How to pluck your brows without plucking up

The memory still haunts you. That fretful day when your older and wiser 15-year-old sister offered to wax your unibrow for the first time. You said yes. You screamed. And so did half of the seventh grade class when they got a good look at you.

It's time to let go of the family baggage.

You’re a big girl now, completely capable of DIY'ing your own gorgeous, magazine cover-worthy brows. All it takes is a little know-how and a low-to-medium threshold for pain.

Hibba Beauty, a green beauty salon in NYC founded by eyebrow expert Hibba Kapil, has been benevolent enough to share the following foolproof brow-grooming technique. Pluck off.

Tools You Need

• A slanted small scissor
• A good brow brush
• Sharp tweezers with slant front - Hibba recommends Makeup Forever’s
• A perfect brow defining pencil - Hibba recommends Origins Fill in the Blanks (comes in blonde and brunette)
• A brow wax
• A good mirror and great lighting!

Determine The Ideal Shape of Your Brows

Don’t just choose the shape your fave supermodel has. Go for a shape that matches your face. For round faces, go for straighter brows with a slight arch coming from the bottom. For square jaw lines, go for a rounder softer shape. The thickness of your brows is based on the thickness of your facial features. For big eyes you want big brows etc…

Prep Your Brows

1. Brush your brows upwards and then outwards
2. Hold your finger covering your natural brow thickness; anything outside of your finger should be trimmed very loosely and not too tightly (trimming loosely ensures a natural look). Try not to press too hard on the scissor or you will get a razored look
3. Take your brow defining pencil and draw your brows in the shape that matches the shape of your face.
4. Once that is taken care of, brush your brows again and trim if necessary (chances are that it’s not necessary).

Time To Tweeze

Once you've trimmed your brow hair, you may tweeze anything that falls outside of the outline you drew on your brows. Be careful not to over-tweeze! Stick thin brows are not what we're going for here. To avoid over-tweezing, methodically remove the hair outside of the outline you drew on your brow. Do not pull too hard, as you can create an ingrown hair (ingrowns in the brows prevent future hair from growing in). If cleaning up from a threading you had previously, just follow the natural shape of your brows, and try not to stray too much into the penciled area you drew. Less is more! If you're unsure about how your brow looks without the pencil, rub the pencil off and look.

Voila!

When you're done tweezing add a little bit of brow wax (holds the shape of your brows in place) and brush it back and forth. For a long lasting effect, top it with clear mascara. Look in the mirror and see how fabulous you look. Or if you just aren't satisfied with your own handiwork, make an appointment at Hibba Beauty.