Health & beauty

The Eyebrow Mistakes You're Making

Learn how to fix them with eyebrow makeup and these expert tricks

November 20, 2009 | by Kristen Oldham Giordani | 65 COMMENTS

Mistake No. 7: Trimming too much By now you've caught on to the overall rule of at-home brow grooming -- be conservative and mindful. The same rule applies to trimming. If you trim many hairs at once and trim them too short, you'll likely end up with sparse (er, bald) areas.

The fix: Trim one hair at a time, yes, just one. Brush the inner portion of your brows up and trim only hairs that are longer than the rest, one at a time. Brush the outer portion of your brows down and do the same.

SEE NEXT PAGE: Mistake No. 8: Filling in brows with a pencil or powder that's too dark

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products mentioned

Lash Allure MD Lash and Brow Enhancing Serum

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perfect brows are important

by brianna121791 Monday, May 13, 2013 at 01:50PM Report as inappropriate

Never knew you shouldn't use the same shade as your hair. Will try this tip.

by Dee Thursday, May 2, 2013 at 05:01PM Report as inappropriate

well, frieda kahlo might be an example of beauty for some, but a unibrow must go! in the same type of scenario, how can you wait three months between tweezing?

by AstridB Friday, April 12, 2013 at 07:57AM Report as inappropriate

I don't agree with not plucking the unibrow and using a shade lighter for brows than natural hair ive always used a shade darker and it looks fine I always see people with blondehair have darker brows also so that rule makes no sense to me

by kfloyd01 Thursday, April 11, 2013 at 05:53PM Report as inappropriate

Fascinating. Nearly every day I spy a woman with perfect makeup but a major brow faux pas. Great tips included here!

by GigiSD Monday, March 25, 2013 at 03:23PM Report as inappropriate

Sound useful, will try some of these tips.

by Zeaundra Monday, March 25, 2013 at 02:34PM Report as inappropriate

These were some really helpful tips! I'll keep them in mind when I do my brows tonight.

by NillaButterfly Saturday, March 16, 2013 at 02:48PM Report as inappropriate

This article is interesting but what I really need are examples of do's and don'ts - and not celebrities but real people with real jobs and real lives and real problems.

by Sonflower Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 06:03PM Report as inappropriate

I have seen some truly crazy looking brows

by LittleBunny Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 08:03AM Report as inappropriate

I hate my brows!!

by Mommy_of_Ethan Thursday, January 3, 2013 at 07:17PM Report as inappropriate

I'm utterly brow challenged. I long for thick, groomable brows that are dark and pretty, but instead I'm stuck with light, thin brows that both have colics in them so that half of the hairs grow DOWN, not up. I have no idea how to groom my brows so that the thin, fine hair stays in place. I also have naturally black hair, and don't feel confident coloring my brows for fear of getting it too dark or using the wrong color. Great, very informative article, but I'm still at a loss for what to do with my brows.

by nycmuse Monday, December 17, 2012 at 08:30AM Report as inappropriate

Great tips on how to maintain and what to use .Thank you

by natasha_loaiza Monday, December 17, 2012 at 06:20AM Report as inappropriate

informative

by aishak55 Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 03:16PM Report as inappropriate

Great tips, even though i decided to let my brows go, i just keep them neat.

by nicky22 Friday, October 19, 2012 at 07:04PM Report as inappropriate

For the permanent makeup brows, mine I had to do because a bad wax and they never grew back. Mine are a soft shade of light brown, almost a smudged look as opposed to the thick line (hand method used not a machine). You get what you pay for. I travel 4hrs to get to my girl and she is in Boca Raton, Fl so you can only imagine the prices! Yet she is the only, after 15yrs of doing them, that gets the correct look. Soft, more subtle. Obviously not real but not like above pic.

by angie_xoxoxo Saturday, October 13, 2012 at 08:31PM Report as inappropriate

This article is full of good tips...arch, brow bone, color, and more. Thanks!

by alictasia Friday, July 6, 2012 at 09:46AM Report as inappropriate

haha i didn't like my brow sprouts and so i plucked them, but now my brows look funny and im waiting for them to grow back!!! this article was really useful though, im gonna follow all these tips!

by LeSucre Friday, July 6, 2012 at 01:16AM Report as inappropriate

Crazy good tips. I never knew to find where my brow bone ends!

by VV001 Saturday, June 16, 2012 at 06:44PM Report as inappropriate

Very informative!

by brooke_poole Sunday, May 20, 2012 at 06:50AM Report as inappropriate

Some good tips! What about the fair ladies with very light brows?

by robyne00 Thursday, May 10, 2012 at 05:49AM Report as inappropriate

Waxing by a professional all the way! I get it done 2 times a year & the only thing I have to take care of is the hairs that like to grow BETWEEN my brows!!

by pynkNymphette Friday, April 13, 2012 at 11:59PM Report as inappropriate

I need to regrow a teeny little patch of hairs to even my brows up. Hopefully it is not too late.

by beautybody Thursday, April 5, 2012 at 10:15AM Report as inappropriate

well i just knew if i read this if would have to fix something!

by olkrav319 Thursday, April 5, 2012 at 02:10AM Report as inappropriate

This is all good and very true. I am still amazed when I go to a beauty counter to pick up a brow pencil they always, to this very day try and get me to buy a darker pencil. Me thinks they are on the wrong side of the counter.

by ShanthiDevi Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 05:32PM Report as inappropriate

Waxing is something I never did until just this past year. The first time was the worst. I find that the more times I have it done, the easier it gets. I would rather have somebody who knows what they are doing rip them off all in one swoop, than to torture myself in the mirror for an hour! Its not so bad, girls, don't be scared. I even know a few guys who have theirs done, and we all know what big babies THEY are! :)

by Vamp321 Tuesday, March 13, 2012 at 07:50PM Report as inappropriate

I really like that you broke down our errors and gave us the remedies. I have pretty bushy brows and am terrified to mess them up so I will stick with a pro. The only problem? Waxing...Ouch!

by powerwoman033 Tuesday, March 6, 2012 at 11:28PM Report as inappropriate

I got my eyebrows threaded....Never do it :/

by queenphoto Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 09:50PM Report as inappropriate

Please DO NOT get your eyebrows done at Bosley Medical. I had hair implanted in my eyebrow region. It does not look natural at all. I lost all my natural brow hair shortly after the implants. The hairs stand up and grow in different directions. I watched the show on Tyra and felt confident Bosley would do a good job...I was so wrong.

by 46andCounting Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 08:57PM Report as inappropriate

I am totally guilty of tweezing too much and using a magnifying mirror :(

by sportimonki13 Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 07:49PM Report as inappropriate

I used to tweeze my brows almost every day, now I do it every two weeks or so and my brows look so much better.

by patricia89 Sunday, December 11, 2011 at 07:20AM Report as inappropriate

haha useful :)

by anna_davis Saturday, November 19, 2011 at 06:38PM Report as inappropriate

Uh oh...I'm guilty of tweezing too much :)

by vfalkow Friday, September 9, 2011 at 05:40PM Report as inappropriate

I'll never touch my own brows lol

by Bon_Bon Monday, August 15, 2011 at 02:37AM Report as inappropriate

Good tips. I have made my share of eyebrow ooops in the past.

by MissPurple Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 03:53PM Report as inappropriate

Is there a way to make these tips able for us to print?

by Only1KimmieD Wednesday, July 6, 2011 at 12:54PM Report as inappropriate

oh boy

by BlackFleur145 Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 11:35AM Report as inappropriate

rub castor oil over your brows and lashes to increase and thinking hair growth! The results aren't dramatic like Lattise, but I've done this before and it works!

by awan0912 Thursday, June 9, 2011 at 11:28PM Report as inappropriate

I admit to having over plucked, but I could never go three weeks without at least catching some strays. My eyebrows would look like caterpilars!

by katiespeaking Friday, June 3, 2011 at 06:37PM Report as inappropriate

Great!

by doglova Thursday, June 2, 2011 at 07:56AM Report as inappropriate

Good Tips!

by nikkmichele Wednesday, June 1, 2011 at 01:26PM Report as inappropriate

Good tips, my problem is one brow is arched and the other is round

by Madrigaliv81 Wednesday, May 18, 2011 at 12:23AM Report as inappropriate

I will still tweeze daily, If you don't know what your doing don't do it!

by elena62 Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at 05:00PM Report as inappropriate

Good tips but 3 weeks seems like a long time between tweezing for me.

by Mysterylady Monday, April 25, 2011 at 03:13PM Report as inappropriate

Great tips, but, I go for extra strength ora jel not the baby stuff, LOL

by Agrimony Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at 07:45AM Report as inappropriate

I've definitely made many of those mistakes, but there is NO WAY I could go three weeks between plucking session.

by LipglossandSpandex Sunday, April 10, 2011 at 10:09PM Report as inappropriate

:O WHHOOOPS!

by yckitsmary Friday, April 8, 2011 at 06:56PM Report as inappropriate

Great article

by debjosh Friday, April 1, 2011 at 04:03AM Report as inappropriate

Wow, i didn't know!!

by evodamis_caballero Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 04:46AM Report as inappropriate

Some of these tips sound very useful!

by bernice_stump Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at 01:50PM Report as inappropriate

Really liked all the tips, especially about the orajel. I hate plucking because it hurts, next time I'll try the orajel first!

by voyager24 Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at 12:15PM Report as inappropriate

i found some useful tips from this article. thanks!

by f3n Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at 02:27AM Report as inappropriate

oh god, thank god I have natural eyebrows that I dont have to pluck

by ChrisanneSkye Monday, March 28, 2011 at 10:53PM Report as inappropriate

wonderful article...bad brows can make your whole face look weird

by LittleBunny Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 09:55PM Report as inappropriate

I don't trust myself with my eye brows any more, unfortunately I've made all these mistakes :(

by Bon_Bon Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at 11:32PM Report as inappropriate

This article is excellent!!!! Weird looking eyebrows because of these mistakes are one of my biggest pet peeves!!!

by judyangel101 Sunday, February 13, 2011 at 06:19PM Report as inappropriate

Wish I had read this earlier today, before I plucked my brows! 2 tips really stood out for me - where the brow should end (find the end of the brow bone) and leave the "sprouts" alone. Hoping my sprouts come back...

by shimmergurl Monday, January 17, 2011 at 01:20PM Report as inappropriate

Very informative I put the tweezers down unless the stray is really out of line and my brows have never looked better thanks!!

by RoleModel Friday, January 14, 2011 at 01:38AM Report as inappropriate

I was blessed with tame eyebrows but I still pick at the ends...I could stand to not do them for a while..

by Glisten17 Thursday, January 13, 2011 at 10:00AM Report as inappropriate

I agree, I can't wait a whole week unless I want to look like wolfwoman. I have auburn hair and that redhaired person skin so everything shows up

by mynameiskaye Friday, September 24, 2010 at 01:08PM Report as inappropriate

There is no way I could not tweeze for more than a week. My hair is near black, but my skin very fair and the hairs that come below the defined eyebrow stand out like crazy!

by sarahviolett Sunday, January 17, 2010 at 02:45PM Report as inappropriate

Everytime I find a product I really like and go back for it, it's gone. I've email Maybelline looking for products and hey don't have them and they were Maybelline products.

by kathithecook Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 11:40PM Report as inappropriate

i use a razor too i am such a wimp but i guess it is painfull to be beautiful

by drugstore_lady Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 02:40PM Report as inappropriate

i prefer the shaveing method.. i am a whip.. and an eyebrow razor does just fine

by Bluefrost Tuesday, December 1, 2009 at 09:17PM Report as inappropriate

such an informative article! if only all beauty articles were that helpful!

by flowerchile Saturday, November 21, 2009 at 01:17PM Report as inappropriate

A lot of helpful tips! I really like the numbing idea, I'm not too much of a wimp, but still, why have pain if you don't have to! LoL.

by Zehabix Saturday, November 21, 2009 at 12:11AM Report as inappropriate

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