How to Pluck Eyebrows for Beginners

By: Kimberly Johnson

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Perfectly shaped eyebrows are part of maintaining a polished appearance. When performed correctly, the art of plucking can transform the face. While the basic process is straightforward, many beginners fear overplucking or an unnatural appearance. By following some basic principles, you can achieve perfect eyebrow arches that complement your facial structure. Best of all, after you perform the initial shaping, it takes only seconds to maintain the look in the future.

Step 1

Stand in front of a well-lit mirror and comb your eyebrows using an eyebrow brush. Position the brush parallel to the left eyebrow and brush the eyebrow hairs upward toward your forehead. Place the brush at the inner corner of the eyebrow and draw it out toward the side of your head to smooth the hairs down into a more natural position. Repeat the process on the right eyebrow.

Step 2

Pick up a pencil and turn it parallel to your nose. Place the bottom of it just beside the left side of your nose and take note of where the top of the pencil touches your eyebrow. Use a dark-colored eyeliner to draw a vertical line on your eyebrow where the inside of the pencil touches it. Repeat the process on the right eyebrow and set the pencil aside.

Step 3

Hold a pair of tweezers between the thumb and forefinger of your dominant hand. Point the open end of the tweezers toward your left eyebrow and pluck out any hairs that fall outside the line you drew with the eyeliner. Position the base of each hair in between the tweezers, close them and pull away from your face with firm pressure. Repeat the plucking process on your right eyebrow.

Step 4

Place the bottom end of the pencil along the left side of your nose and angle the top of it toward the outer corner of your left eye. Note the location where the pencil crosses your eyebrow, which is where the hairs should end. Mark the outside of the pencil with a vertical line using the eyeliner and then repeat the process on your right eye.

Step 5

Set the pencil aside and pick up the tweezers. Pluck out all hairs that fall outside the vertical lines that you drew on both eyes.

Step 6

Examine the top portion of each eyebrow and look for any hairs that grow above the natural brow line. Remove each of these with the tweezers until a smooth arch occurs. You should only pluck out two to three hairs from the top of your brows.

Step 7

Examine the bottom portion of each brow, again looking for any hairs that grow too far down and outside of the natural brow line. Pluck these out with the tweezers.

Step 8

Locate the bottom portion of your left brow that occurs just above the outer corner of the iris of your eye. Pluck two to three hairs from the bottom of the brow at this location to create a slight arch. Repeat the process on the right eyebrow.