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Eyebrow grooming: a step-by-step guide

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Whether you want to rock bushy eyebrows like Cara Delevingne or you're after Kim Kardashian's sleek and groomed look, maintaining your brows is an important part of any beauty routine. From choosing the right shape to top tips for plucking at home, we've created a step-by-step guide for ultimate eyebrow grooming.

eyebrows© Photo: iStock

Pick the right eyebrow shape to suit your face type

Pick the right shape

When it comes to the shape of your eyebrows, make sure it suits your face shape otherwise you could end up facing a beauty mishap! Thick or bushy brows are better suited to square faces while heart-shaped or round faces work best with groomed arches.

Determine your natural brow line

If you're planning to pluck your eyebrows at home, make sure you know where the natural line begins. Take a pencil and place it vertically against your nose – this is where your brow should start. Next, move the pencil upwards from the edge of the iris to work out the position of the brow arch. To find the end of the brow, line the pencil diagonally from the tip of your nose to the edge of your eye.

Tools you'll need

Stainless steel tweezers: ideal for plucking, these make a great long-term option. Choose a pair with a pointed tip to make it easier to remove fine hairs.

Eyebrow pencil: whether you have short eyebrows that need extending or bushy eyebrows with gaps, an eyebrow pencil makes for a quick solution to reveal your ideal look.

eyebrow kit© Photo: iStock

Plucking is the easiest option for maintaining your eyebrows at home

Plucking

To avoid overplucking, only remove hairs that don't follow your natural brow line, and only take away a few at a time. It's better to work on both eyebrows – it's much trickier to do one and then try and replicate the same look on the other.

Waxing and threading

If you want a groomed look but plucking doesn't appeal, waxing and threading are great alternatives. However these can be quite tricky to do yourself at home. Avoid any beauty disasters by heading to a beauty salon where they can give you expert advice on what will work best.

Maintaining bushy eyebrows

Rocking full brows but want a groomed look? Try a little brow gel or waxy lip balm to fix them in place, and leave a healthy glossy finish. If you've removed some hairs and are left with a gap, take an eyebrow pencil or powder one shade lighter than your brows, and use feathery strokes for a quick fix.

Rocking a groomed look

For flawless looking brows, an eyebrow pencil can make a great subtle solution if you're left with any gaps. If you find your brows are shorter than their natural line, you can also subtly accentuate the arch for a red carpet finish.

Aftercare

Once you have your ideal brows, it's important to maintain them. A weekly routine of plucking a few stray hairs that are showing will not only mean you avoid the risk of removing too many, but it also means you can last longer between waxing/threading sessions.

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