How to Choose the Best Eyebrow Shape for Your Face

The reign of skinny brows ended a long, long time ago—it’s all about big, bushy brows these days. Chances are that you’ve given your tweezers a break in lieu of a fuller brow, and now that your arches have had some time to grow, it’s time to find the shape that flatters your face shape. One thing’s for sure: The process is not that different from finding the right part and the right bangs for your face shape. Like a hairstyle, certain brows will work better for certain face structures. But how do you know if you need a sharp arch, a gentle curve, or a straighter structure? It’s a science, and we’ve got it all figured out for you.

But first, you need to figure out what your face shape actually is. "You can sit right in the middle of two shapes and it can often be hard to tell which face shape you truly have," says brow expert Savannah St. Jean. She suggests using a tape measure to determine the exact measurements. "That way you can truly see which part of your face is widest against the others." To get precise numbers, makeup artist Steve Kassajikian says to measure your "forehead, cheekbones, jawline and face length."

Find the best brow style to complement your face shape according to experts, ahead.

Brow Shapes for Heart-Shaped Faces

Your Face Shape: Heart-shaped faces follow the general outline of a heart, with a wider forehead that tapers down to a pointed chin.

Celebs With Your Face Shape: Cara Delevingne, Kourtney Kardashian, Reese Witherspoon

The Best Brows for You: A heart-shaped face looks best with a soft arch, which balances a longer chin. When it comes to thickness, choose a fuller shape. "Heart-shaped faces wear fluffy full brows well because the widest area of their face is the brow area and it won’t get easily overwhelmed with too much brow," says St. Jean. Don't have naturally full brows? "Use a cream or pomade brow product with an angled brush to create hair-like strokes for the illusion of a fuller shape," says Kassajikian. He likes Urban Decay Brow Blade ($26)

Brow Shapes for Square-Shaped Faces

Your Face Shape: "On square faces, all measurements are fairly the same," says Kassajikian. Your chin will typically be less defined, while your jawline will be wide and angular.

Celebs With Your Face Shape: Olivia Wilde, Malin Akerman, Nicole Richie

The Best Brows for You: A high, curved arch works well on a square shape since it softens and elongates your face. "Arched brows on a square face help to offset the hard angles of a square shape," notes St. Jean. She cautions against having the tail dip too low. "Taking the tail too low will bring the eye shape downwards."

Brow Shapes for Oblong Faces

Your Face Shape: If you have an oblong face, "the face length is the largest [measurement]" says Kassajikian.

Celebs With Your Face Shape: Joan Smalls, Sarah Jessica Parker, Liv Tyler

The Best Brows for You: "A straighter brow with soft edges will help widen the face shape," says St. Jean. A gentle arch will help widen your face. Avoid high arches, which will make your face appear thinner, says Kassajikian. "This face shape also wears a fluffy brow well because it offsets the length of the face," St. Jean notes.

Brow Shapes for Round Faces

Your Face Shape: Round faces are curved slightly outward and feature a rounded chin. Your cheekbones are generally the widest part of your face. 

Celebs With Your Face Shape: Gabrielle Union, Ginnifer Goodwin, Kirsten Dunst

The Best Brows for You: Fuller brows with a sharp, angled arch give structure to a round face, our experts suggest. "An arched brow looks gorgeous on this face shape!" adds St. Jean. The farther from your nose the arch is, the wider your face will appear. Be careful with the thickness of your brows here: "If you have a small and round face shape, try not to overwhelm your face with too thick and fluffy of a brow."

Brow Shapes for Oval-Shaped Faces

Your Face Shape: Like round faces, the cheekbones are the widest of an oval face. But oval faces are overall longer and slimmer in appearance than round faces, with a length "greater than the width of your cheekbones and jawline," notes Kassajikian

Celebs With Your Face Shape: Jessica Alba, Beyoncé, Eva Mendes

The Best Brows for You: "An oval shape can do almost no wrong," says St. Jean. Those with an oval face shape can pull off almost any haircut or bang length, and the same goes for brows. "Your best approach is to let your natural brows guide you." Kassajikian says, "I always stick to a full natural brow with a soft arch."

Brow Shapes for Diamond-Shaped Faces

Your Face Shape: Similar to a round face, diamonds have narrower chins and wide, high cheekbones. Much like an actual diamond, the top of your head will also be narrower than the middle if you have a diamond-shaped face.

Celebs With Your Face Shape: Halle Berry, Audrey Tautou, Elizabeth Hurley

The Best Brows for You: Have a diamond face shape? Try a curved brow with an angled arch, which helps to lengthen the widest part of your face, according to our experts. "Because the goal is to widen the appearance of your forehead, an angled brow works well," says St. Jean. If you're between appointments and don't want to mess with your brows too much, Kassajikian says "you can use a concealer to clean up around the brow to sharpen your shape and conceal the stray hairs."