How to do eyebrows at home

How to do eyebrows at home.

Would you like to know how to do eyebrows at home? Perhaps you’re been wondering how to draw prefect eyebrows?

First things first – there are no such things are ‘perfect’ eyebrows! Why? Because we do not have perfectly symmetrical eyes or faces (or bodies for that matter). If you don’t start from a position of perfect symmetry then it’s not possible to fake it – sorry, that’s the truth.

Your beautiful non-symmetrical face.

So lets address the elephant in the room. Your face isn’t symmetrical, I’m sorry but it isn’t. We all (98% of us) have one eye bigger than the other, a flat and rounded side to our skull and one brow that sits naturally higher than the other. Oh, and we also tend to have one side of our face with stronger facial muscles, which is usually the side we have a naturally higher brow on – typical! Don’t stress about it, we all have it and it’s what makes as perfectly imperfect.

What we are looking for is that famous old saying – your brows are ‘sisters and not twins’. Accept it, now lets move on!

What brow shape suits me?

Before we get into how to draw your eyebrows on, lets have a look at what brow shape is best for you.

The diagram below will hopefully help you with a visual. It’s all about balancing your features and creating clever illusion. Whenever I’m teaching brows at the Look Good Feel Better workshops, I always break it down into two categories for simplicity.

Long face shapes: If you have a long face, then I’d recommend you go for a flatter brow, with a minimal arch. This will create the illusion of width to the face and help balance the length. If you were to create a brow with a high arch, then it would accentuate the length of your face.

Wider/Square face shapes: If you have a wide or square face shape, then I’d recommend you go for a brow with more of an arch. This will create the illusion of length to the face – a clever optical illusion! You can see from the diagram where you can consider placing the arch, depending on your specific face shape.

TOP TIP: The best way to find out your face shape is to tie your hair away from your face, so you can see your hair line and full face shape.

TOP TIP: Play around with different eyebrows shapes and see which you prefer. I’d recommend trying different styles and either ask a trusted friend or family member what they think, or just wait and see what responses you get. If no-one notices (by this I mean, no one says ‘OMG, what have you done to your brows!?’) then it’s a good indication that you’ve chosen a style that’s right for you. If you’re met with a wide eyed horrified looks, or the aforementioned phrase – you might need to try an alternative!! Products do play a part in this too – more on those later.

How to draw eyebrows

So now we’ve talked about our perfect imperfections and face shapes, lets look at how to draw your eyebrows on.

You’ll find many a version of this handy little diagram online. It’s a really good way to show you where your eyebrows should start, where the highest point of the arch is and where the tails end. It’s a guideline though – not a rule. So you can play around with this and take into account my previous advice on brow shapes and styles. Much of it is personal preference, so feel free to break the rules!

One point I will mention is where the highest part of your arch ‘should’ be. This picture shows the highest point being measured at the outside of the iris (the coloured part of the eye). This varies from person to person and will change, depending on your chosen style of brow. You can also use the edge of the pupil as a guide, this will bring the arch more into the centre of your face.

TOP TIP: Optical illusion!  If your eyes are set close together, start the inner part of your eyebrows slightly further away from the mark that you’ve made for the start of your brow – this will give the illusion that your eyes are wider apart.    If your eyes are set wide apart, then start your brows slightly further towards your nose, as this will give the illusion that your eyes are closer together.

TOP TIP: Look straight ahead when you’re measuring for the highest part of the arch, whether it’s the outer edge of the pupil or the iris. If you’re looking in any other direction then you’re going to have an arch in a very strange place!

TOP TIP: You have a brow bone for a reason. That’s typically where your eyebrows sit, even if they are a little wonky. Mother nature has given you a clue with your brow bone. Please embrace the guide and work with it!

TOP TIP: It is possible that your eyebrows are quite different. Please be careful about over correcting, as this will only highlight the lack of symmetry. As a general rule, I will only correct symmetry by a maximum of 15% for tattooing, because if we adjust more than that – your features start to look a little odd and it throws your entire face shape and eyes off. I know it’s not always ideal, but we have to work with what we have – sorry, but that’s a truth bomb right there!

What eyebrow style suits me?

Your eyebrows are a very personal thing. Your idea of your perfect eyebrow style may be very different to someone else. If you take into account your face shape and your features, that’s a good starting point! If you look online, you’ll find so many pictures with different brow styles. You are likely to find some inspiration there!

When you are learning how to draw eyebrows at home, you can afford to play around a little! Drawing your eyebrows on with makeup allows you to have a more carefree approach to playing around with styles – after all, makeup can be removed at the end of your day. If you’re asking me about tattooing eyebrows then I would always recommend having the eyebrows you would have on the beach, in the gym – basically with no makeup on. You can always add to your brows with makeup for a night out, but lets not tattoo your best ‘party’ brows onto your face – otherwise you’ll end up scaring people with your bold brows and no makeup combo! My motto for tattooing – keep it natural ladies!

I’ve included some different styles below for you to have a look at. Once you’ve determined your face shape and drawn on your 3 points, this is the next thing to consider. There aren’t really any rules with this, as it will depend on your preference, the makeup you wear and perhaps the occasion. A word of advice though, if you have petite features then keep your eyebrows more subtle and natural. On the flip side of that, if you have strong features, then you can afford to go thicker and bolder with your brow style.

Which are the best eyebrow makeup products?

You can’t learn how to do eyebrows at home, without considering your product choice. Eyebrow products have taken the beauty industry by storm in the last few years! There are so many products to choose from. Lets have a look at the different types of products you might find on today’s cosmetic counters.

Colour selection:  We can’t really talk products without considering colour selection.  My advice is really to get someone at the makeup counter to help you if you can.  The department stores and Boots are particularly helpful here.  Some cosmetic ranges only have 3 shades, whilst others might have 10 – so it’s impossible to know exactly which shade will suit you best, without actually trying them.  Usually you’ll be 2-3 shades darker than your hair colour, to create natural looking brows.

Blondes: If you’re strawberry blonde or have warm tones in your hair, then a light warm brown will suit you.  If your hair is more of an ash blonde, or you are a mature blonde, then look for a taupe shade.

Dark blonde – Mid Brown : You can go for one of the mid range browns. Avoid the darkest shades available as these will be too strong for you.

Dark Brown – Black:  Look for the deeper, dark browns. Avoid using a black pencil though, as these can be very harsh. Most brands have a very deep brown that will suit darker skin tones.

Grey / Silver: Depending on whether you naturally have or had light or dark hair will determine the shade that works for you. Typically skin cools as we mature, so you are likely to find that a cool taupe colour will work for you if you are grey/blonde and an ashy brown or grey product if you are grey/darker.

So here we go, lets talk product types:

Brow powder: Great for a soft airbrushed look and you can build colour to add density. Brow powder is great for building colour gradually. Just make sure you have a brow brush (nearly all products have them in), don’t try and apply it with an eyeshadow brush please!  You can also use a cotton bud to soften the look and remove excess powder.

Soft brow pencil: These are great for a stronger looking brow, as they typically deposit a lot of colour and product onto the skin and brow hair. Take it slowly and be light with your application, or you could end up with a couple of slugs! You can use a cotton bud to smudge, soften or remove excess too. Pencils can be tricky on oily skin, as they tend not to stay put.

Firm brow pencils: There are some brow pencils that allow you to create hair strokes and deposit less products on to the skin and hair. Work slowly with these products and use light handed movement to create the illusion of hair strokes. Firm brow pencils aren’t great for oily skin, or really dry/mature skin – so give them a miss if you fall into these categories – or at least try them out in store first and see how they last for the rest of the day.

Felt tip brow pen: These are very popular and lots of the big cosmetic houses now do a version of these. These are ideal for creating the illusion of hair strokes, where you are looking for a subtle and natural looking brow. Be warned that these can be tricky to master, as there’s definitely a technique to getting them right! They have great staying power and are perfect for filling in gaps and creating a little more definition. Work slowly and carefully, using small stokes to give the illusion of hair.

Brow gels: These are for the bold types amongst you, that really want a stronger look. They do tend to be pretty bold and are packed with colour. Great for a night out and for that all out definition! If you’re feeling daring and bold – then go for it! Looking for subtle and natural? Then steer clear of the brow gels is my advice.

Brow stains: These products do exactly what they say – they stain your skin and brow hair. Often for 24-48 hours! Make sure you map your brows out well before applying these products, they are tricky little monkeys to get off! I’d say these are best for those of you with quite a bit of hair and are looking for a strong brow.

And away you go…..you’ve learnt how to do eyebrows at home!

I hope you’ve found this ‘How to do eyebrows at home’ guide helpful. We’ve been through:

• Face symmetry, or rather – lack of!
• How to identify your face shape.
• How to map your brows.
• How to select a brow shape for your face shape.
• Eyebrows Styles.
• Eyebrow Products.

Hopefully you’ll now be able to go and draw on eyebrows that you’re proud of – or at least look like they below on your face!

Oh, I nearly forgot this TOP TIP: When you draw your brows on, look in a mirror that is at eye level. Keep your face relaxed whilst drawing your brows on. We have a tendency to pull the equivalent of mascara face (you know – long stretched open mouth…why do we even do that!?). Most of us try and draw our eyebrows on with raised eyebrows, for some unknown reason. Then, when we relax our faces, our brows don’t even look like they are from the same family, let alone sisters!! Get comfortable, have your mirror at eye level and RELAX. Take your time and get creating!!

How to do eyebrows at home – showtime!

I’d love to see how you get on after reading my ‘How to do eyebrows at home’ guide , please feel free to send me your pictures or tag me on Facebook. And if you do get fed up with battling your eyebrows on a daily basis, well – you can always come and see me and I’ll work my magic and create semi-permanent eyebrows for you.

Kindest, Nikki x