How to Achieve an Eyebrow Shape That Flatters Your Face (2025)

As a girl with full eyebrows with naturally high arches, I’ve been told most of my life that I have “perfect brows” — thanks mom! — but that doesn't mean that I’ve always known what to do with them.

I’ve personally cycled through quite a few eyebrow trends depending on what’s been most popular at the time — fluffy, natural looking soap brows to thin and routinely manicured 90s brows. There was even a time I got my brows waxed every two weeks and chronically tweezed in between. Luckily, I’ve finally been able to submit my brow woes to the pros. In order to get to the bottom of determining the best eyebrow shape for your face, I’ve tapped a couple of brow specialists to get all the tips on how to achieve my best brows yet.

Whether you were born with naturally dense, bushy brows or have a more sparse variety, you can still find a brow shape that works for you.

How do I choose my eyebrow shape?

We’ve all seen the wide variety in eyebrow shapes out there. From straight to arched to rounded, it can be difficult to figure out where to land when trying to find a shape that will work for you.

But instead of trying to mimic the look of someone else’s brows, brow specialist Kelley Baker says the best rule of thumb for selecting a flattering eyebrow shape is to work with your natural face features. “Brows are like bodies, no two are alike,” she says. “A good example of what brow shape is best for your face is to give you a look that’s the opposite of what your features are.”

She explains that an arched brow will work well for a round face, while someone with an oval face may look nice with a straight brow. “We’re basically aiming for dimension and giving your brows a lift whether your face is round, heart-shaped or oval,” she says.

Another factor to prioritize while shaping your brows is spacing and thickness. “It's essential to maintain the right balance — ensuring enough space between your brows and eyes to avoid a heavy look while keeping a gentle arch for a youthful, lifted effect,” says Sania Vucetaj, celebrity brow stylist and owner of Sania’s Brow Bar in New York City. In agreement with Vucetaj, Baker also notes that “thin brows will age you,” but “fuller brows give you a more youthful appearance.”

Vucetaj also specifies that your eyebrows should be “twins, not just sisters.” Maintaining their identical look can be achieved through consistency and a little help from brow mapping.

What is brow mapping?

A tool used by brow experts, brow mapping is a system in which a guide is created to help determine the ideal starting point, arch and end point for each brow. “Brow mapping is basically creating your own personal ‘fill in’ guideline,” Baker says.

So, how do you create this guideline? According to Baker, a beginner can create their ideal brow shape by following these three key steps:

✔️ Start point (inner brow): Hold a brow pencil vertically against the side of the nose. Where it meets the brow is where the brow should start. This helps frame the face and keep balance.

✔️ Arch placement: Angle the pencil from the edge of the nose through the center of the eye. This is where the highest point of the arch should be, creating a natural lift.

✔️ End point (tail of the brow): Tilt the pencil from the edge of the nose to the outer corner of the eye. Where it meets the brow marks the ideal end point, ensuring a flattering shape.

To ensure accuracy when you attempt to brow map, Baker says you can “use a brow mapping string or a fine brow pencil to lightly sketch these points before filling in with product.” Be sure not to get too heavy handed with brow pencil application as “keeping the shape soft and natural will enhance facial features while maintaining symmetry,” she notes.

How can I maintain my brow shape at home?

Though Baker recommends seeing brow specialist to get a base shape for your brows, she says afterwards “you can maintain your shape by tweezing your brows as soon as they grow in.” She also suggests not to let your brows grow out for too long as it could result in confusion concerning which hairs you actually want to remove — a recipe for potentially over tweezing. “In between appointments it’s always best to use your highlighter pencil to cover any unwanted hairs; it will camouflage new growth until you go back to see a pro,” she says.

If you're attempting to shape your brows for the first time, I've included a few products below that have been suggested by both Baker and Vucetaj, as well as picks recommended by the Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab to help get you started.