Go to a professional. That’s usually my advice for meeting your beauty needs. But nowadays, stay-at-home orders apply to everything except the most essential services. Are shaped eyebrows essential? Yes (to some…like me), but definitely no need to leave the house.

My best advice to you: less is more! And not less eyebrow—less tweezing. Mother Nature is your best ally in the fight against over-tweezed or over-waxed eyebrows. Growing back your eyebrows is a long and difficult process. Hello, 1998?

Make sure you:

• Only tweeze the must-go hairs

• Do not reshape your brows—wait until you can visit a licensed esthetician

How-to:

1. Start with a clean eyebrow.

I recommend using a cotton round soaked in witch hazel or, if you’re in a pinch, a makeup wipe to remove makeup and lotion from your face. This will ensure you are tweezing the correct area and able to see all sparse hairs.

2. Start with the eyebrow that you would not naturally go to first.

Whichever eyebrow you try to start tweezing with, stop, and go to the opposite. It is easier to match brows this way—trust me. The same concept applies to eyeliner.

3. Trace the desired shape of your eyebrow.

Brush your eyebrow hairs upward with a spoolie—a disposable mascara or eyebrow brush. I suggest using a white eyeliner pencil to outline your desired look. Repeat on the other eyebrow.

4. Take a step back and look in the mirror to ensure both brows are even.

Remember that your brows are sisters—not twins.

5. Use a good (i.e. sharp) pair of tweezers.

My favorites are my Tweezerman® tweezers (they offer free sharpening) and Rubis®

. If you’re not in the market for new tweezers, just use what you have at home.

6. Place the middle finger (of your non-dominant hand) at the outer end of your eyebrow and pull the skin taught so that tweezing will be less painful.

7. Pull hairs out in the direction the hair grows—again it’s less painful.

For example, you will usually pull out hair to the right on your right eyebrow.

8. Tweeze a few hairs, stop, and look in the mirror.

I suggest tweezing two hairs then stopping to look in the mirror before continuing. I don’t recommend tweezing more than ten hairs on each eyebrow before stopping. It may not seem like a lot, but we’re not entirely reshaping brows this time.

9. Focus on the gap between eyebrows, and tweeze upwards.

Do not over-tweeze! Avoiding a unibrow is key, but having too large of a gap between brows isn’t ideal either. Preferably, your eyebrows should be about one eye’s width apart. To keep the aesthetically pleasing proportions of your face, draw a line from the outer edge of the bridge of your nose upwards and do not tweeze past this line. An eyeshadow brush or lipliner can be helpful making a nice, straight line.

10. Take it slow! And don’t forget to clean your face and your tools afterward.

I recommend dabbing a new, clean cotton round (soaked with witch hazel) on the area you just tweezed. A CBD-infused moisturizer will also help reduce redness and provide relief, and it can be used on the entire face—we have our own NSM products and shop coming soon!

Finally, clean your tweezers to avoid spreading bacteria on your face—especially during times like these when good hygiene and sanitation are critical. I suggest washing them with soap and water, air drying, then wiping them with 70% alcohol.

If you want more intel and tips for cleaning your beauty tools, check out my blog post Makeup 101: Good Hygiene Starts with Clean Makeup Brushes.

Voilà! Hopefully you now have beautiful, tidy eyebrows to showcase your eyes and—more importantly—shape your entire face. Let me know how my step-by-step guide worked for you and if you have any feedback (or past horror stories) to share.