Eyebrow Mapping Overview: How to Map Your Eyebrows

Eyebrow mapping is the process of using facial angles and lines to create symmetrical brows that suit your eye shape and features. This stencil-free process involves using a series of intersecting lines to determine the ideal places for your brows to start, peak, and end. Professionals at brow bars or salons will perform eyebrow shaping as a beauty service, but you can also do it at home to save money.

Mapping your eyebrows is a great way to determine a shape that is even and proportional to your face. The process involves marking a series of lines along the contours of your face to serve as guidelines for shaping your brows. Mapping ensures symmetrical brows and prevents you from accidentally overplucking or filling them in unevenly.

At-home and professional eyebrow mapping are essentially the same process, but there are some key differences between the two approaches.

1. 1. Cost: Working with an expert to map your brows costs between fifty and one hundred dollars on average, and performing the technique at home is free. Before booking a professional brow-mapping appointment, call the salon first to inquire about your makeup artist’s pricing and experience level.
2. 2. Experience: Professional brow artists have lots of experience mapping brows for various face shapes. They’ll likely be able to perform the process quicker and more precisely than you would at home.
3. 3. Freedom: Mapping your brows at home allows you to make minor adjustments based on your specific preferences, even after you have finished your makeup. Visiting a salon means that you won’t be able to return for adjustments once you leave, but you can perform touch-ups independently.
4. 4. Special services: If you want additional brow services like microblading (a form of permanent makeup so that your brows always look filled in) or threading (a gentle but meticulous method to remove errant brow hairs), always do so at a professional brow studio. These processes require special equipment that you likely don’t have at home, and expert precision makes all the difference.

DIY eyebrow mapping requires a handful of materials that you may already have on hand, including:

1. 1. Eyebrow gel: Use clear or colored eyebrow gel to finish the look.
2. 2. Eyebrow pencil: Use an eyebrow pencil to draw the mapping lines to shape your brows. If you prefer, use a pencil to fill in your brows instead of powder. Learn how to shape your eyebrows.
3. 3. Eyebrow powder: Have a pot of your favorite brow powder handy to fill in your brows after making the mapping lines.
4. 4. Makeup brush: Use a small, angled makeup brush with a long, straight handle to fill in your brows with powder and measure your mapping lines.
5. 5. Makeup remover and cotton swabs: Saturate a cotton swab with makeup remover, and use it to remove excess lines at the end of the process.
6. 6. Tweezers: You should have tweezers on hand if you plan to tweeze your brows and remove any errant hairs that interfere with your brow shape.

Here’s how to map perfect eyebrows at home:

1. 1. Grow out your brows. Refrain from tweezing or waxing your brows before mapping them so that you can tweeze afterward to suit your perfect shape as determined by mapping.
2. 2. Begin the mapping. Use your eyebrow pencil to make a small, faint line where one of your brows starts, which should align with the side of your nose. Repeat this process for the opposite brow.
3. 3. Mark the end of your brows. Angle your makeup brush from the bottom corner of your nose to the outer corner of your eye. Where the brush extends past the corner of your eye to your outer brow bone is where your brow should end. Mark this area with your eyebrow pencil. Repeat for the other brow.
4. 4. Find your arch. Angle the makeup brush up from the bottom corner of your nose so that it crosses the center of your eye. Use your pencil to mark where your makeup brush touches your brow bone, which is where the high point of your eyebrow should be. Repeat for the other side of your face.
5. 5. Achieve brow symmetry. Use a makeup pencil to line the beginning of each of your brows up to the top of your forehead, and make a line in the center of those two points. Use this line to measure the symmetry of the remaining two brow points you’ve previously marked. Draw a straight line with your makeup pencil connecting the high forehead line to the high points of your brows, and do the same thing for the ends of both of your brows. You should now have an “x” across your forehead, which the vertical line between your eyebrows should symmetrically divide.
6. 6. Adjust where needed. Adjust your original brow markers so that the major points are symmetrical on both sides. The extra lines and “x” you drew should help you measure the proportions of each side of your face.
7. 7. Outline your brows and tweeze. Use the guidelines you’ve created so far to outline your brows. Connect the beginnings, high points, and ends of your brows using your eyebrow pencil. Allow the lines to curve with the natural contours of your face, rather than making harsh corners. Tweeze any brow hairs that fall outside of your marked lines.
8. 8. Fill in your brows. Use your brow powder and gel to fill in and finish off your brows. Remove the lines on your forehead with makeup remover.

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