Don't Make These Common Eyebrow Shaping Mistakes

The brow game is strong with this one. Words we all want to hear. But sometimes, no matter how well we try to fill in our brows, they just don't turn out quite right. That's because, while penciling in eyebrows is important, the key to a killer set starts with how they're shaped. So how do you find the best shape for your brows? It's actually pretty simple. You're brows are already in the general shape that works best for you. All you have to do is a little carving and refining.

If you've never been to a professional, it's a good idea to go at least once to see what someone who is trained in the way of the eyebrows would do with your fuzzy caterpillars (or lack thereof). After you've had your brows shaped once, all you have to do is maintain it.

Of course, if you'd rather not do this, another option to determine a good starting place is to obtain some eyebrow stencils. All you need to do is hold up various stencils to your brows to see which shape most closely matches what you already have. This, or something very similar is what you should aim for when shaping your brows at home. Now you're ready to go! Just make sure, before you pick up those tweezers, to not make any of these common mistakes:

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1. You're Over-Plucking the Gap Between Your Brows

In order to avoid a unibrow, many people will over-pluck the gap between their eyebrows. Doing this, though, disrupts the proportions of your face, making your eyes appear farther apart than they actually are. The general rule here, is to have the inside edges of your brows line up with the outer bridge of your nose.

2. You're Not Following Your Natural Arch

All brows have a natural arch, whether slight or defined. The trick is to enhance where your arch naturally occurs rather than create a new arch somewhere else along your brows. If it's hard to tell where your arch naturally is, check where your brow seems to peak on the top side. Still unsure? Take a highlighting pencil and trace the top side of your brows. Then do the same to the bottom side, making sure the arches lines up.

3. You're Over or Under Tweezing the Ends

If the tails of your eyebrows are too short, it can make your eyes and nose look disproportionately large. If the tails of your eyebrows are too long, it can make your eyes look disproportionately small. To make sure the tails of your brows are extending as far as they should, take a flat edge and line it up with the corner of your nose and eye. Does the tip of your eyebrow touch the edge without surpassing it? Then it's the perfect length.

4. You're Tweezing Everywhere

Tweezing above your brows can very quickly lead to disrupting your natural arch. Since the hairs up there tend to be finer and more sparse, it can be easy to mistake hairs that actually help shape your brow for unruly stragglers. When tweezing, stick to just under your brows unless you really need to do some maintenance above.

5. You Don't Know When to Stop

Tweezing can be a dangerous game if you don't have a plan before you start. Try highlighting the hairs that need to go in order to achieve your ideal shape before you even pick up the tweezers. This way, you won't risk ending up with some 1990s pencil-thin brows.

6. You're Trying to Match Your Eyebrows Perfectly

Your eyes are not identical. Your brows should not be either. Believe it or not, if your eyebrows looked exactly the same, it would not look right because they would be the only feature on your face that is perfectly symmetrical. Just remember that eyebrows are sisters, not twins, and you'll be good to go.

Images: Miki Hayes (4); Giphy (2)