Your Face Appears

Brows too short? That'll make your nose look wider. Tweeze too much underneath? Now your eyes will appear puffier. If your arch is too high, prepare to look surprised all the time. The lesson: Use caution and don't over-tweeze. "Eyebrows are such a small part of the face, but it makes such a huge difference," Barbarasa says.

5. You Shouldn't Touch Your Eyebrows Between Appointments

If you get your brows professionally done, leave them alone between appointments. Just changing one hair can change the whole shape. "I know that from my experience, when people start tweezing, they tweeze one hair and they keep going and then they tweeze too much," says Barbarasa. You should try to go four to six weeks between appointments, and leave the shaping to the pros.

6. You Should Use Castor Oil Instead Of Serums For Brow Growth

Organic Castor Oil; $14.97; amazon.com

Barbarasa is a huge fan of castor oil. "It's not that I don't believe in those brow growing serums, it's just that I see the most hair growth from castor oil. It's amazing," she says. All you need is a drop in the morning and a drop at night. Even if you don't need growth, you should still use it to maintain your hair.

7. You Should Use Highlighter Under Your Arch

Laura Geller; $14.98; amazon.com

The highlighter will help to define your brow bone. "I always put it halfway to kind of give your arch a more natural defined shape."

Want more beauty tips? Check out the video below, and be sure to subscribe to Bustle’s YouTube page for more hacks and tricks!

Images: Fotolia; Courtesy of Riot Media Group (2); Amazon