How To Get High Arched Eyebrows

Which Eyebrow Shape Do You Have? Here's How To Tell + Expert Grooming Tips

How To Shape Your Natural Brows At Home During COVID-19

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The art of styling eyebrows takes some serious skill. For some it's an especially long and winding road, as it can take years to truly master your desired look—be it sharp, high arches or big and bushy brows. To make the journey a touch easier, most professionals agree on one thing: Discover your natural eyebrow shape, and groom from there.

So step away from the tweezers, stow the brow pencil, and determine which brow category you fall into (there are five!) before going to town on those face framers. Below, our guide to everything eyebrow shapes, plus expert styling advice for each archetype.

Eyebrow shapes, explained.

The thing is, brows don't necessarily have to fit a certain mold—your eyebrows may naturally adhere to one shape or another (or perhaps a blend of two), but that's not to say you must groom them accordingly, if at all. A simple brush up will certainly do. But if you're dying to typecast yourself as one of these common shapes, here's your guide:

1. Rounded

Round eyebrows never come to a point, even at the highest peak. Rather, says brow expert Joey Healy, the brow only looks rounder at the top, usually with a bit of a curved arch. "[Round brows] are softer, and I think they work well if you have a lot of strong angles on your face—a really square jawline, maybe a pointier chin or nose." In other words, these softer brows can offset any angular features.

2. Arched

Here, you have the opposite of a rounded brow (read: It comes to a lifted peak at the highest point). It adds definition to your face, so Healy notes it typically flatters those with softer, rounder features. "It gives you more geometry in your face," he says. Although, there's a fine line between accentuating that perfect peak and making it look too triangular (more on that later).

Also in the arched category, there's a spectrum of sorts: You have soft arches, with just a slight lift at the peak ("It's most popular right now," says Alicia Halpin, esthetician and owner of Foundation Beauty & Esthetics). Then there's your medium arch, which ups the intensity a bit, and, finally, your high arch with an aggressive peak up top.

3. Upward

Contrary to what you might think, upward brows actually provide the greatest amount of lift, says Healy. Even though these brows don't have a defined arch, upward brows tend to rise at the tail and up toward the hairline. "It's more of a fashion brow," Healy notes, which is why many request upward brows in the hopes of a chic, editorial look. But, alas, "You need to have them naturally, as they are harder to make."

4. Straight (or flat)

Here's where the semantics get a bit tricky: Some professionals use "straight" and "upward" interchangeably, while others categorize straight brows as flat. Nonetheless, there's a difference between upward and flat brows. "Flat, I say, is when it kind of sits heavy—two parallel lines directly across," Healy says, whereas upward brows don't necessarily have an arch, but they do have a slight tilt at the tail.

5. S-shaped

S-shaped brows are something of an anomaly, says Healy. "There is sort of a dip in the front," he says (hence, the S-shape), that resembles a scooped-out sort of brow. "The tails are kind of moving, and your front is kind of dipping." It's typically not a natural shape, he notes—more like the aftermath of a cosmetic treatment or plucking gone wrong.

How to enhance the brows you have.

Once you've identified your natural brow shape, there are some grooming tips to keep in mind for each type. Of course, you can ultimately brush up your brows any way you please (eyebrow shapes are by no means the be-all and end-all), but the pros have noticed quite a few patterns over the years for the different brow shapes. Below, you'll find the basics:

1. Work with what you naturally have.

First things first: You don't want to stray too much from your natural shape. For example, if you have arched brows, it'll be quite difficult to achieve a true, straight brow without plucking them too thin. You can slightly modify them to match a certain shape, but use the guide as mere inspiration for your natural brows. "[It's about] leaning into what you have and not working too hard against it," notes Healy.

2. Determine which shape flatters your face.

Your brows are your face framers, after all, so there's something to be said about grooming your brows to complement your face shape. Again, don't do too much to change your natural brow type, but perhaps modify them a bit with this inspiration in mind:

For round faces: Halpin suggests a medium arch, even a high arch if it works for you (again, be careful not to make them too triangular). Generally, round faces fare well with defined brows that can add some sharpness.
For square faces: "These face shapes have a natural 'strength' look to them," says Halpin. Stick to straight or upward brows to keep them looking bold without adding in more angles—you can opt for a soft arch, says Halpin, but make sure there isn't too much of a peak. Rounded brows also work to offset any sharp angles.
For diamond faces: These face shapes are narrow and angular, so you might want to soften up the brows, here. Think a soft or medium arch, says Halpin.
For oval faces: As with hairstyles, oval face shapes are compatible with most brow types. Still, "I would recommend straight, soft arch, or medium arch," Halpin notes (as peaks can add some slight definition to an oval face).
For heart-shaped faces: "The face shape has a sharp chin, so it's best paired with softer brows," Halpin says. Round brows or a soft arch is your best bet.
For rectangular faces: As mentioned, soft brows tend to complement any sharp angles, so a rounded brow works well here. Rectangular faces also tend to be longer than they are wide, so a curved peak can add in some roundness—or you could opt for flat brows with zero arch, which can shorten the face quite a bit.

3. Map them out, and tweeze or fill in accordingly.

Here comes the legwork: First, you'll want to make sure each brow is symmetrical—starting, ending, and peaking at the same place. Makeup artist Riku Campo suggests using an eyebrow brush or pencil as a measuring tool: "Place an eyebrow brush or pencil on one side of your nose and point it straight up toward your brows: This is where your brows should start," he writes. "Anything between that point and your other eyebrow can be tweezed or shaved."

As for where they should peak, he notes, "Leaving the brush at the side of your nose, point it diagonally from your nostril to the outside edge of your iris: This is where your brows should arch." And, finally, where the tails terminate: "Point your brush from the outside corner of your nose diagonally to the outside corner of your eye: This is where your brows should end," Campo writes.

After you have mapped out your goal brows, you can remove any stray hairs or fill in any gaps within your desired shape. Et voilà: professional-grade brows in a snap. Although, don't be too crushed if they don't look like an exact, symmetrical pair—as the popular saying goes, your brows are sisters, not twins.

The takeaway.

If you're looking to elevate your brow game, the first step is to identify which brow shape you naturally have. Then you can brush up those fluffy face framers to make a statement that truly suits your bone structure—a recipe for next-level brows, we'd say.

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