Shaping your eyebrows

Perfectly shaped eyebrows can do wonders to your face making your face look more defined and sharp. With perfect eyebrows you can not only look younger but you can also change the shape of your face.

Eyebrow shapes are always changing with fashion, from very full to thin brows and straight to a high arch. However eyebrow should be shaped as per the shape of your face.

Analysing Your Facial shape

To analyse your facial shape, pull your hair back from your forehead so that you can get an overall picture of your eyebrows and examine your bone structure carefully in a mirror. Pick out your key features and then compare your analysis with the five different face shapes shown below.

Square: This shape is easily identified by its square jaw line and solid bone structure. The cheekbones are flat and unnoticeable, while the forehead tends to be wide and angled with plum cheeks. For a square face, slope the eyebrows towards the middle of the ear. A high arched brow elongates a square face.

Round: Here, your cheeks, chin and forehead practically form a circle. Your cheeks tend to be plump and full, obscuring the cheekbones. For a round face, aim the end of the brow towards the tip of the ear.

Heart: Being narrow at the bottom and broad at the top marks this face. Your chin will be pointed and prominent. Cheekbones may be high, but often are not so obvious because of the width of the face. For a heart face, aim the eyebrows in a straight line towards the middle of the ear in a slight slope.

Long: This shape will have either a long forehead or a long chin; distinct drawn and rather raw-boned features are visible giving a tired look. Cheekbones lack lift because of the length of the face. For a long face, shape the brow in a straight line towards the tip of the ear.

Oval: Oval is a perfectly balanced face; the top half balances the bottom half. For an oval face, the brow should curve down towards the lower ear.

Eyebrows Shaping

Shaping your eyebrows beyond basic grooming is best done by a professional. Although, once you get the line and shape you want, you may be able to maintain it with regular tweezing yourself. Tweezing your eyebrows is the most dramatic way to change your face without too much pain and discomfort. Following are a few tips that will help you shape your eyebrows.

1. Numb your eyebrows with ice and keep the ice near by. This will help you feel less pain.

2. Sit near a window to get the best light. Natural daylight is the best bet, so sit near a window and use a hand-held magnifying mirror.

3. Cleanse the brow area thoroughly. Using a brow pencil, outline the brow's natural line. This acts as a guide and prevents you from plucking too much hair.

4. Gently pull the skin of the outer edge of your eyebrow up and out so that you can see the brow bone.

5. Use a pair of tweezers to pluck the hairs. Pluck out one hair at a time, tweezing in the direction the hair grows. When you begin tweezing, start at the middle of the brow and work towards your ear, and then work from the middle in towards your nose.

6. Start plucking in the middle of the eyebrow and pluck toward the outer end; then go back to the middle and pluck toward the nose. Your brows should extend a little beyond each corner of your eye.

7. While tweezing the area underneath the brow, follow the natural shape and avoid plucking hairs from above the brow. Don't pluck too much from either end - brows should extend a little beyond the corner of your eyes.

8. When shaping your eyebrows use your facial features as a guideline.

9. After you finish tweezing your brows, wipe the area with a cotton bud or swab dipped in some antiseptic lotion to avoid any infection. Rub a piece of ice on the area if it feels sore.