Eyebrow shapes frame your face and can dramatically transform your appearance with just a few subtle changes. While many beauty enthusiasts focus on mastering the perfect winged liner or finding their signature lip color, the power of well-crafted eyebrow shape often goes underappreciated. The right eyebrow shapes can balance your features, highlight your best assets, and even create the illusion of a more symmetrical face. As legendary makeup artist Kevyn Aucoin once said, “Eyebrows are the frames of the face. They should be respected.”
To help you discover your ideal eyebrow shapes, we consulted with celebrity brow artist Emma Richardson, whose client list includes A-list celebrities and runway models. With over 15 years of experience sculpting the perfect eyebrow shape and arches, Richardson shares her expert insights on how to determine the most flattering eyebrow shape for different face structures.
Table of Contents
Visual balance determines the ideal brow for every face shape
According to Richardson, the key to finding your perfect eyebrow shapes begins with understanding your face geometry. “The first step is to honestly assess your face shape,” she explains. “Stand in front of a mirror with your hair pulled back and trace the outline of your face with a washable marker on the mirror. This will give you a clear visual of your actual face shape to match with complementary eyebrow shape.”
Once you’ve determined whether you have a round, oval, square, heart, or diamond-shaped face, you can begin exploring eyebrow shape that create visual harmony with your features.
“Eyebrow shapes should create balance with your natural features,” Richardson emphasizes. “For example, if you have a round face, higher-arched eyebrow shapes with an angled brow will add definition and create the illusion of length. These vertical eyebrow shapes help elongate the face.”
For those with longer faces, Richardson recommends flatter, straighter eyebrow shapes with minimal arch. “Horizontal eyebrow shape shorten the appearance of the face and create width where needed,” she notes. “The goal is always to choose eyebrow shapes that work against the dominant direction of your face shape.”
Heart-shaped faces require careful consideration of eyebrow shape too. “For smaller heart-shaped faces, higher, more pronounced eyebrow shapes will add length and balance the wider forehead,” says Richardson. “However, if you already have a longer heart-shaped face, softer eyebrow shapes with less dramatic arches avoid elongating the face further.”
Square faces benefit from what Richardson calls “the softening effect” in eyebrow shape. “Thicker eyebrow shapes with a defined, rounded arch help soften angular jawlines and create beautiful harmony,” she advises. “Just be careful not to make the arch too sharp, as this can compete with the natural angles of your face.”
Diamond-shaped faces, characterized by wider cheekbones and narrower foreheads and jawlines, look best with gently rounded, shorter eyebrow shapes. “Avoid extending the tail of the brow too far down, as this draws attention outward and can make the face appear wider,” Richardson cautions. “Instead, focus on creating soft curved eyebrow shape that complement your cheekbones.”
The most versatile face shape—oval—can successfully pull off nearly any eyebrow shape. “If you’re blessed with an oval face, you have options with eyebrow shapes,” Richardson says with a smile. “That said, soft-arched eyebrow shape that follow your natural brow bone are universally flattering and enhance your natural symmetry.”
Product placement is the secret to arching or flattening your brows
Having established the ideal eyebrow shapes for your face, Richardson reveals her professional techniques for achieving these looks, even if your natural brows don’t naturally form these eyebrow shape.
“The beauty of modern brow products is that we can dramatically transform eyebrow shape without permanent alterations,” she explains. “Strategic product placement allows you to manipulate your eyebrow shape in terms of height, thickness, and arch.”
For creating more pronounced eyebrow shape—ideal for round or short faces—Richardson recommends a targeted approach: “Identify the highest point of your desired arch in your eyebrow shapes, usually aligned with the outer edge of your iris when looking straight ahead. Apply a slightly darker brow powder or pomade precisely at this point, focusing on the upper edge of the brow to create height in your eyebrow shape.”
Richardson swears by the dual-shade technique for perfecting eyebrow shape. “I love using the Benefit Cosmetics Brow Zings Pro Palette because it includes multiple shades that allow for dimension in eyebrow shapes,” she explains. “Apply the lighter shade throughout the brow, then use the slightly darker shade to emphasize the arch and create that lifted effect in your eyebrow shapes.”
For those seeking flatter eyebrow shapes to balance a longer face, Richardson suggests a different placement strategy. “Focus your product application on the bottom edge of the brow, particularly in the front third closest to your nose,” she advises. “This creates visual weight at the bottom of the brow, effectively pulling down your eyebrow shape and creating a straighter appearance.”
The technique works even for sparse brows that need help achieving ideal eyebrow shape. “If you’re working with limited natural brow hair, a fine-tipped brow pen like Stila’s Stay All Day Waterproof Brow Color allows you to mimic natural hair strokes and create customized eyebrow shape,” Richardson recommends. “Create these strokes in the direction you want to emphasize—upward at the arch for lifted eyebrow shape, or more horizontally for flatter eyebrow shape.”
For truly transformative eyebrow shapes, Richardson suggests a layering approach. “Start with a waxy brow pencil to create the structure of your eyebrow shape, follow with a powder for depth and dimension, and finish with a clear or tinted brow gel to set your eyebrow shape in place,” she explains. “This three-step method allows for incredible customization of eyebrow shapes and stays put all day.”
Richardson’s pro secret for perfect eyebrow shape? “Use two different colors in your eyebrow shapes—lighter toward the center of your face, gradually darkening as you move outward toward the tail. This creates natural dimension that even the most perfect natural eyebrow shapes have.”
For those dealing with patchy areas or over-plucked sections that make achieving ideal eyebrow shapes difficult, Richardson recommends a brow growth serum as part of your routine. “While you’re working on growing your natural brows, strategic product placement can camouflage problem areas and help you achieve your desired eyebrow shape. Brow fibers, like those in Glossier’s Boy Brow, add tremendous volume and can temporarily fill gaps while you work toward your ideal eyebrow shape.”
Remember that your eyebrow shapes should complement not just your face shape but your overall style and personality. “Eyebrow shape tell a story,” Richardson concludes. “Whether you prefer bold and dramatic eyebrow shape or soft and natural eyebrow shapes, the right design enhances your natural beauty while remaining true to who you are.”
With these expert tips and techniques, you’re now equipped to discover and create your perfect eyebrow shape—ones that bring balance, definition, and enhancement to your unique features.
