EYEBROW MAPPING
Eyebrows are very much individual for everyone and there is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to shaping the brows. So when considering shaping your client’s brows, it’s important that you work towards the correct brow shape for their face and their natural brow shape. This is where brow mapping comes into play.
Brow Mapping is a technique that is used to help find the ideal brow shape on the face. We as brow specialists take multiple measurements of the brows and eyes to establish the correct brow shape. In essence, it is a process of marking specific points on the brows allowing you to highlight where the eyebrows should start, where the arch should be and where the brow tails should finish. It’s a great way to achieve the perfect brow shape for the face and when done properly, really change the way the face looks, drawing attention to certain areas and away from others.
Brow mapping is an extremely important part of the brow shaping process. This allows you to perfectly define where your brows should start and end based on the facial symmetry of your client.
We’ve all had brow mishaps whether that’s from years of over plucking, a bad experience at a brow bar or perhaps some brow hair loss so when our brows start to grow back they can often grow out of shape. It is easy to get into the cycle of plucking odd hairs that regrow however in order to get neat, tidy and
correctly shaped brows, we need to map them as a starting point to get an idea where we need to start allowing the hairs to grow back and where we need to be removing hairs.
Eyebrow mapping creates the brow shape and size that is correct for your face. Unlike a stencil where you use a ‘pre-shaped’ stencil to draw your brow shape, eyebrow mapping is specific to you, taking into consideration your features. By mapping the brows it brings symmetry to your face as well as balancing the eyes and defining the face and when done correctly, can create the illusion of a lift around the eyes.
While brow mapping is regularly used to achieve brow symmetry, experienced brow technicians are able to re create brow shapes tailored to each client without the full use of a brow mapping procedure. They use key parts of the brow including the tip, arch and tail of the brow as well as assessing the brow length to create the recommended shape based on a number of clients factors such as the face shape. Working regularly with different types of brows is the best way to improve your brow work.
In order to know which shaped eyebrows suit your client, you will firstly need to identify their face shape. Face shapes can be identified by drawing an imaginary picture frame around the face. The eyebrows form the top of the frame, the jaw line forms the bottom of the frame and the sides are formed between the temples and the jaw line.
Oval Characteristics:
- Face gracefully tapers towards chin
- Wider forehead
- Prominent cheekbones
- Ideal face shape
Eyebrow goal: to maintain this ideal
oval fane shape by generally keeping
to a soft angled eyebrow shape. The
oval face shape is seen as the ideal
face shape because it suits many
styles of brow. That said there are still
a couple of rules to abide by to
achieve the most flattering brow
shape on an oval face.
Tips:
Make sure not to put oval brows on an oval shaped face. You can
avoid this by making sure your arch doesn’t sit in the centre of the
brows
Keep the contour of the brow shape soft to avoid making the brows
appear too sharp or angular.
Square Characteristics:
- Forehead, cheekbones and jawline are almost the same width
- Square, bony jawline which can be a prominent feature
Eyebrow goal: to soften and balance
the strong jawline.
Solution: depending on the jawline.
Start with the curved eyebrow shape,
then add more angle to create
balance. The stronger and more bony
the jawline is, the more angled the
brow shape that should be created.
A defined and sharp peak at the top of the brow makes it appear longer. A square face tends to have more angular features. Our objective is to make this face shape look longer and the jaw line to appear more narrow. Opt for a soft lifted arch and a lengthened tail which will help to elongate the face and make the jawline look slimmer.
Tips :
Avoid round brows on a square face as they will mis match the face and its features. Avoid flat brows on a square face as the face will appear shorter and even more square.
Keep the contours of the brows angular i.e. a squarer front and a straighter lines. Add a in a curved element to the shape under the arch to gain balance.
Add height to the arch to lengthen the face. Keep the arch nearer to the centre of the brow to draw attention to the centre of the face Add length to the brows to give the illusion of a slimmer jawline.
Round Characteristics:
- Face width and length almost the same
- Widest at the cheeks
Eyebrow goal: to make the round face appear longer.
Solution: a high arch eyebrow. It’s up and down lines would draw the viewers eye up and down and lengthens it. This creates more vertical lines. Avoid rounded brows as it makes the face more round. Rounded brows on a rounded face will only make it appear rounder.
The objective is to make this face shape look longer and the jaw to appear narrower. Opt for a soft lifted arch and a lengthened tail to create the illusion of a longer face and slimmer jawline.
Tips :
Avoid straight flat brows on a round face as it will mismatch the face and make it look shorter. Avoid a round brow because this will make the face an its features look even rounder Avoid a sharp, angular shape as these will not complement the curves of the face.
Keep the contours of the brows soft and slightly curved under the arch Brush the hairs at the front upright to add an angular element to the brow shape to gain balance.
Add height at the arch to lengthen the face. Keep the arch nearer to the centre of the brow to make the face appear more oval
Add length to the eyebrows to give the illusion of a slimmer jawline.
Rectangular Characteristics:
- Face gracefully tapers towards the chin
- Elongated feature from forehead to chin
- Somewhat have a prominent chin
A long face is typically oblong or rectangular in shape and tends to be very narrow with close and deep set eyes. Our objective is to make this face shape appear shorter and wider. Opt for a flatter curved brow shape with a shallow arch and longer tails to make the face look shorter and wider at the temples
Eyebrow Goal: to make a long face appear shorter Solution: a flat eyebrow shape. The horizontal line would ‘stop’ the viewer from seeing the elongated face, instead makes it appear to be shorter.
Tips :
Avoid a height to the brows as this will make the face look longer.
Keep brows flatter so as not to create the illusion of a shorter face.
Keep characteristics soft and curved to complement the features.
Keep brows wider apart to draw attention away from the centre of the
face
The highest point of the arch should be further away from the centre
of the brows.
Arch the brows from underneath rather then the top of the brows to
open up deep set eyes
Add length to the tails to make the face look wider at the temples.
Heart Characteristics:
- Face strongly tapers towards chin
- Chin tends to be pointy
- Forehead may be a prominent feature
If your face is heart-shaped, you will see that the forehead is the widest part of the face with the narrowest being the point on the chin. Our objective is to make the forehead appear narrower and in turn soften the chin, making it look less ‘pointy’.
very slight curve that is shorter in length and closer together to draw
attention to the middle of the face and balance the proportions.
Eyebrow goal: to soften and balance the strong pointy chin and
maybe the prominent forehead.
Solution: forehead maybe the widest of the face. Depend on how
prominent the forehead is, start first with the lower arch, round curved
brows and then add more volume to it as it ‘adds’ more length to the
forehead as well as balancing the pointy chin.
Tips :
Avoid round brows on a heart shaped face as they will exaggerate the
heart shape.
Avoid flat, straight brows as they will make the face look triangular.
Keep the brows shorter in length to give the appearance of a more
narrow forehead to balance the jawline.
Keep the brows closer together to draw attention to the middle of the
face.
Keep the arch closer to the centre of the brow to draw attention to the
centre of the face.