Enviable brows made easy: how to shape & fill in your eyebrows

SHAPING YOUR BROWS

DON'T OVER PLUCK

Super thin brows drawn back on harshly with a brow pencil may have been all the rage in the 1920s, but now brows that look natural and full are trending. Fuller brows help to create a more youthful appearance and also help to frame your face. 

To get the look, only neaten up the stray hairs outside your natural brow shape, leaving the rest of your brow's width and length as is. If your prefer to leave the shaping of your brows to a professional, ask them to do the same. 

DO TRY THREADING

If you'd like a sleeker look, try threading rather than waxing. 

Threading allows the brow technician to be more precise when creating your ideal shape and the hair grows back slower with every session.

Waxing is more painful and can irritate the delicate skin around the eyes, especially on sensitive skin types. There also isn’t the option of gradually removing and shaping the hair until you’re happy.

DO TRY THE STRAIGHT 'BOY' BROW

Through we're against conforming to every passing brow trend - please forget about wavy brows! - there's one trendy shape we think is worth trying: the straight 'boy' brow.

Hailing from Korea, this trends sees inquisitively arched brows being traded for a more straightened shape that looks surprisingly good on most faces - think everyone from Rihanna (pictured) and Victoria Beckham to Emma Watson and Kylie Jenner.

A straight 'boy' brow gives an androgynous and youthful look to the face. This brow shape is also easier to achieve than an arched brow, especially if you don’t have a naturally defined arch or if your brows are on the sparse side.

FILLING IN YOUR BROWS

DON'T GO TOO DARK

Filling in your brows with a brow powder or fine brow pencil is the best way to achieve a full brow that doesn't look like it's been 'stuck on'. 

That said, picking the right make-up shade is key. If you use a powder or pencil that's too dark - even if you have black hair - the end result can look very harsh or even theatrical.

Says Sir John, celebrity makeup artist to stars such as Beyonce: "For natural-looking brows, you should use a brow pencil that is lighter than your brow colour as you want to just fill in the gaps, not add a weight to the brow.”

DO FOLLOW THE NATURAL SHAPE

Use an eye pencil as a guide and follow the natural shape of your brow: your brow should start in line with the edge of your nose and inner corner of your eye; it should arch slightly just above the middle of the iris of your eye, and end at the point diagonal to the outer corner to your eye.

Keeping the above in mind, use a waxy pencil or brow powder to fill in the sparse areas of your brow. Brush up the hairs and work the product into the hairs from the bottom of the brow. Use a spoolie brush (a brush similar to a mascara wand) to fade out the colour and bring some texture back to the brow.

DO TRY A BROW GEL

To create meticulously clean lines, many vloggers champion using a tinted brow gel instead of powder or pencil; this is evenly applied throughout the brow with an angled brush.

A clear gel can be applied after you've filled in your brows with a pencil or powder using a spoolie brush; it acts almost like hairspray, helping to prevent smudges.

THE KIT:

1. Urban Decay Brow Box Eyebrow Powder and Wax, R495.

3. Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil, R355.

2. Lancome Monsieur Big Brow in Brown, R320.