When you apply a full-face of makeup, do you enhance your eyebrows? If not, why? Have the horrifying pictures of drawn on eyebrows filling social media feeds scared you away? Well, there is no need to be afraid, filling in the brows can be beneficial, it just has to be done right.

Why should I fill in my brows?

No matter how thick or thin your brows may be, you can benefit from a little makeup. Filling them in helps to frame the face and give it a more defined shape. If you’ve ever gotten a botched brow job, you know it can change the entire look of your face. If they are arched too high, you may resemble an evil villain but if they are too low, you could be channeling a little bit of Charlie Brown.

Here are a few other examples of how changing the eyebrows affect the face:

• Thin brows can make your eyelids look puffy. The puffiness is because you removed some of the hair that covers the brow bone, so now you lid looks much bigger.
• Brows without a tail can make your eyes look awfully rounded, sort of like a cartoon character.
• If your eyebrows are too far apart your eyes will seem closer together.
• Those that draw them with a long tail can bring the face down.
• Eyebrows that are too round can give you a stunned look.
• Straight brows will make you look irate.

If the eyebrows are enhanced the right way, your makeup look will always be clean and polished.

How to shape your eyebrows at home.

What will I need to fill in my brows?

Eureka, you’ve decided to fill in your eyebrows; now it’s time to do a little shopping. There are two essential products that will help you succeed, a brow pencil, and powder. It is important that you only view products made for the eyebrow area because regular cosmetics may not resemble real hair colors. Using a pencil that doesn’t look like an authentic blonde, brunette or redhead will only cause a contrast between your hair and brow color.

There are two types of pencils:

Eyebrows Pencil

Pencils with a thin tip are made for precision. These pencils should be used for creating straight edges. These pencils are also great for those with a balding spot in the brows; you can use the tip to create short strokes that resemble hair.

Pencils with a thicker tip are made for filling in the entire brow. Most people that use thick pencils don’t use powder because the pencil can fill in the entire area without force or using too much product. There are brow pencils that are filled with powder because some pencils are very waxy and give you a faux look while powders give a softer brow.

Brow powder looks similar to eyeshadow, but colors are all matte for a more realistic feel. Some companies provide you with two shades (one lighter and one darker) so you can customize your color. All powders should be applied with a thin angle brush to ensure you only paint the brow. Your brush should also be stiff, so you don’t lose any product while applying it.

Filling in the eyebrow seems to be complicated, what do I do?

The time has come for you to learn to fill in your brows with pencil and powder.

You’ll need:

• A brow pencil
• A brow powder
• A brow brush

Let’s get started!

1. Brush your brows- You want your brows to look tamed, so the best way to do this is to brush them. Most brushes resemble a mascara wand and are small enough to catch even the finest hair. Be sure to brush the hair up and out toward the ears.
2. Map your shape- Everyone’s brows are different, but there is a standard way to identify where yours should start and end, it’s simple, just follow these steps:
3. To judge where they should begin, take your pencil and line it up vertically next to your nose. Mark the point at which the pencil crosses, this is there the head of your eyebrow must start.
4. Next, turn the pencil to cross through your pupil. Pay attention to where it lands because this is where the highest point of your eyebrow, or the arch, should be.
5. Finally, turn the pencil to touch the outer corner of your eye, where the pencil touches the brow is where it should cease.
6. Connect the dots- Analyze the points where your brow should start, peak, and end and then use a thin pencil to create a sharp outline. Be sure not to make the line too dark because they will need to be blended in later.
7. Fill in the eyebrow- Fill in all of the space between the lines. Be sure to use short, soft strokes so your brow still looks like it is made of hair. A very common mistake is to color in the brows like you do a coloring book, this only causes the eyebrow to look like a sticker!
8. Use the eyebrow brush to blend- Once you have filled in your brows take your brush and run through them to help blend any noticeable lines.

Dye your eye lashes to go along with the new look.

Additional tools for success

If you want the perfect brows, there are a few things you can add to your brow kit, such as:

Brow Gel- If you have very long or unruly eyebrow hair, brow gel can be your best friend. This gel works just like hair gel but instead comes in a tube very similar to mascara. Brow gels also come in colors for those that want to cover gray hair without dying it.

Tweezers– Tweezers will help you tackle stray hairs between cleanups. Do not over tweeze the brows by using a magnifying mirror because your brow shape will suffer.

Stencils– If you suck at creating a good brow shape, try using a stencil to keep you on the right track. Stencils are also good for those who don’t have much hair to form a definite shape!

How to get beautiful eyes.