Aside from lip enhancements and extreme contouring made popular by the Kardashian sisters, one beauty trend has been sweeping social media for a good couple of years. Since the recent blossoming of the “Instagram makeup” phenomenon, every self-confessed beauty guru, makeup enthusiast, and trend-conscious fashionista has been trying to achieve one defining look: brows on fleek. If any beauty must-have could define the early 2010s, it would be this one. These days, everyone seems to be after that perfectly manicured, sleek, and on fleek eyebrow game. Come to think about it, who can blame them?
If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then it should be just right to invest a lot of effort in grooming and beautifying that which frames them: your all-important eyebrows.
The real question here is: how exactly can you get your brows on fleek? The tricky thing about this trend is that the brow game, just like haircuts, is going to be inevitably different for everybody. The brow shape of your favorite celebrity for instance, might not work for you if you have dissimilar bone structure or natural eyebrow shapes.
So how do you know if you’re getting the right eyebrow shape for your face? Every beauty expert agrees that the first step is to take a good look at yourself in the mirror to find out exactly what your face shape is. Before committing to a tweezing routine or something even more extreme like eyebrow surgery or eyebrow transplants for those of you with sparse brows, it’s vital to determine your face and brow shape before anything else. Are you more of an oval like Zooey Deschanel, a heart like Reese Witherspoon, or a square like Rosario Dawson? Try to determine your face shape as accurately as possible to ensure that you select a brow shape that will work for you. Stevi Christine, a brow expert from the Somerville Clinic in LA suggests that a “full, well-shaped brow naturally keeps the face youthful.” So if you want that young, healthy glowing look, make sure to not skip this first step! As for which brow shape works for which face, read on for some more expert tips for the perfect eyebrows.
Round Face
If you have a round face characterized by soft angles and a nearly equal width and length, your ideal brow will have sharp arches and very defined edges. Since your face already has gentle corners, sharper brows will add contrast and interest to your look. If you’re feeling brave, you can even afford to add height to your arches. While this thin, high-arched look might be severe on other faces, it will work perfectly with a round face like yours. Tweeze below your brow to make sure you have clean edges and make sure that you fill in any gaps or sparse spaces with a brow pencil or pomade. For examples of this bold, striking brow, look at Chrissy Teigen and Gabrielle Union.
Oval Face
Oval-faced beauties are usually the dream of every brow artist because most brow shapes will work on this particular face. If you’re an oval like the beautiful Camilla Belle, with a slightly high forehead and a rounded chin, you’re very lucky! There are no hard and fast rules for shaping brows on a face like yours. However, if you want a failsafe look that will work every time, try a moderate arch which extends horizontally instead of dipping down from the arch. This will prevent your face from looking longer than it actually is.
Heart-Shaped Face
Heart-shaped faces are characterized by wider foreheads and chins that come to a finer, delicate point. If your face is shaped like this, similar to Reese Witherspoon and Debra Messing, then getting the accurate brow shape might be just a little bit tricky. To flatter your face, you will need to have a moderate arch and an extended brow. This is to make sure that the brow perfectly frames and flatters the wider space of your forehead. For this particular face shape, fuller or thick brows (but not bushy!) are going to be extra flattering. If you have bald spots on your brow, make sure to fill them in nicely with a good combination of brow powders and pencil tools. If your brows are even more challenged than that, you might want to consider an eyebrow restoration to make them look healthy, young, and full.
Pear-Shaped Face
Pear-shaped faces might be the opposite of the heart but, they might be just as tricky! Pear-shaped faces are defined by narrower foreheads and prominent jawlines, or wide chin areas. If you have this particular face shape, make sure to balance your strong jawline by nicely arching your eyebrows (higher arches will work here) and making sure that those arches are curved a little more towards the tail-end of your brow. You also have to make sure that your brows are of a good length so that your face looks perfectly balanced. Eva Mendez is a great example for this face and brow shape combo.
Square Face
Like the round face, a square-shaped face will have a nearly equal length and width. The difference here is that square-faced people have very strong, prominent jaws. Just take a look at Angelina Jolie and her very angled bone structure. If your face shape is similarly strong, you can soften your angular look by rounding out your arches. A severe arch and harsh edges won’t work here unless you want to took like a movie villain! Add interest to your face by going softer on the brows. It will balance out your already striking look.
Your Face, Your Brows
No matter what face shape you have and what eyebrow shape you want to complement it, remember that at the end of the day, it’s your face and your brows that we’re talking about. While these styles and tips are foolproof ways to get those brows on fleek, it’s important to consider what you see as flattering and comfortable. The one thing that will always help you with how to fix ugly eyebrows is owning your look. If you have a narrower forehead, but still want to don bold brows with strong arches, go for it! The best tool to make your brows look good is confidence. As long as you rock that shape, no one can blame you for breaking beauty rules and brow game formula. Whatever brow shape you choose, be your best self! The fleek will always follow.