7 Eyebrow Mistakes Every Woman Makes According to Makeup Artists

Shading With a Different Hue

“When it comes to eyebrows, you always want the color of your brow to match the base color of your hair,” explains celebrity makeup artist Carl Ray, adding that this technique will give your eyes a nice “lift” by drawing attention to the arch when applying a darker shade (don’t focus on the color of your highlights) to accentuate your brow. 

Creating Asymmetric Brows

While it’s easy to assume that our brows should look identical to each other, this is not the case, and it tends to make us look over the top (and not in a good way). “Remember, your brows are sisters, not twins—they should not look identical,” explains Benefit Cosmetics global brow expert Jared Bailey. “The best way to do this is to only tweeze hairs beneath your brow line, instead of along the top of your brow.”

Not Shading to Your Advantage

According to celebrity makeup artist Karan Mitchell, women are far too guilty of only tracing their existing brows and not adding anything more. “When using eyebrow color, women tend to shade in what they already have instead of re-shaping and accentuating their existing brow shape,” she explains. Instead, try to find a brow pencil or gel that’s easy to work with in order to shape the perfect brow. Right now, we’re loving this one by Anastasia. 

Cutting Coarse Brows

“If you have very curly or coarse brows, cutting them too short is not the answer,” explains Umbreen Sheikh, CEO and founder of Wink Brow Bar in New York. In fact, the opposite is true. “Trimming too much or too short can make your brows look thinner.” Instead, Sheikh recommends a tiny little trim and applying some aloe gel or castor oil to keep them softer, tamer and full, with no gaps.

Sporting Barely There Brows

“Skinny, barely there brows can look harsh and actually adds years to your look,” says Bailey, explaining that our brows naturally thin out as time passes, so a full, lush brow looks more youthful. “Look at the fullest section of your brows, use that as your guide, and use natural-looking brow makeup to add volume where needed—work with your natural fullness!”

Keeping Brows Too Far Apart

Sheikh explains that while it’s a common rule in the beauty world that your inner brow should begin where the inner part of your eye starts, this can often lead to a wider gap than you should have. “Try to stay a few millimeters’s closer inward for a much more youthful and natural appearance.”

Over-Tweezing At Home

According to Bailey, it’s easy to spot an “over-tweezer”—their brows appear so far apart that they literally appear to fall flat and don’t frame their face. He adds that if you must tweeze yourself, do so cautiously. “Try to stick to tweezing strays only, as the closer you get to your brow line, the more room for error—we call it the ‘no zone.’” Try to leave the actual shaping to the professionals. Bailey advises tweezing only the obvious hairs below your arches and using brow gel to control the wonky hairs on top.