Making Your Eyebrows Perfect

I've always envied eyebrows that look perfect; they have that perfect curve, that perfect texture, and not one hair is out of place. Really the only place I ever see that is on Hollywood celebrities (men and women alike) and Disney princesses like Belle and Ariel. I know a few women who have terrific eyebrows, but they're not usually up to the Hollywood look.

How do you shape your eyebrows so that they have the quintessential arch? How do you prevent your brows from looking scraggly and unkempt? I once knew a girl who tried to shave her eyebrows into the perfect shape and wound up having no eyebrows—not the way to go. Achieving movie star eyebrows is actually quite simple and only involves a few steps (none of which involve a razor).

It's a fact that most people just have great eyebrows and may not need to do anything extraordinary to keep them under control. Sometimes all you may have to do is a little rearranging of stray hairs. One of the first things to do, regardless of whether you have amazing natural eyebrows, is to shape them just with a brush. Run a makeup brush through them to get rid of any excess powder or foundation and then use the brush to shape them how you want. Brush them more out from your eyes to open up your face more. Put in a tiny amount of gel to keep them that way.

Sometimes I have trouble with the color of my eyebrows too. This is easily remedied by putting a small amount of eye shadow in the eyebrow to fill in the sparse parts. Of course, choose a color that's natural and already matches your brow color. It gives your brows more color and makes them pop!

If you decide to pluck, start cautiously because you don't want to pluck your eyebrows into a funny shape. Brush your brows into the shape you want and then pluck the individual hairs that fall outside your desired shape. The best time to pluck your eyebrows is right after you shower so the hairs come out easier or before bed so you don't have red spots on your face for the rest of the day. The other very common alternative is waxing, which probably shouldn't be done on your own. Also, when considering what shape to use when you pluck or wax your eyebrows, you need to keep in mind shapes that flatter your face, the effect you want to achieve, and what size your eyebrows should be. (See "What Eyebrow Shape is Best?").

For a quick reference on how to get that arch you really want, follow these easy guidelines in shaping your eyebrows.

1. If possible (given of course, your natural eyebrow line), your eyebrows should start above the middle of the nostril.
2. If you drew a line from your nostril right through the iris of your eye, that's where your arch should peak.
3. If you drew another line from your nostril to the outer corner of your eye, that's where your eyebrow should taper off.

While the optimal eyebrow shape for each person varies, these quick guidelines should give you a good idea of what to go for when plucking them. Making your eyebrows perfect is not a cruel hoax, but possible with just a little technique. Here's to looking like a Disney princess!