Beauty School how-to: brow shape

Right class, put your hands up if you’ve ever over-plucked, over-waxed or over-stressed your brows.

Most of you? Just what I thought!

Well if you’re now very much over ruining your beloved brows every time you so much as look upward, then you’re in the right tutorial.

So get your pencils poised and prepare yourself for brow stylist extraordinaire, Lien Bui, to teach you a thing or two.

The three-point pencil trick
“Many women don’t realise the power of beautiful brows. They frame the eyes, balance the face, contour the cheekbones and can even create the illusion of a face-lift”, says Bui. “My three-point pencil trick is designed to help you map out your ideal brow shape by establishing where your brows should start, arch and finish. It is the only way to achieve precision and balance, allowing you to achieve the perfect shape every time.”

Step 1: Measure up
Start: Hold the pencil vertically at the centre of your nostril and mark a dot (using a dark eyeshadow or eye pencil) where it meets your brow. This should be the start of your brow.
Arch: Hold the pencil vertically at the outer edge of your iris (the coloured part of your eye) and mark where it meets the top of your brow line. This should be the arch of your brow.
End: Hold the pencil diagonally from the outer edge of your nose to the outer corner of your eye and mark where it meets your brow. This should be the end of your brow.

Step 2: Outline the shape
Once these dots are established, your ideal brow shape will be revealed.
Next, outline the top of each brow by joining the dots and then mimic that same line for the underneath. Keep in mind that the thickness of your brow should be the same from the start (the part closest to your nose) towards the arch, and should taper off toward the end.

Step 3: Tweeze
Take your time (and avoid mishaps!) by only tweezing one hair at time. To avoid any pain, it’s best to keep your skin pulled taut while plucking. I’d also recommend stepping back every now and again to gain perspective and assess your progress.

Teacher’s tips:

– Do invest in good quality slanted tweezers. This specific tip allows greater precision. (Try: Manicare Jewel Tweezers)
– Don’t follow brow trends as they come and go. Rather stick to one style that suits you.
– Do tweeze your brows in natural light. This illuminates the whole area, including stray hairs.
– Don’t bleach your brows as they’re likely to grow out orange and patchy-looking.
– Do fill in any sparseness or bald patches with a gel-based brow product to achieve long-lasting wear. (Try: ModelCo More Brows)
– Don’t over-pluck or over-wax because your brows will never grow back the same and it’s a real challenge to reshape them.