How To Properly Shape Your Eyebrows At Home

With the exception of Lily Collins, very few people are born with naturally perfect brows. At some point, most of us have to put in some effort, whether that involves shaping, grooming or filling. Whatever your needs may be, with the proper amount of attention, we’re all equally capable of achieving our own personal levels of brow perfection. And if you can't make it to a professional, grab your tweezers and scissors and shape your eyebrows at home.

"The hair on your brows is like the hair on your head. They grow in cycles," Jared Bailey, global brow expert at Benefit Cosmetics, tells TZR. "If you do daily tweezing, you'll never really have a super clean brow shape because new ones will be popping up every day starting a new cycle." To achieve the cleanest shape possible, Bailey recommends mapping and tweezing your brows every three to four weeks. "Fight the urge to do it daily. You'll thank me for this later."

Ahead, see Bailey's other tips for whipping your brows into their best shape yet.

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At-Home Brow Shaping: Determine The Shape

"If there's one rule when it comes to eyebrows, it's that all brows should be custom created for each and every face," Bailey explains. To do this, he suggests a three-step technique called brow mapping. You'll want to grab an eyebrow pencil to make the three measurements. The nose is used as the single origin to map out both brows. "First, find the start by measuring straight from the dimple of the nose to the beginning of the brow and make a mark," he explains. "This will create a slimming effect on the nose and balance the eyes."

Next, look for the arch by beginning at the edge of the nose and then passing through the pupil to the highest portion of the brow and make a mark. Lastly, identify the end by measuring from the outer edge of the nose past the outer corner of the eye and make a mark. This will create an oval illusion on your entire face. "After you've made those marks, use a brow pencil to sketch a few lines to connect each mark on the top and the bottom of your brow," Bailey suggest. "Hairs that fall outside those lines are the ones you should tweeze and the ones that are inside the lines should stay."

At-Home Brow Shaping: Trim

To trim your brows at home, Bailey suggests taking a clear gel and brushing the hairs upwards towards your hairline and out towards the temple. "Let the gel dry completely then only trim the ends that are sticking out too far out past your desired shape."

At-Home Brow Shaping: Tweeze

"The most common mistake people make when tweezing is removing the hair in the wrong direction," Bailey explains. "Each hair is connected to a tiny blood vessel that keeps it healthy and allows it to grow back when the hair is removed." But if the vessel is ruptured, the hair never returns. With that being said, ensure you're tweezing properly by holding the skin tight with one finger and then tweeze the hair in the direction it's growing. "Typically that direction is upward or toward the temple, rather than straight out," the brow expert notes. Additionally, Bailey urges to tweeze in natural lighting. "Not everyone's bathroom is built like a terrarium, so if possible take a mirror you can prop up and tweeze near a window with even lighting on your face."

At-Home Brow Shaping: Fill In Any Gaps

Grab a micro-lining pencil to fill in any spare areas. "The ultra-fine tip allows you to create hair-like strokes for natural-looking fullness," Bailey notes. "To achieve this look, choose a micro-liner that's in the same shade and tone as your natural hair color and simply flick the pencil in the same direction of your hair growth."