6 Eyebrow mistakes you are making

Eyebrows can make or break your entire look, according to practically every makeup artist and brow expert out there. They can make your eyes look droopy when they’re not, or make you look angry when, in fact, you’re not. This is why it’s essential to be very cautious when grooming your own brows. There is a very fine line between a perfectly shaped brow and an overly tweezed brow. If you think about it, your brows (even when big and bushy) have very little real estate on your face. One or two plucks too many can leave you with a pretty scary shape.

Here are some common mistakes most women make when it comes to grooming their own eyebrows and how to fix them. If you’re guilty of any of them, don’t freak out, you can work to correct them in no time.

Mistake No. 1: Misplacing your arch

Many women create an arch in their brows that is too close to the center of their eye, which causes the front of the brows to remain thick and the middle to the ends to be way too thin… this gives women a “furrowed brow” look, which isn’t ideal.

The fix: First, let your brows grow back in or to speed up that process, Streicher recommends using an all-natural hair growth. Then the next time you tweeze, grab a pencil and hold it parallel to the outer edge of your iris. The point where the pencil hits your brow is where your arch should be.

Mistake No. 2: Tweezing too often

Tweezing every day, or every few days, is too much. You may think you’re just cleaning up stray hairs, but in reality you may be removing hairs that are essential to your shape.

The fix: Step away from the tweezers. Plan to tweeze your brows once every three weeks – sounds scary, but when you stop obsessing over those tiny hairs, they won’t bother you as much. And you’ll finally see that your brows do actually grow when maybe you thought they didn’t.

Mistake No. 3: Taking too much or not enough off the ends

Brows that have tails (ends) that are too short lack elegance, but brows that are too long and curve down, can you make your eyes appear droopy. So, like Goldilocks said, they should be just right.

The fix: To know where the ends of your brows should hit, touch your actual brow bone. You’ll be able to feel a little point where that ocular bone ends, that’s exactly where your brows should also end.

Mistake No. 4: Using a magnifying mirror when plucking

If you can’t see the hair in a regular mirror, then neither can anyone else. Using a magnifying mirror is also not the best way to get perspective on how your overall brow shape is looking, so you’ll end up tweezing too much.

The fix: Use a regular mirror and make sure you have good, natural light when tweezing.

Mistake No. 5: Tweezing more than one hair at a time

Though it may seem like a time-saver, plucking more than one hair is dangerous when it comes to perfecting your brow shape. If you pluck with haste, you’ll be more likely to create holes in your brows.

The fix: Every single hair you pull should be one that you have thoughtfully decided needs to go. Once you pluck one or two hairs, at separate times, of course, step back and look at yourself in the mirror. This will help you get the full effect of your shape. Then you can go back in to pluck more if necessary.

Mistake No. 6: Filling in brows with a pencil or powder that’s too dark

This is the biggest mistake most of us make when it comes to filling in brows. If the brow pencil or powder you’re using is the same color as your hair, it’s too dark. Too dark brows look very unnatural.

The fix: Choose a pencil or powder that’s a shade or two lighter than your hair colour. Or use a tinted brow gel, which looks even more natural and adds fullness and length to your brows. If you have very sparse brows, fill them with pencil first, top that with powder then finish with a tinted brow gel. Seems like a lot steps just for your brows, but if your brows look good, everything else will look good.

If you’re too nervous to take matters into your own hands, see a brow expert who can help you assess what you need to do in order to get the most flattering brow shape for you. Then you can simply maintain the shape they help you create at home, with these tips.