This is a celebrity makeup artist’s secret to fuller brows

There’s a science to good brows. After all, studies have found that fuller arches are the key to a more youthful glow and also that people are more recognizable by their eyebrows than their eyes. “With brows, you’re immediately creating structure to your face,” says Roxy Saffaie, a Burt’s Bees celebrity makeup artist. “This wakes you up and you look more polished.”

“With brows, you’re immediately creating structure to your face.”

This is pretty cool, actually, because your face framers—no matter the shape they take—can wind up being a big part of your overall look. “Brows are so personal. Some women like to make their brows darker, and some don’t like their brows dark,” she says. “It really depends on the individual first and foremost.”

But the brow-of-the-moment—the fluffy, brushed-up arch that looks like your own (but, you know, better)—is super easy to achieve. All you’ve got to do is refine your technique. Here, all the tools and tips you need to get the face framers of your dreams.

Keep scrolling for the 4 things to keep in mind for natural-looking arches.

Pick the right tool

Grab a brow pencil such as the Burt’s Bees Brow Pencil ($10) instead of a powder because it allows for more control (as in: it’s super easy to fake hair-like strokes) when applying the color and it’s easier to blend. “It deposits such a rich amount of color that I can move and manipulate easily, says Saffaie. To pick the right shade, she matches the pencil to the root of the hair for a natural look, but if you want a more prominent, noticeable brow, opt for a hue one shade darker than the root.

Start with the sparse spots

First, brush your brows up, which helps to create the fullest, most prominent shape possible. Then, rather than working from the inner corner to the outer edge, which can lead to an overly heavy application, start with the spots that need the most love. “I take a pencil and just start in the sparsest sections,” Saffaie explains. “I’m not going to immediately start drawing a line because my goal is to make them look natural.” She works in tiny dashes, faking, you guessed it: hair-like strokes.

Move out, not down

When you get to the tail of the brow, work to make the strokes go toward the outer-edge of the face rather than downward, which can cause your features to look sunken rather than lifted. “I think it’s beautiful when you’re pulling your eyes and your features up and out,” she says.

Make sure to blend

Rather than waiting until the end to blend the pigment, as you’re creating strokes, go back with the spoolie end of the brow pencil to help integrate the pigment, so that it looks really natural and seamless.“I’m constantly brushing the color into the brow,” she says. As if it weren’t even there at all.

For even more brow inspo, check out this super helpful guide to getting your best arches yet and watch Pilates guru Heather Andersen give her brow hack.