How to tell if you have the right (or wrong) eyebrow shape for your face (2025)

Her life has changed drastically since becoming a mum, but Lily Collins’s eyebrows remain perpetually flawless. Those gently-curved, immaculately groomed, Audrey Hepburn-esque arches are the perfect shape for her face, creating a beautiful frame for her eyes. Imagine how different Lily would look if her eyebrows were thinly plucked, unkempt or, dare we say it, bleached?

Because that’s the thing about eyebrows: they have the power to completely transform someone’s face. The right eyebrow shape, thickness and definition can make you look more youthful and polished, while using the best eyebrow makeup products can really enhance their appearance.

What’s critical to take into account, though, is your facial structure (and resist the urge to follow brow trends). What works on a round face might not look as flattering on a more angular face; beauty is all about balance.

'Lily’s eyebrows have a soft, rounded curve and gentle arch, which suit her heart-shaped face,” explains Sherrille Riley, founder of Nails & Brows Mayfair, and Beauty Edit Mayfair. 'This shape also works really well on square and oval faces as it gives a softness to their overall look.'

How to shape and map your brows

It’s not just about knowing your face shape; it’s important to understand how to best create a brow shape, too. “A common mistake people make when shaping their brows is not knowing where they should start, arch and end,” says Lauren Hogsden, brow expert and senior makeup artist at Benefit.

1. To find where your brows should begin, use your face as a brow-shaping guide. 'Hold a brow pencil vertically against the side of your nose; this is where your brow should start,' says brow expert Shavata Singh, who runs a chain of award-winning brow and lash salons. While it’s fine to pluck unwanted hairs between the brows, never tweeze away the natural starting point of the brows. 'Widening the gap between the brows will look unbalanced,' warns Sherrille.
   
2. To find where the tail end of your brows should be, place a brow pencil diagonally from your nose to the end of your eye, says Shavata. 'Donot pluck any hairs that are before the end of your brow pencil.
   
3. You can find your arch high point in the same way. Take your brow pencil and place it from the corner of your nose to your pupil. Your arch should sit on an extension of this line. If it’s not in the correct place, don’t attempt to move it yourself. See a professional.'

How to find the right eyebrow shape for you

The golden rule is to go for a brow shape opposite to your face shape. For example, if you have a long face you should go for a low-lying arch and straight, elongated brows to add width to your face. However, there's an art to doing this, and it benefits from an expert eye. It's worth seeing a professional to help you achieve the ideal shape, which you can then easily maintain it at home.

Best eyebrow shape for round faces

If you have a round face, where the length and width are roughly the same, you should go for a slightly higher arch to help open up the face. “High-arched brows can be high-maintenance as they need regular shaping, but it’s worth it because they add definition to the upper face,” says Sherrille. This shape will give structure and length to a round face, and help to visually narrow it.

Best eyebrow shape for long faces

If the length of your face is almost double the width, you should go for straight and elongated brows with a low-lying arch to break up the face and add width, according to Lauren.

Best eyebrow shape for square faces

The height and width of a square face shape are usually roughly the same. 'Square- or diamond-shaped faces often have angular elements that benefit from softening, which brow shape can help with,' says Sherrille. 'For these face shapes I like what I call an ‘S-shaped’ brow. By this I mean it has a gentle wave or curve to it, with the arches kept soft.” Avoid sharp and angled brows, adds Lauren.

Best eyebrow shape for rectangular faces

Similar to a long face shape, the length of a rectangular face is almost double the width but with a more defined jaw. 'As this face shape can be long but with a strong jawline, opt for fuller, non-structured brows to help reduce the appearance of the forehead,' advises Lauren. 'Soft and slightly more curved arches will also help soften the jawline.'

Best eyebrow shape for triangular faces

If you have a wider jawline than forehead, you can soften features by adding volume and fullness to your brows. 'Keep the arches low and curved, and don’t taper the tail of the brow; keep it full and angling outwards and slightly down,' says Lauren.

Best eyebrows for heart-shaped faces

Heart-shaped faces are much wider at the forehead than at the jaw and can sometimes have a pointed chin, so slightly thicker brows can help balance these features. (See Lily.) 'A soft, rounded arch and straighter brow is ideal,' says Lauren.

Best eyebrows for diamond-shaped faces

If you have a small forehead, pointed chin and wide cheekbones, you should keep the arches of your brows rounded to soften your diamond face structure. 'Stay clear of an over-defined, over-angled finish on the brows, as this can look harsh on this face shape,' Lauren says.

Best eyebrow shape for oval faces

Oval face shapes tend to be the most symmetrical. 'They’re often very balanced, so there’s no need to play with brow shape to manipulate the face,' says Lauren. 'Stick to natural, soft-angled brows.'

How to shape your own brows

Now you know the shape you need, here's how to achieve it at home. However, if your current shape falls significantly outside the brow-mapping guide, see a pro rather than ploughing ahead and hoping for the best. It's easier to get someone to do it for you, then maintain it yourself.

Always take a conservative approach to removing hairs if you're going DIY. Work from underneath your brushed-up brows, and focus on removing fluff that’s out of line with your natural shape. 'This will create a clean, defined look,' says Sherrille. 'Remove hairs one by one, working towards the outer end of the brows. If you pull out multiple hairs at once, you can easily lose the ‘track’ and go wrong.' A precision tool like Tweezerman Point Tweezer, £23, will help.

Keep brushing your brows up before, during and after tweezing to see where you’re at, says Shavata. And resist the urge to pluck ‘one more’ hair out to try to make the two sides match exactly. 'Brows are sisters and not twins,' she notes.

Should I change my eyebrow shape as I get older?

In skilled hands, brow tweaks can definitely add a youthful effect. 'I’d never go against nature, but if somebody's got crow's feet, I’d make the eyebrows a tiny, tiny bit shorter so the brows aren’t pointing to the fine lines,' says Shavata. 'If somebody's got dark circles, I’ll make the brows very slightly thinner because hair absorbs light, or for a subtle facial lifting effect I’ll move the arch fractionally outwards.' However, these micro-tweaks really require an expert, so don’t try it at home!

What can I do if I've overplucked?

Put down the tweezers, and don't make it any worse. If you've really lost your way and brow serums aren't helping to your eyebrows to regrow, Shavata recommends microblading – GH can confirm it really can rescue skinny, overplucked brows.

The best brow makeup to define your shape

Ready to make the most of your new shape? These are some of our favourite eyebrow defining products to get you started.