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I have a complicated relationship with my eyebrows. They’re my strongest physical feature and I always get compliments on them, but after a few mishaps at the salon, they’ve started to look lopsided. And despite the old adage “sisters, not twins,” the unevenness of my brows started to keep me up at night. So in an attempt to course-correct, I sought the expertise of New York City’s original celebrity brow expert, Sania Vucetaj, to tweeze my brows back into shape. Below, she shares her tips on how to fix uneven eyebrows to keep them looking as close to #twinning as possible for the long haul.
Why tweezing?
Many brow artists prefer tweezing over waxing and threading, as it allows for precise and detailed shaping, which delivers the best results. Because the process removes each hair individually, it’s gentle on the skin and comes with a much lower risk of major mistakes than other, more broad-sweeping hair removal methods. Vucetaj approaches eyebrow grooming with meticulous attention to detail, taking the time to carefully consider each hair and regularly seeking feedback from the client on the desired shape and thickness of the arch. She is skilled in restoring over-tweezed or over-waxed eyebrows, often through a gradual process of reshaping with regular appointments.
According to Vucetaj, tweezing is simply the most precise method. “With brows, every hair makes such a difference,” she says. “Waxing can burn and stretch the skin around the eyes, which is the thinnest skin on the body. Waxing also pulls multiple hairs at once, therefore, losing precision. Threading similarly lacks precision but also pulls hairs in the opposite direction of growth, which can cause painful and nasty ingrowns.”
What it was like to get my brows tweezed
Initially, I was admittedly hesitant about getting my eyebrows tweezed at Sania’s Brow Bar. I’ve been getting my eyebrows threaded since the seventh grade, so switching from threading to tweezers felt like the ultimate betrayal. However, Vucatej has been in the brow game for years and her clients include Sarah Jessica Parker, Rihanna, and Olivia Culpo. Who was I to question someone whom Rihanna trusts?
When I sat down, Vucatej immediately pointed out that my brows were uneven, which was a relief because my previous brow specialist refused to acknowledge that fact, let alone fix it. She then mapped out my brows, showing me where they should start and end, and which hairs needed to grow back. The tweezing process was surprisingly quick and painless, with no watering of the eyes like I sometimes experience when tweezing my own brows at home. The final result was subtle but much more even, and I was relieved to know that I wouldn’t have to spend any more Zoom calls focusing on my uneven eyebrows.
Vucetaj’s tips and tricks for keeping brows even
Though my in-person appointment with Vucatej helped me get my brows back on track, she had a few recommendations of what I (and others) should do at home to keep them looking flawless.
1. Avoid using any creams on the brows
Creams like moisturizers, sunscreens, foundations, and oils can clog hair follicles, slowing down regrowth and potentially leading to shedding—which can (understandably) lead to uneven results. When applying skin-care products, take care to massage them around your brows instead of on top of them.
2. Use brow gel and pomade sparingly
Brow gel is highly adhesive and can easily trap hairs in the wand while brushing through your brows. This can lead to sparse areas if even one or two hairs are pulled out during each use. Pomade, on the other hand, is heavily waxy, resulting in an unnatural appearance and clogging of the brow follicles, which can slow down regrowth. Vucatej recommends staying away from these products entirely, but if you can’t bare to part with your brow styling products, be sure to use them sparingly and look for formulas infused with conditioning ingredients, like Kosas Air Brow ($24).
3. Draw your brows in first
If you are tweezing your own eyebrows, it’s recommended to first use a brow pencil to outline the desired shape, and then tweeze around the outline. This will provide a guide to show you exactly which hairs need to be pulled, which will ultimately prevent over-plucking.
4. Avoid magnifying mirrors
When tweezing your own brows, be cautious of using magnifying mirrors as they can cause a distorted perspective and lead to over-tweezing. To maintain balance and proportion, don’t be overly aggressive about plucking from the area between your brows, as this can disrupt the overall facial frame. As a guide, the inner corners of your eyebrows should start at the bridge of the nose, so use this as a reference to keep the brows spaced appropriately.
5. Be careful with the scissors
Though trimming your brows is an important part of the shaping process, you’ll want to be mindful about just how much hair you’re chopping off. Cutting your eyebrows too short can lead to an uneven appearance and increase the risk of accidentally trimming into the arch, resulting in a loss of shape. Pros recommend trimming one hair at a time, and if you can’t decide whether you should trim or tweeze an individual strand, always opt for a trim before deciding if you really need to pull it out.
Watch our senior beauty editor get a lesson in at-home brow tweezing from *another* legendary eyebrow wizard:
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