The Ultimate Brow - Part I

by Inna Grinblat of Glamorized Skin

Right around the time when women turn 13-15 years old, they begin to plug those little brow hairs to create a perfect arch to frame their faces. Some go all out and leave a very thin line, while others only tweeze a little bit, here and there, in order to define the shape a little better. Regardless of the result, everyone has a goal to achieve - ideal eyebrows that are not only neat and defined but also match the shape of their face. Today, we will discuss how to create these perfect eyebrows. Why don't you grab a mirror to help you on your quest for your perfect brows?

THE BEGINNING AND THE END

First, we need to figure out where your eyebrows should begin and end. In order to see where your eyebrows should begin, use the end of your nostrils as a starting point, as shown in the illustration, and draw an imaginary line going straight up. The spot where the line hits your natural eyebrow curve is where your eyebrows should begin. Now, again, use the end of your nostrils as a starting point and form an imaginary line passing through the outside corner of your eye. The eyebrows should end where the line hits your natural eyebrow curve. Do not be shocked if your natural eyebrows (not the ones you created by tweezing) do not begin or end where they "should" based on the technique described. In some cases, our eyebrows are too short or too long and that is just fine. An eyebrow pencil or matching eyeshadow is all you need to make them a little longer or a good old tweezer to make them a little shorter. However, in order for your brows to match your face and eye shape, you should always keep them as close as possible to your natural shape.

WHICH WAY ARE WE HEADED?

Next, we need to figure out where the ending of your brows should point. Your face shape will assist us in this task. In general, there are four types of face shapes: long, round, square, and oval. Some of these shapes have a sub-shape, but we will discuss those some other time.

• A LONG or oblong face is longer than it is wide. This type of face has cheeks, jaw and forehead of about equal width and both the forehead and jawlines are curved.
• A ROUND face is almost as wide, as it is long and cheeks are its widest part, and are usually well defined.
• A SQUARE face has a forehead that is almost the same width as its cheekbones and jawline, which are more pronounced than curved.
• An OVAL face is considered the perfect face shape. It is wider at the forehead and cheeks are usually the widest part, gently narrowing towards the chin.

Now is the time for you to look at yourself in the mirror and figure out which face shape you have. Once that is done, refer to the table below to identify where the ending of your eyebrows should point.

FACE SHAPE	BROW DIRECTION	WHY?
LONG	Above the ear, almost straight across	To counteract the impression of length
ROUND	Top of the ear	To eliminate curvature that accentuates roundness
SQUARE	Center of the ear	To “cut” the distance between your upper and lower face in half
OVAL	Lower lobe	To accentuate the harmonious oval line

I want to emphasize, one more time, that you should not change your eyebrow shape completely but try to keep it as natural as possible. If you are not able, in any way, to point your brow end towards your ear lobe, try to point it as low as possible, while keeping your natural shape. The same applies to your brow end that cannot be pointed above the ear. Again, try pointing it as high as possible, while keeping your true shape.

THOSE IMPOSSIBLE ARCHES

Finally, let us discuss the arch location. Usually, I would recommend keeping your arch where it is naturally placed. If you touch the bone right above your eye, you should be able to feel where it should appear. Some people do not have arches and they look very good with very straight eyebrows. Others have very high arches and it looks very nice on them. However, the general guideline is that the arch should be either directly over the outside of the iris, or diagonally from the end of the nostril through the pupil.

Now I've given you all the tools you need to have in order to figure out your perfect eyebrow shape. Please post your questions below and I will do my best to answer them.

Please check out Part II of The Ultimate Brow post.

Source: Makeup Training Manual, Academy of Make up and Fashion, Encino, CA.