Welcome To...Eyebrow Placement Chart by Holly Ralston Oyler

  • Eyebrows are an extremely personal thing and for a makeup artist, they are the hardest part of any makeover. There are many factors that affect the way eyebrows are applied today verses the way of just a generation or so ago. Digital photography is one of the most revealing mediums. When your eyebrows are not correctly applied, a digital photo will be the first to let you know.
  • Eyebrows frame the face and give it definition and creates your expression. Without eyebrows, how you are feeling or what you are thinking can be a mystery to the viewer (which is not all bad at times).
  • Personally, I have not had eyebrows in 36 years. Any of the photos you see of me on this site have eyebrows created with just the products listed below. No prosthetic eyebrows have been applied (the kind you glue on your face).

Are you ready to get started in recreating your personal eyebrow illusion?   You will need the following items.
  • Eyebrow Pencil - be sure it is sharpened to a point.
  • Eyebrow Base Product (Brow Tint, Semi-Perm Pencil, Brush-on-Brow-Powder or Eyebrow Pencil)
  • Eye Makeup Remover and Q-Tips®
  • Patience and Practice   - it takes both, so don't let yourself get frustrated after your first or fifth try.


eyebrowchart09

A. This is where your eyebrow begins. Remove the cap of your eyebrow pencil. Lay your eyebrow pencil against your nose with the lead tip upward, making it a straight line to your eyebrow bone. Once there, lift the pencil gently, leaving the lead point against your skin enough to make a small dot on the skin. This is dot A.

C. This is where your eyebrow ends. Using the same eyebrow pencil, lay it against the bottom of your nose and fan it out into a 45-degree angle extending up to and onto the brow bone again.   Once there, lift the pencil gently, leaving the lead point against your skin enough to make a small dot on the skin.   This is dot C.

D. Make sure your eyebrow application will begin and end on the same plane. Using the same eyebrow pencil, lay it under the dots you have just made and be sure it is in a straight, horizontal position. This imaginary line is D.

B. Arch (highest point of eyebrow) placement. Arch placement is tricky at best. Too high and you look surprised. Too flat and you have a blank expression. Using the same eyebrow pencil, make a 45-degree angle line from the corner of your nose across the center of the iris of your eye. Move the pencil tip up and onto the brow bone and make another dot.  This is dot B.

Now you are almost ready. You have all your dots in place, but keep your chart handy for reference (please feel free to download and print out the chart).

  • For this first application you will be focusing on Dot A to Dot B. Pick up either the wand, brush or pencil and make a very light stroke of color between dots A and B. Use an upward 45-degree angle with your hand. Stop at Dot B.
  • Drop down to Dot C with you applicator. READ FIRST, THEN DO...You will be making backward strokes between Dot C and Dot B. This sounds and feels really odd the first time you do it, but it will work. Going this “backward” direction, prevents and eyebrow application from dropping off your face.
    •  If you find working from Dot C up to Dot B difficult, by all means work your illusion application in the other direction. Just be sure the application does not look “droopy” when complete.
  • Okay, put down your application tool and relax your hand. Step back from your mirror and look at your application.  Stepping back up to the mirror, pick up the eyebrow pencil and lay it in a horizontal line between Dot’s A and C. Does the application start and stop on the same plane? If not, erase the area that extends beyond the measurement with a Q-Tip.

browwith bulbThe bulb area is the thicker part of the eyebrow on the lower eyebrow region.
  • Be sure to add the small “bulb” area to your eyebrow shape with whatever product you used. Doing this should make the application under Dot A a bit wider than the rest of the application.
  • Look at your eyebrow application again and decide if you need additional product to make it darker and/or wider. If you don't know for sure, do not add anything until you get used to this amount of product application.
Adding Those Hair-Like Strokes.
Now that you have your eyebrow basic shape and base application, it is time to add those hair-like strokes to create dimension and the illusion of growth hair, making the application look more natural.

TIP: BE SURE YOUR PENCIL TIP IS VERY SHARP. YOU WILL BE MAKING FINE, HAIR-LIKE STROKES TO RECREATE THE ILLUSION OF GROWTH HAIR.

  • Using a very light hand, start working the hair-like strokes starting at Dot A and working up and out to Dot B. Using the same light hand and motion, work from Dot B to Dot C. If your application appears droopy, try working it backwards as mentioned above.
Making Your Eyebrow Application Smudge Resistant.
  • Brow Stay is a clear gel that coats the eyebrow application, making it smudge resistant. You can actually take a dip in a pool and get your face wet PROVIDING you do not rub your eyebrow application. Let your face dry naturally or gently PAT with a rolled up towel.
  • Remove the Brow Stay applicator from the tube. Dab onto the eyebrow application with the wand. The bristles will keep the application from becoming smooth and drying shiny.
    • If your application does appear shiny (reason: using too much product), dust gently with a translucent loose powder.
If you would be interested is seeing a step-by-step video put on line of the above instructions, please email and let me know.


 

Copyright 1994 - 2009 by Holly Ralston Oyler, Holly Cosmetics, Hollycosmetics.com and Medical Image Products.
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner and publisher. Individuals may download and print pages for their personal use. All articles and content are available for reprint used with permission and author credit. For permissions, email Holly at hollyoyler@mac.com
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