Why Eyebrows Dramatically Affect Your Face
Eyebrows might seem like a relatively minor part of your face, but they can actually make a major difference in your appearance. If your eyebrows suit your face, they can frame your eyes and draw attention to your best features. Eyebrows that are on point can make you look your best even on days when you feel your worst. When considering what style of eyebrows work best for you, it is important to consider what your face shape might be.
One of the most powerful parts about eyebrows is that they have the power to change the proportion of your facial features, or at least the way they appear to be. This can be accomplished by raising, lowering, or lengthening the upper frame and changing the brow shape. For example, some people who have a square face might want to make their face appear slightly longer, and they can do this by raising the eyebrows with an arch. If you have never considered what your face shape might be, allow us to walk you through our guide that will help you find your answer so you can start perfecting your brows:
- Eyebrows for square face shapes
With a square face shape, the forehead, cheekbones, and jaw are the same width, but the jaw has sharp angles. Square faces are similar to round faces, but have more pronounced jawlines. Celebrities with square face shapes include Angelina Jolie, Demi Moore, Margot Robbie, Katie Holmes, and Sandra Bullock. If you have this face shape, you might want to elongate the face and allow the jawline to appear slimmer, which a soft lifted arch can help with. Some tips we have for those with square faces who want to perfect their brows include:
- Avoiding round brows, as this will not correlate with the existing facial features
- Avoiding flat brows, which will cause the face to appear shorter
- Drawing the contours of the brows to be angular
- Adding length to the brows to create an appearance of a slimmer jawline
- Incorporating height to the arch to lengthen the face
- Keeping the arch close to the center of the brow
- Eyebrows for oval face shapes
Oval face shapes are slightly longer than they are wide. They are similar to the shape of an egg, with cheekbones that are the widest part of the face. With an oval face shape, the jaw and forehead are round and the sides of the face are curved, but there are no sharp angles. Celebrities with oval face shapes include Beyoncé, Cameron Diaz, Courtney Cox, Julia Roberts, Rihanna, Tyra Banks, and Uma Thurman. If you have an oval face shape, the following tips might help you create the most ideal eyebrow shape for your face:
-Avoiding oval brows by keeping the arch away from the center of the brows
-Creating a soft contour to avoid overly sharp brows
- Eyebrows for long face shapes
A long face shape is longer than it is wide with a round chin and jawline. If the lower half of the face looks longer than the top, you have a long face shape. In addition, the forehead is the widest part of the face and other features are rounded and soft. Celebrities with long face shapes include Sarah Jessica Parker, Sandra Oh, Lisa Kudrow, Victoria Beckham, Kim Kardashian, and Meryl Streep. If you have this type of face shape, you might try some techniques that can make the face appear shorter, but wider at the temples. Some tips to help achieve this include:
- Avoiding adding height to the brows
- Drawing the brows from underneath instead of from the top to widen eyes
- Drawing flat brows with soft curves
- Drawing the highest point of the arch further away from the center
- Adding length to the brows to elongate the appearance of the face at the temples
- Drawing brows wider apart to keep attention away from the center of the face
- Eyebrows for heart-shaped face
As the name would suggest, a heart-shaped face emanates the appearance of a heart. They are similar to round faces, but with wider foreheads. Those with heart-shaped faces have slender jawlines, with cheekbones and foreheads that are the widest parts of the face. Celebrities with heart-shaped faces include Eva Longoria, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Naomi Campbell, Reese Witherspoon, and Scarlett Johansson. If you have this type of face shape, you might be working to make the forehead appear narrower and soften the chin. In order to do this, you can take the following steps:
- Avoiding flat, straight brows
- Avoiding round brows
- Avoiding longer eyebrows
- Drawing the brows closer together to bring attention to the middle of the face
- Drawing the arch closer to the center of the brow to bring attention to the middle of the face
Timeline of Popular Eyebrow Trends
Although we now understand that different eyebrow shapes can flatter different face shapes, this was not always the case. There was a time when we simply went with the times when it came to our brows, and some people still do this today. Humans have always had eyebrows, so it would be difficult to trace eyebrow trends since the beginning of time, but we can begin as far back as 70 years ago:
- The 1950s
In the 1950s, the pointed arch was all the rage. Women chose sculpted eyebrows with an arch that fit their face.
- The 1960s
In the 1960s, full eyebrows came onto the scene. Hollywood stars like Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor started the trend for this look. Full brows had a more natural arch, but some women filled in their brows for an even fuller appearance.
- The 1970s
When the ‘70s rolled around, women said goodbye to the full brows and hello to their tweezers. You can imagine the likes of Diana Ross when you think about the thin eyebrow trend from this era.
- The 1980s
Innovators like Madonna and Brooke Shields paved the way for the bushy eyebrow trend. This bold and pronounced look was a sign of the times. Some chose to embrace the trend by making their eyes as dark as they could, while others embraced it by leaving their eyebrows feathery and natural-looking.
- The 1990s
When the 90s rolled around, the tweezers came back out. Eyebrows were majorly plucked, and stars like Christina Aguilera and Kate Moss could be seen pioneering the look of the time.
- The 2000s
In the early 2000s, pencil brows were the newest trend. These brows were thin and precisely shaped. It took an immense amount of waxing and plucking to achieve this look, which could be seen sported by the likes of Gwen Stefani. When it comes to the boldness of these brows, there is no doubt -- it is off the charts.
- The 2010s
In the most recent ‘10s, faded brows could be seen everywhere. The fade looked like a light color near the nose that got darker towards the end. Microblading also became popular at this time, which is a great way to customize the coloration of the brows and achieve this “faded” look.
- Modern day
These days, laminated brows are just about everywhere. These full, shiny-looking brows appear to grow upwards. With laminated brows, all of the brows stand in a specific direction. The goal is to give the brows a fluffy and defined, yet natural appearance.
How Can a Brow Lift Change My Appearance?
Cosmetics can make a big difference in the appearance of your eyebrows, but if you cannot achieve a particular shape through makeup, you might be considering a brow lift. At West Coast Plastic Surgery Center, we offer both surgical and non-surgical brow lifts to help you achieve the brows that flatter your face the most. Our brow lifts focus on fixing problems in the forehead and upper-face area. A brow lift can change the appearance of your face in the following ways:
- Creating an appearance of youthfulness by raising the eyebrows
- Smoothing out skin between the eyebrows to alleviate the appearance of frown lines
- Creating an appearance of wider eyes
- Reducing the appearance of creases between the eyes, on the forehead, and on the bridge of the nose
Whether you choose to have a brow lift, want to follow the trends, or want to try creating a trend of your own through the power of cosmetics, there are so many ways that eyebrows can be used to enhance your natural features. The constant evolution of brows proves there is no single right way to wear your eyebrows. It is all about finding what works for you, and the team at West Coast Plastic Surgery Center can do exactly that.
To learn more about how we can help enhance the appearance of your eyebrows, or to find out about our other cosmetic services, call West Coast Plastic Surgery Center at (805) 978-8545 or contact us online.