All Makeup Skin Hair Nails How-To Beauty Amplified Spoilers IPSY 101 Ingredient Index

How to Pluck Your Eyebrows Like a Pro

IPSY LogoIPSY Logo
By
Published on Mar 18, 2021
An image of a double-sided pair of tweezers decorated with hearts. MobileAn image of a double-sided pair of tweezers decorated with hearts. Desktop

As your number one face-framing asset, your eyebrows deserve extra care and attention. In the same way that a great haircut can make you look fresh and new, the right eyebrow-plucking technique can highlight your features like never before. And if bad experiences have you worried about over-plucking, rest assured that you can retain your natural shape without going overboard. 

Ready to get plucking like a pro? Read on for our tips on how to pluck your eyebrows for a natural look. 

It's about glam time you treated yourself.

Join IPSY
Default Middle Subscribe Module Image - MobileDefault Middle Subscribe Module Image - Desktop

How to Pluck Your Eyebrows, Step-by-Step

Most of us have been guilty of eyebrow-raising choices when it comes to plucking our brows. Thankfully, getting the perfect brows is all about finding the right grooming material and following a few simple techniques for eyebrow shaping. We’ll walk you through all the steps of plucking your brows to perfection below, but to make it easy on yourself, you’ll want to start with a brow kit like this BILLION DOLLAR BROWS Best Sellers Kit and a pair of tweezers

Step 1: Find Your Shape

Finding the natural shape of your brows may well be your most important step. In order to do this, you need to grow out your brow hairs for six to eight weeks in order to shape them into their peak glory. In fact, the longer the better, even if that means brushing unruly stray hairs back with brow gel for a while.

Once your brows are nicely grown out, hold the brow pencil from the BILLION DOLLAR BROWS kit vertically up at the middle of each of your nostrils—this will help you find the beginning of your brow line. Mark this spot with your pencil. 

Then, flip the pencil diagonally so that it lines up with the outside of your iris (being sure to keep the bottom of the pencil at the middle of your nostril). The place where the pencil hits your brow bone is your arch. Make another mark here. Finally, let the pencil graze the outer corner of your eye, still keeping the bottom at the middle of your nostril. The place where the top hits the outer corner is the tail end of your arch, so be sure to mark it.

An image of a model brushing up her brows using the BILLION DOLLAR BROWS spoolie. MobileAn image of a model brushing up her brows using the BILLION DOLLAR BROWS spoolie. Desktop

Step 2: Brush Out and Trim Your Brows

Using the spoolie end of your brow pencil, brush your eyebrow hairs straight up towards your hairline. Then, follow our guide to trimming your brows. How much you want to trim is up to you, but start off slow so as not to over-trim. Trim only the hairs that are super-long by using precision-crafted titanium eyebrow scissors

Step 3: Pluck in the Direction of Hair Growth

It’s time to pick up your trusty tweezers. If you’re antsy about pain, all you have to do is hold the skin around your brow bone taut and tweeze in the direction of hair growth. Didn’t feel that? Good! 

While some experts advise using a magnifying mirror, such a close range can be deceptive—so try a regular mirror in natural daylight instead. Start by plucking stray hairs between the beginning and arch of your brows, and remember that less is more. Keep any baby hairs that fall within the two lines. Do the same between your arch and the tail end of your brow. Take it slow and use your mirror to evaluate your progress.

Step 4: Soothe Your Skin

Now, step back and admire your work. But be sure to alleviate any redness or irritation right away with a light swipe of your fave moisturizing facial oil. A cooling aloe gel can also work to tighten pores and soothe angry skin.

Step 5: Finish with a Brow Gel

The trick to plucking is maintaining your natural shape while making your brow line look clean and refined. Now that you’ve done that, simply smooth down plucky brow hairs with a brow gel. If you notice any thin spots, you can glam things up with a brow pencil that matches the color of your hair before you apply the gel—again, using a light hand. 

Have you tried any of our plucking tips to get and maintain the perfect eyebrows? What's your go-to tweezing technique? Let us know and give us some brow envy by posting your best selfies and tagging us @IPSY on Instagram and Twitter.

Want in on all the Glam Bag fun? Take the beauty quiz now to get started (check it out below!).

 

Liked this post? Share!

Related Stories

Flat lay featuring four hybrid beauty products against a pink gradient background: TOWER 28 lip treatment, GLOW RECIPE Watermelon Glow Dew Shield SPF 30, e.l.f. Halo Glow Skin Tint SPF 50, and Maison Louis Marie Hair & Body Mist.Flat lay featuring four hybrid beauty products against a pink gradient background: TOWER 28 lip treatment, GLOW RECIPE Watermelon Glow Dew Shield SPF 30, e.l.f. Halo Glow Skin Tint SPF 50, and Maison Louis Marie Hair & Body Mist.

Makeup

The Best Hybrid Beauty Products for Low-Effort Routines

5 min read

Zendaya attends the world premiere of "The Odyssey" at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on July 06, 2026 in London, England.Zendaya attends the world premiere of "The Odyssey" at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on July 06, 2026 in London, England.

Makeup

How to Recreate Zendaya's Glowing Makeup From “The Odyssey” Premiere

3 min read

Lainey Wilson attends the 2025 American Music Awards at Fontainebleau Las Vegas on May 26, 2025 in Las Vegas, NevadaLainey Wilson attends the 2025 American Music Awards at Fontainebleau Las Vegas on May 26, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada

Makeup

We're in Our Eyeshadow Era—These 10 Looks Make It Easy

6 min read

Model applying the new Clinique Black Honey mascaraModel applying the new Clinique Black Honey mascara

Makeup

CLINIQUE Just Turned Black Honey Into a Full Collection

3 min read

Makeup

MARC JACOBS BEAUTY Is Back—Here's What I Really Think

4 min read

LOVE ISLAND USA -- Episode 825 -- Pictured: Kayda Reese BosseLOVE ISLAND USA -- Episode 825 -- Pictured: Kayda Reese Bosse

Makeup

A Bombshell Has Entered: Inside Kayda’s ‘90s “Love Island USA” Makeup

4 min read

Olivia Rodrigo attends the 2026 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Mark Guiducci at Los Angeles County Museum of Art on March 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.Olivia Rodrigo attends the 2026 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Mark Guiducci at Los Angeles County Museum of Art on March 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.

Makeup

Olivia Rodrigo Is the Blueprint for Modern Pop-Punk Glam

5 min read

Selena Gomez celebrates the launch of Rare Beauty's Kind Words Matte Lipstick and Liner Collection at Santa Monica Proper HotelSelena Gomez celebrates the launch of Rare Beauty's Kind Words Matte Lipstick and Liner Collection at Santa Monica Proper Hotel

Makeup

6 Beauty Brands Reinventing the Packaging Game

4 min read

Default Bottom Subscribe Module NEWDefault Bottom Subscribe Module NEW

Beauty Picked Just for You

Get 5 products worth up to $70

Exclusive access to epic deals up to 80% off

Starting at just $15/month. Cancel anytime.

Join IPSY