How to Shape Eyebrows for Beginners in 6 Easy Steps

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how to shape eyebrows for beginners

How to Get Perfectly Shaped Eyebrows

Learn how to shape eyebrows for beginners in this very easy how-to guide by Very Easy Makeup.

I’ve never been a fan of going to salons to get my eyebrows done.

In high school, girls would get their eyebrows waxed and come to school the next day with very thin eyebrows.

Thick eyebrows are key to looking young, and if you pluck or wax too much, your eyebrows won’t grow back.

Step-by-Step Instructions: How to Shape Eyebrows for Beginners

To prevent eyebrow wax disasters, I usually opt to trim, shape, and pluck my eyebrows at home. It’s easy to trim your eyebrows at home.

Learn how to trim your eyebrows at home with these step-by-step instructions.

Step one: Brush eyebrows upward

Using an eyebrow brush, brush your eyebrows upward.

Step two: Trim eyebrows with scissors

Trim the tops of your eyebrows with scissors. This will make them look more kept and neat.

Any scissors will do (I use a big pair!), or you can buy the official small beauty scissors.

Step three: Find where your eyebrows should start and pluck them accordingly

Find where your eyebrows should start. No unibrows! In my opinion, too many women pluck TOO much. When starting to pluck your eyebrows for the first time, go EASY. You can always pluck more later. 

Hold a pencil brush to the edge of your nose nostril and go straight up. That's where your eyebrows should start. 

Where Eyebrows Should Start for Shaping Eyebrows at Home for Beginners
Where Eyebrows Should Start

Honestly, my eyebrows go in MORE than this, as I don't like eyebrows that are too far apart.

Step four: Find where your eyebrows should be arched and pluck eyebrows as needed

This step is a bit trickier. If you are plucking your eyebrows for the first time, I wouldn't worry about this step! Move on to step 5.

Too many women overdo it and then their eyebrows are uneven and too thin. 

If you want to try creating an arch, take the eyebrow pencil and go from the edge of your nose through your pupil. This is where the arch should be. 

Where Arch Should Be When Shaping Eyebrows for Beginners
Where Arch Should Be (Refer to #2 Above)

Pluck a FEW hairs to begin with. And by a few - I mean pluck five or six hairs for a start. And only pluck UNDER the eyebrow. Don't touch the tops! 

Step five: Pluck under the eyebrows to create thinner brows at the ends

Step five is to pluck at the ends of the eyebrows. Having long eyebrows is key to looking longer, so don't touch the ends too much! Just pluck 3-5 hairs under the eyebrows at the end. Don't worry about the eyebrows being "too long."

Far too many women trim and pluck their eyebrows at the ends and then they look older!

Step six: Step away! Don’t pluck anymore

After completing steps 1-5, STOP! Don't pluck your eyebrows anymore. You can always pluck more later. You don't want to overdo it.

Common Mistakes When Shaping Eyebrows at Home (and How to Avoid Them!)

The #1 mistake women make when shaping or plucking eyebrows at home is overdoing it. Just don’t do it!

Pluck a few eyebrow hairs and then STOP. You can always pick more later!

The #2 most popular mistake is plucking on the TOP of your eyebrows. Don’t do that! Only pluck under your eyebrows. Don’t touch above the eyebrow.

Supplies Needed to Trim and Shape Eyebrows for Beginners at Home

You really don’t need much to trim your eyebrows at home. You just need scissors and a good pair of tweezers. I personally use tweezers by Revlon. I've tried the cheaper tweezers for under $3 and they are junk.

I also love using a good eyebrow pencil to accentuate my eyebrows.

The brush on the Laura Mercier eyebrow pencil is great for brushing the eyebrow hairs up as well. I personally use this instead of an eyebrow brush.

Should I Use an Eyebrow Pencil?

Do you need an eyebrow pencil to accentuate your brows? 

If you have blonde eyebrows, then YES! Otherwise, your eyebrows won't be noticeable. My sister has blonde eyebrows and she needs to use an eyebrow pencil to define her face.

If you have brown eyebrows, like me, then YES! if you really want to accentuate your facial features.

I use an eyebrow pencil when I'm going out or when I'm going to work. But I ONLY use the eyebrow pencil to fill in the inner corners of my eyebrows near the nose.

Best Eyebrow Pencil for Shaping Eyebrows at Home for Beginners by Laura Mercier
Best Eyebrow Pencil for Shaping Eyebrows at Home for Beginners by Laura Mercier

I swear by the Laura Mercier eyebrow pencil in fair blonde. Other eyebrow pencils look way too dark and unnatural.

Is Waxing Eyebrows or Threading Eyebrows Better?

I'll admit it, I've only gotten my eyebrows shaped about 4-6 times in my entire life. YES, my ENTIRE life. I've done waxing 2-3 times and threading 2-3 times.

I personally like threading WAY more. It's faster. It's cheaper. It looks WAY more natural. And it's less painful!

Plus, most of the threading places are owned by Indian women (at least where I live), and they actually know how to NOT overpluck and how to shape eyebrows.

Waxing works too, but the wax just left my eyebrows looking "too shaped" in my opinion. Plus, waxing tends to be more expensive and may cause your skin to be slightly red for 2-3 hours.

My Eyebrows are Uneven. What Should I Do?

If your eyebrows are uneven, the first thing to do is to NOT pluck them. Let the thinner eyebrow grow out!

The second tip is to not worry too much. As my friend Chantel would say, "your eyebrows are sisters, not twins."

In the photo below, my eyebrows were slightly uneven. (Whoops!) No one is perfect. Since this photo was taken, I've let them grow out.

Blonde Polish Girl with Perfectly Shaped Eyebrows
Slightly Uneven Eyebrows (It's Okay!)

The third tip is to fill in the thinner eyebrow using a good eyebrow pencil

Are Thinner or Thicker Eyebrows Better?

I personally am a fan of thicker eyebrows, as you can see in photos on the Very Easy Makeup Instagram page.

If you look at pictures of young women (think teenage girls from Girls' Life or Seventeen Magazine), you will notice that they have THICK eyebrows. Their eyebrows are well-kept, but they are thick.

Thicker eyebrows make you look more youthful.

Seventeen Magazine Example of Perfectly Shaped Thick Eyebrows
Thicker Eyebrows = Youthful

In contrast, many older women have thin eyebrows.

Angelina Jolie has thin eyebrows, but I'm a fan of thicker eyebrows like those by Jessica Alba. I'm currently obsessed with the look of Steph Claire Smith and her eyebrows.

examples of thin eyebrows, thick eyebrows, and perfectly shaped eyebrows for shaping eyebrows
Thin Eyebrows (Angelina Jolie), Perfect Eyebrows (Steph Clair Smith), and Good Eyebrows (Jessica Alba)

Dos and Don'ts for Shaping Eyebrows at Home for Beginners

As previously mentioned, don't overpluck your eyebrows! And don't EVERY touch the top of your eyebrows. Let them be. 

Here are a few more do's and don'ts.

Do Carry Tweezers with You in Your Purse

Sounds silly - right? I know. But I keep tweezers with me in my purse. That way, I can pluck a hair or two if I'm out and notice one above my nose. There's just something about shopping malls and the lighting in the dressing room that shows EVERYTHING.

Don't Have Your Eyebrows Start Too Far Out

Don't make your eyebrows too far apart. I love Reese Witherspoon, but I think her eyebrows start too far apart. I think she'd look better if she had them go in more toward the center of her nose.

Eyebrows by Reese Witherspoon with example of what not to do when plucking eyebrows at home
Reese Witherspoon's Eyebrows: They Start Too Far Apart!

In contrast, notice how far inward Jessica Alba's eyebrows go.

Jessica Alba's eyebrows for shaping eyebrows at home for beginners
Jessica Alba's Eyebrows: Thicker and Go In More

One of My Eyebrows ALWAYS Has a Better Arch. Is There Anything I Can Do?

If one of your eyebrows has a better arch than the other (always!), it could be that that's just how your eyebrows are! 

Your eyebrows are sisters, not twins, and it's expected that one will naturally have a higher arch than the other.

If this really bothers you, you can get Xeomin or Botox to "raise" the eyebrow that is slightly lower.

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