Perfect Brow Guide: Finding the Best Eyebrow Style for You!
Introduction to Eyebrow Style Guide
Much like our fingerprints, our eyebrows are unique and an expression of who we are - which is why there're so many eyebrow styles available. There’s no one perfect method to achieving beautiful eyebrows, as there are so many different ways to style and shape them. Instead, we are going to go over the different types of eyebrow styling, how to achieve the looks and some product recommendations that will help make things easier for you.
Specifically, we will be looking at eyebrow style shaping which includes:
Arched toward the tail
Arched in the middle
High arches
Subtle arches
Rounded
Straight
Tapered
S-shaped
Short and thick
Extra-long tail
After this, we will include a section on which shapes you should consider for different face shapes to make sure your features are balanced.
Once we have gone through the different brow shapes, we will spend some time going over some of the different ways they can be styled, based on what is popular for 2021! These will include:
Boy brow
Natural
Windswept brow
Tinting
Having an understanding of your face shape, your dedication to upkeep, and personal style is really important in picking the perfect eyebrow style for you. There are endless combinations of brows and makeup styles, so feel free to experiment to find what works!
Our one recommendation is to start light on the shaping and take your time. As I’m sure anyone who existed in the 90s will know, it’s really easy to overpluck, and the results can be long term. If you need help getting your shape, we can help - we offer waxing services for eyebrows! Our brow experts can help you find the right shape for your face.
Eyebrow shaping:
Arched toward the tail
The arch toward the tail look is a classic silhouette for your eyebrows. Instead of shaping to have an arch in the middle (or no arch at all!), you’ll want to start your angling just before the outer corner of your eyebrow. The really great part of this brow shape is the fact that it works on almost any face shape!
Arched in the middle
If you have arches in the center, it’s not time to run away from them. Instead, embrace it! Centered arches can really flatter the face, but we recommend seeing a professional if you decide it’s time to clean them up.
Your brow expert can make sure that your stray hairs are plucked, leaving a well-defined center arch. If you try to do it yourself, just make sure you go really slow, and spend some time making sure the shapes above both eyes match. An over plucked centre arch could mean a permanent look of shock (much like the high arches in the next section!)
High arches
If you have a flair for the dramatic, a high arch is a MUST. Shaping this can be tricky as you’ll need to push the eyebrow above the brow bone - and you need to be careful to make sure your arch is toward the tail, not the center. If you arch towards the centre, you’ll look permanently shocked!
Subtle arches
Subtle arches are the middleman between a rounded brow and an arched look. When you’re working to shape your brows, you’ll simply define your brow arch a lot less than you would with a high arch.
Typically, those with naturally subtle arches will go this route, rather than trying to pluck their way to a dramatic look. This means the maintenance is a lot simpler! All you’ll need to do is clean up the surrounding area with a tweezer, and an eyebrow pencil to fill in the sparse areas before you’re ready to hit the town.
Rounded
Rounded eyebrows emphasize soft arches and angles. Essentially, when shaping your eyebrows, you’ll skip the arch-defining step and instead focus on rounding everything out. We recommend this style for when you have a more angled face or distinctive angular features like a pointy chin or nose.
It will help bring your features into balance. Additionally, you’ll want to fluff up your brows when it’s time to style. We recommend either the boy brow or windswept brow to pull your brows into a fluffier, more natural look.
Straight
Straight (or flat) brows are different from upward brows. The reason why they may be used interchangeably is that in order to have a true ‘upward’ look, you need to have the shape naturally, as they are harder to reproduce.
Straight eyebrows lack a clear arch and are best worn by those who don’t naturally have an arch, to begin with as it means they can keep their full, natural look. Upward eyebrows, on the other hand, have a rise at the tail towards the hairline, and have been described as more of a “fashion brow”.
If your eyebrows are a bit thinner, you may consider doing a boy brow or laminated brow look in order to build the volume that is characteristic of this style. However, if you already have full brows, it’s easy to maintain. Just make sure the hairs are trim and brushed, and add some brow tint (powder, cream, gel, professional dye, etc) if you want to darken or lighten them a bit.
Tapered
Tapered brows are a great look - the inner two-thirds will be noticeably thicker than the ends, and will visually ‘taper’ towards the outer corner of the eye. If you have a natural brow shape like this, lucky you! It means keeping this look will be relatively straightforward, and will likely only require some light shaping.
If you have a uniform thickness across the brow it will require significantly more maintenance to keep it up, including waxing or threading. Make sure you bring a brow expert on board to make sure it’s shaped correctly!
S-Shaped
S-shaped brows are typically not purposely styled and are instead naturally occurring. They’re tricky to replicate as they start closer to the eye, and then curve upwards with a lift at the tail. This doesn’t mean that you have to shy away from your beautiful s-shape!
Embrace your natural eyebrows and simply have them cleaned up and tweaked to fit your face shape. In the next section, we will go over some face shapes and the recommended eyebrow shaping for each. Or, if you want a pro, feel free to get in touch with your brow experts, who will help you get that initial shape for you.
Short and thick
Short and thick eyebrows are making a comeback as a statement brow, and to help your face look younger. If your eyebrows are already naturally short, yay! If they’re short and thin, you’ll want to consider filling them out and darkening them to keep with the statement look, otherwise, they’ll look barely there.
Extra-long tail
The extra long-tail goes beyond the eye to take that dramatic arched brow to new levels. If you’re hoping to achieve this look, Good Housekeeping recommends using a brow pomade to extend the length of your brows. This works best if it is the identical shade to your eyebrows, so make sure to choose your pomade carefully!
Picking the Right Eyebrow Style for Your Face Shape
You’ve probably finished the last section and thought, “Wow, I’d love any of these eyebrows!”. If that’s the case, and you’re unsure where to start, picking your look based on your face shape is probably your best bet. This will help ensure that your face is balanced and that you frame all your stunning features!
Rectangular faces
For a rectangular face, opt for a rounded brow with a minimal or soft arch. To give your face an appearance of more width, consider giving your brows a longer tail shape. If you’re wanting to avoid arches altogether, a straight brow also helps give the appearance of width
Square faces
For square faces, it’s important to balance some of the sharper features and give some soft angles. For eyebrows, this could mean an s-shape, a soft arch, or a rounded brow. The key is to soften the facial features by softening the eyebrow. If you have a small face, consider the thick and short brow, keeping everything undefined where you can.
Oval faces
Oval faces are symmetrical, with facial features well balanced. If you have an oval face, it’s important to make sure you don’t lean towards a dramatic brow as it can undo the delicate symmetry you have. Instead, opt for an arch about two-thirds down the brow, or for a minimal arch as a way to compliment the face without overpowering it.
Diamond faces
Diamond faces (wider cheekbones, narrow forehead, and chin) will benefit most from a tapered brow or a soft arch to help balance the angular cheekbones.
Round faces
For round faces, an s-shape may help provide some soft angles for the face. If your face is small, thick and short brows will help fill in the face without becoming an overwhelming feature. If your round face has angular features, consider a minimal arch to soften them. Otherwise, a high arch is best to give you the angles that you may not have.
Heart-shaped faces
For heart-shaped faces, some of the sharper features like high cheekbones and pointy chins can be brought together with a tapered brow, which provides a softened tail to bring everything together. Much like the round and square faces, soft arches and minimal shaping help bring out the softer features of the face.
Eyebrow Styling: Top Trends for 2021
Boy brow (or Soap Brows)
These eyebrows became absolute trendsetters in 2020, and are achieved in a few different ways. Starting with its namesake, ‘soap brows’, you’ll use a clear soap bar and a spoolie brush to swipe the bar, and then brush in upward strokes, filling out your brows in a striking fluffy pattern.
If you aren’t ready to put soap bars on your brows, we get it. You can also achieve the look through brow wax, or ‘brow lamination’ which achieves the same look by chemically straightening the brows.
Windswept brow
The windswept brow is a subtle version of the soap brow - instead of brushing straight upwards, it is brushed at a diagonal - balancing the more radical style with the classic look. You can use a brow wax to hold this look into place, and then a powder can be used to fill in any lighter spots.
Natural
If you’ve got it, flaunt it! One of the top trends for 2021 is a return to natural looks. This includes eyebrows. If you have full, dark brows, rock them! If your brows are naturally thin, love them!
Our suggestion when going natural is to simply enhance what you have and focus on filling in sparse areas or darkening them a touch so they become more visible. Otherwise, simply love what you have.
Tinting
One of the things that are so great about tinting, is it still leaves the door open for different styles and shaping. However, it makes it a lot more convenient for everyday wear, as you’ll no longer need to colour in your brows.
If you have fair hair, even going a little darker can make a huge difference when it comes to framing your face. Tinting can help reduce the steps you take to get ready in the morning, and is often very reasonably priced, especially compared to a number of other brow treatments like lamination or tattooing.
Key Takeaway of this Eyebrow Styles Guide:
The key takeaway of this brow guide is that no one style of brow can be considered perfect. Instead, it’s choosing the right brow and styling for your face, features and style that will land you the ‘perfect’ brow.
Since we are all on lockdown, now’s the time to play with your style, and experiment with different shapes to find that perfect fit. If you don’t know where to start, we can help! We offer brow tinting and waxing to help give you that perfect shape, and limit upkeep by dyeing your eyebrow hairs with a semi permanent colour that will let you ditch the makeup.