What a Difference a ‘Brow’ Makes

Whatever the case may be there are certain guidelines and rules for shaping brows.
If your brows are not shaped appropriately, or are asymmetrical, all attention will be focused on the brows.

If your brows are appropriately shaped and symmetrical, the focus will be on your eyes. Skincare specialist Kari Romney shares some tips for shaping your brows.

Remember to keep in mind a ‘Wax Job’ and a ‘Brow Shaping Job’. First off, if you just want your brows waxed, or a few hairs removed, there may be no work in shaping as your shape is already there. If you need to have your brows shaped you may want to do your homework in knowing what brow shape and size is most complimentary for you. Either case, make sure you choose a technician who knows what she is doing. As once the hairs are removed it may be awhile before they grow back, leaving you with a lot of damage control. A good technician will walk you through the process as she shapes and removes the unwanted hair. She will get your permission before removing the hair making sure you like the shape, and how it compliments your face.

Six guidelines for perfect brows:

1. Know Your Facial Features and Shape:

*If you have large and strong facial features, such as large eyes, nose or mouth, you need to have medium to thick brows for balance. Stay away from thin brows as your facial features will over power your brows leaving your face looking unbalanced. If your facial features are small and delicate then a thin brow will be most complimentary for you.

*If your face has a strong angular frame consider brows with a rounded shape to soften your facial frame. A face that is round will be complimented with brows that have more angle. This will give dimension and harmony to the rounded face frame.

*A facial frame that is neither dominantly angular or rounded will look balanced with either angular or rounded shaped brows.

2. Beginning Point of the Brow:

Using a ruler, and looking directly into a mirror measure vertically at the inner corner of the eye straight up to the brow. This is called the beginning point or point A. Make sure when measuring you are looking directly into the mirror. Exception to this rule would be if your eyes are close set or far apart. In that case you want to give an illusion for balanced eyes. If your eyes are set far apart you would want the beginning point of the brow to be a little closer together. For eyes that are close set you want the beginning point to be a little farther apart.

3. Arch of the Brow:

The high point of the brow is known as the arch, regardless of how much hair there may be in that place of the brow. Most high points are measured directly above the outer rim of the iris. Never position your high point directly above your pupil or closer in then the half way point. The high point can also be known as point B.

The location of the arch is important as it can create illusion of narrowness or width enhancing overall facial features. Eyebrows that are mostly flat and slightly arched will create the illusion of having a wider forehead. This illusion of width will give the face the appearance of not being long. Medium and high arches give the illusion of length to the face. Great for round face shapes or wide foreheads.

4. Ending Point of Brow:

The ending point, or point C is also known as the tail of the brow, and is easy to determine. It’s position should rarely be changed. To find the correct end point, look directly into mirror place a ruler at the base of the nose and hold the ruler diagonally so it is directed straight out to the corner of the eye and extends past the eyebrow. You do not want hair growing down past this point, as it will give the illusion pulling your eye downward, or of a droopy eye. Just by removing this hair will give your eyes an instant eyelift.

5. Symmetrical Eyebrows:

When measuring the eyebrow length, it is a three dimensional measurement. Use a soft ruler or measuring tape (do not use a flat ruler). Start at point A-the beginning point and ending at point C the ending point. Measure the length of brow horizontal above the just above the body of the brow hairs on the brow bone. If you have medium to high arches you may want to measure point A- to point B- then to point C. Check measurement of each brow. Even measurements are important for symmetrical brow shapes.

6. Color of Brow:

You want to always be in check with your hair color. Basic rule ‘never go darker then your darkest hair strand’. It is a good idea when filling in brow color to blend more then one color. This will give dimension to the brow. When filling in color begin at the ending point finishing at the beginning point. Be sure to use small hair strokes for a natural look. Always start with the lightest color, then add darker where needed. Note: If you are one whose skin turns makeup orange, try avoiding colors with warm or neutral undertones. When finished, blend using a brow brush. Finish with a brow fix to hold your perfect brow shape, and keep those unruly hairs in place.

Kari provides personal training and classes on how to shape your brows. She also has a line of skincare products for your personal skin needs.