My Tips, Tricks & Tools for Creating Better-Looking Brows

I’m a little obsessed with my eyebrows (my lashes too, but that’s a story for another post). Probably because they are less than lovely. Honestly, I have brow-envy of anyone with full, beautifully sculpted eyebrows. But I’ve picked up a lot of tips, tricks and tools over the years that have helped me create better-looking brows. I hope they help you too.

In This Post

Jump down to the sections that interest you most:

• Eyebrow Shaping
  • Brow Shapes, Mapping & Tools
  • Trim & Tweeze Into Shape
• Brow Color & Makeup
• Brow Gel
• Brow Tint & Dye
• Microblading, Feathering & Brow Tattoos
• Growth Serums

Eyebrow Shaping

Eyebrow shaping is an art form. There’s a science to mapping out the start, arch and end. And the shape of your brows is, in theory, dictated by the shape of your face, see below.

Some of us can’t get the shape we want and have to work with what we’ve got. For instance, I have a small childhood scar on my left eyebrow where hair won’t grow. Since this makes my brow more narrow than I’d like, I work with what I’ve got and do my best to get my right eyebrow to look similar.

Another thing to consider when shaping your eyebrows is the brow hairs you can’t see because they’re blond or gray. If that’s the case, consider dying your brows before you start with the kit below. It’s also good for small hair color touch-ups at graying temples, roots and men’s facial hair, such as mustaches, goatees, sideburns and beards.

1. Brush Eyebrows Into Place

Before you begin mapping out the shape of your eyebrows, brush or comb them into place. This will help you see what you’re working with because, if you’re like me with a scar or sparse area, you can adjust accordingly.

2. Choose An Eyebrow Shape

Based on your existing brows, choose the eyebrow shape that’s best for the shape of your face. As I mentioned above, due to scars, bald spots or heredity, some of us have to work with what have. So stick to an enhanced version of your natural eyebrows.

3. Map Out The Eyebrow Shape You Want

Once you’ve chosen the eyebrow shape you want, it’s time to map it out. If you want to be precise, I suggest using one or more of the brow mapping tools below. But any long slim object will do, such as the handle of an eye shadow brush or a fine-point brow pencil. Use the tip of the handle or brow pencil to “mark” the shape of the eyebrow you want per the mapping points below.

TIP: You want your eyebrows to be as symmetrical as possible. Use the horizontal lines in the second image as a reminder that your brows should be even on both sides (Points 1, 3 and 4). The same goes for your arches (Points 2 and 5). This is when the brow mapping thread and mapping level come in handy.

4. Outline & Fill

Once you’ve mapped the best eyebrow shape for your face, use a white or light-colored brow pencil to connect the dots. Start by making little dashes to sketch your ideal brow before creating a final outline. Filling in your brows with a darker pencil may help you see where to trim and tweeze.

5. Trim & Tweeze Brows Into Shape

– Trim

If you’ve got long or unruly eyebrows (some people do), please trim them. Use a brow brush to brush them into place and then trim any hairs that are sticking up or out. If you don’t trust yourself to cut your own eyebrow hairs, have them done professionally at a salon or spa.

– Tweeze

Be sure to tweeze only the hairs not covered with brow pencil. A good tweezer will make this task and future tweezing a lot easier. Everyone should own a really good tweezer. And I do mean everyone: men, women and teens. An excellent tweezer will enable you to precisely shape your eyebrows.

TIPS:

• If your tweezer isn’t keeping hold of unwanted hairs, clean previously tweezed hairs from the tips. It’s hard to imagine that other tiny hairs on the end of your tweezer might prevent it from holding tightly to another, but it does.
• Also, try cleaning the tweezing surface with an alcohol pad to remove any moisturizer or makeup that may be prohibiting the tweezers from keeping a firm hold.

Brow Color & Makeup

When it comes to brow color, the general rule is your eyebrows should be darker than your hair color. Take the tone of your hair into consideration as well. The exceptions to this rule are people with black or gray hair.

• For black hair, try a soft black or dark brown pencil.
• For gray hair, try an ashy brown pencil that’s one to two shades darker than your gray hair.

My two favorite brow pencils are Winky Lux Uni-Brow Universal Eyebrow Pencil and Clinique Quickliner for Brows. A pressed brow powder or pomade applied with an angled brow brush can give you more control and create a very natural look.

TIP:

Using two eyebrow pencils, each with a different tip size, will help you fill in your brows with more precision.

Brow Gel

TIP:

Since my brows are thin, sometimes there’s too much product on the applicator spool for me. So, for more control, I tap my brow brush on the spoolie for a bit of gel and apply it to my eyebrows with my brow brush.

TRICK:

Any clear mascara is also great for fly-away hairs, on your head, that is. If you’ve got baby hairs growing in or broken hair standing on end, use the Maybelline Clear Mascara to sweep them flat. I use it when I don’t want to weigh my hair down with styling products or hairspray.

Brow Tint & Dye

Tired of applying eyebrow pencil every day? A great temporary way to achieve a longer-lasting look is by using a brow tint or dye. I love waking up with eyebrows and recommend trying either or both. If you like the results, you can go for a more permanent option, such as microblading, feathering or tattoo, more on those below, which last for several years

Brow tint is similar to a temporary tattoo. It stains the skin beneath your eyebrows, eliminating the need to fill in with a brow pencil. Brow dye dyes your eyebrow hair. It may leave behind some tint on your skin, but the tint disappears after a few days leaving thicker, more defined-looking eyebrows. Brow dye is great for those with blond, light-colored or gray eyebrows. When you dye your eyebrows, all the light hairs you couldn’t see become darker, making your brows look fuller and more defined.

Prep

Both the tint and dye get applied in a similar manner; you paint it on and either peel (tint) or wipe (dye) it off. Both take a bit of practice to get right, but they work well. I LOVE waking up with eyebrows and not having to fill them in with brow pencil.

Prep before you begin! Get everything ready, cleanse your face, do not apply moisturizer to your eyebrows, and use my tips and tricks for the best results.

Brow Tint

The one I like best is Etude House Tint My Brows Gel. I use gray-brown and it does not leave an orange hue. It comes in a mascara-like tube with a liquid liner-like brush, which I don’t care for. Instead, I use pointed, lint-free cotton swabs to take the product off the brush and apply it to my brows. The other brow tint I’ve tried is Maybelline’s New York Brow Tattoo in light brown.

After prepping your eyebrows, as mentioned above, apply the gel in the shape of your eyebrows using the tint brush, your own angled brow brush or a pointed cotton swab. Clean along the edges as you work with pointed cotton swabs. Be sure to get the tinting gel through your eyebrow hairs to the skin. Let the gel dry until you’re able to peel it off, it will be kind of rubbery. If you have trouble lifting it with your fingers, use the pointed cotton swabs. Use a regular brow brush to remove any remaining gel stuck to your eyebrows.

TRICK

I find I achieve a more natural look when I lift the ends of the brow gel after it dries a little without removing the entire strip. There is still some tint or stain left behind but it won’t be as dark as the rest of my brows, This creates a more natural graduation of color.

TIPS

• The longer you leave the tinted gel on, the darker and longer-lasting the tint will be.
• To prolong the tint and minimize fading, be gentle when washing your face. The less you scrub your eyebrows with cleanser, the longer the tint will last.

Brow Dye

The brow dye I use is Godefroy Tint Kit. I use light brown because reviewers said that it still got dark, and it does. The kit comes with pre-measured color capsules, crème developer, a mini mixing bowl, and little wood “applicator” sticks that look more like manicure sticks to me. You can use their applicator stick, a pointed cotton swab or an angled brow brush to apply the color.

After prepping your brows, as mentioned above, apply the dye. Do only one eyebrow at a time, using pointed cotton swabs to clean the edges as you work for a clean line. Let the dye sit for only one minute before removing it with damp lint-free cotton rounds because you do NOT want to end up looking like Groucho Marx!

You can always add more dye if your brows didn’t get dark enough, there are light hairs you missed, or gray hairs that didn’t take the color. But you cannot lighten them once it’s done, you will have to wait for the color to fade.

TRICK:

To make the tint kit last longer since I don’t need an entire capsule of product to cover both of my eyebrows, I only use half at a time. To do this, begin by holding the capsule upright length-wise, so the top of the capsule is on top. Gently tap the side of the capsule to get the powered contents down into the bottom and carefully wiggle the capsule top off over the little mixing bowl. Once open, tap half of the powdered contents into the bowl and put the capsule back together. Add an equal about of developer to the bowl and mix. You can always mix more if needed.

Microblading, Feathering & Brow Tattoos

If you love the look of your eyebrows tinted or dyed but want them to last longer, semi-permanent treatments could be for you, such as microblading, feathering or brow tattoos. These treatments need to be done by an experienced professional. Check with your local spa or salon for a licensed technician.

Growth Serums

Latisse, or the generic version, Bimatoprost Ophthalmic Solution, is intended for lashes but I use it on my eyebrows as well and it really works. I have fuller brows and longer lashes from regular use. But, alas, it requires a prescription. Plus, it’s not recommended for people with blue or green eyes if you plan on using it on your lashes.

There are plenty of over-the-counter growth serums available. I’ve used a lot of them and they work. I recently researched the best, most recommended brow and lash growth serums. If you’re interested in learning more, check out my posts by clicking on one of the images below.

Hope these products and tips help you achieve better-looking brows. Feel free to reach out with any questions or to tell me about your favorite brow products.

All items are in stock (unless noted otherwise) at time of publication.