How to Maintain Perfect Eyebrows

Some girls like them bushy. Some girls like them barely there. We’re talking, of course, about eyebrows, and the many ways we shape and style the one part of our face we actually like having a bit of hair on.

While they serve a very real evolutionary purpose—keeping all kinds of grit and grime from injuring your peepers—eyebrows are so much more in the grand scheme of a girl’s face. If the eyes are the window to the soul, eyebrows can serve as some very chic curtains. Here are our tips for keeping the drapes in shape when you can’t make it to the salon:

Tweeze in between. Whether you’re a fan of waxing, threading or tweezing, maintaining your look at home can be a breeze with the right pair of tweezers (and yes, there is a difference). Choose a size that feels comfortable in your hand and keep those points sharp to enable the pick-up of even the shortest hairs. Certain companies, like plucking powerhouse Tweezerman, offer a free mail-in sharpening service.

When in doubt, use a guide. You wouldn’t trek up a mountain without one, so why take a risk when it comes to your face? “Bold brows are back and it’s very exciting to see,” says Malynda Vigliotti, AKA Boom Boom, of Boom Boom Brow Bar NYC. Shaping guides are available almost anywhere you can buy cosmetics. To avoid over-plucking when going at it freehand, Vigliotti recommends clients find and stick to a once-a-month salon date. “Hair grows in cycles,” she explains. “Stay away from the brow bone and just get the stragglers in between visits.”

Pick up a pencil or powder. If you miscalculate your perfect eyebrow size or shape, one of the quickest ways to fix a brow blunder takes little more than a trip to the drugstore. Choose a pencil or powder in a shade that’s the same as, or slightly darker than, your natural color and fill in any gaps, taking care to avoid any hairs that fall outside your desired brow shape. Make sure you keep your artistry on the hair and not your face—pigment on your skin is a dead giveaway that you’re faking it. Clean up any stray color with a cotton swab and give the finished product a once-over with a brow comb or clean mascara wand. If you’re not totally confident in your ability to color within the lines, brow tinting may be the solution for you.