- Overplucked, blocky, or bushy—whatever your brow era, the key to perfect eyebrows lies in balance and proportion, not trends.
- Brow expert Vanita Parti, founder of Blink Brow Bar, swears by brow mapping, a simple technique to measure and shape your brows perfectly to your face.
- Learn how to identify your ideal arch, start, and end points, plus how to tailor your brow size to flatter your unique face shape (no tweezing regrets here).
Everyone hits the bad eyebrow phase at least once in their life. It's basically a rite of passage in the story of your face. And while this universal experience may not be widely appreciated (war flashbacks to overplucked 90s brows, blocky Instagram microbladed brows of 2015, or soap brow trauma circa 2021, anyone?), it has united us in appreciating the art of a perfect pair of eyebrows. Silver linings, hey?
So, with that said, I think we can all agree that finding your perfect eyebrow shape isn't just about following trends. But what is it about? Well, it's all in balancing, proportioning, and enhancing your natural features.
Intrigued to find out more? You're in luck! Cosmopolitan spoke to Vanita Parti, founder of Blink Brow Bar, who shared that the best way to start is with a little technique called brow mapping.
"Brow mapping is a way of sketching out how you would like your brows to look and measures the ratio of length, width, and arch," explains Vanita. "It can be done with a brow pencil at home. Place the top of the pencil at the bridge of your nose and swivel it to the front of your brow to find your starting point.
"Then, move it to line up with the iris to locate your arch, and finally, to the outer corner of your eye to determine where your brow should end. Mark each point with a brow pen or concealer; it's an easy way to ensure symmetry and stay true to your natural shape for the best results."
Once you've mapped your brows, the next step is tailoring their shape to your face. "Face shape matters," says Vanita. "If you have an oval face and create high, rounded brows, you'll throw off the balance. Brows should complement the face, not compete with it."
She suggests a high, angular arch for heart-shaped faces to add lift, while longer faces suit flatter brows with just a subtle dip to create harmony.
Though, do remember: Everyone's face shape is different. You might have an oval shape on the whole, but you also may want to elongate your forehead. This isn't a one-size-fits-all type of deal–proportions, people! It all depends on your preferences and what you want to enhance.
And it's not just the shape that counts; size plays a role, too. "Skinny brows might look better on a smaller face, but can look lost if the face is broader. Thicker brows can also overwhelm a petite face, so getting both shape and size right is key to achieving perfect balance," says Vanita.
Or if you want to experiment before committing, why not try a handy TikTok filter?
The possibilities are endless! Just go easy with the tweezers, okay? You can always take off more, whereas adding hair back on, however, is a lil harder...
Lia Mappoura (she/her) is the Beauty Writer at Cosmopolitan UK. Covering everything from viral celebrity hair and makeup news to the latest trend predictions, she’s an expert in recognising the season’s next big beauty look (before it ends up all over your social media feeds). You’ll usually find her putting TikTok’s recent beauty hacks to the Hype Test, challenging the gender-makeup binary and social stereotypes, or fangirling over the time Kourtney Kardashian viewed her Instagram Story (yes, it’s true). Find her also on LinkedIn.
