How to Fade Eyebrows

Co-authored by Melissa Jannes

Last Updated: October 9, 2020 References

Eyebrows naturally start lighter near your nose and get darker towards the tail. When you fade your eyebrows, you’ll enhance this look. Fill in your brows with a subtle fade to achieve nice shape and lift. For a more dramatic look, make a more obvious gradient from the beginning of your brows to the ends. This also create a lovely frame for your eye. Create an ombre effect by lining and filling in your brows with different, matching shades of pencil and powder.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Filling in Your Brows

1
Wash your face and towel dry your brows. Use a spoolie brush to brush up your eyebrows. Note the natural shape of your brows and look for any spots where your brows are sparse or uneven.^{[1]
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- Pluck or wax any hairs that you don’t want.
- Trim the top of your brows if necessary.
2
Figure out where your brows start and end. Line a thin makeup brush up along the side of your nose. The brush will hit your brow where it should start. Next, keep the brush next to your nose and move it at a 45° angle to the outer corner of your eye. This is where your brow naturally ends.^{[2]
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3
Use an eyebrow pencil to lightly draw short, upward strokes. The strokes should mimic the growth of your brow hairs. Match the color of your pencil to the color of your brows.^{[3]
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Expert Source

Melissa Jannes
Beauty Stylist
Expert Interview. 30 August 2019.} Start drawing in the inner corners of your eyes. Slowly work your way out to the ends of your brow, lightly drawing strokes in the sparse spots.^{[4]
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4
Define your brows with pressed powder that matches your brows. With an angled brush, comb brow powder or eyeshadow through your brows to better fill them in.^{[5]
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Expert Source

Melissa Jannes
Beauty Stylist
Expert Interview. 30 August 2019.} Use very little powder where your brows start, and add more towards the end of your brows. Try brushing the powder lightly back and forth for good coverage. This will also better define your arch.
- Blend the color and soften any sharp lines with by brushing your brows with your spoolie brush.
- Focus on really diffusing the color near the beginning of your brow. To do this, wipe excess powder off the spoolie brush and use the clean brush to soften and blend.
5
Clean up your brows. Use your fingers or a cotton swab to wipe away any color that’s outside your brow lines. Make the brows look sharp and clean by brushing translucent powder around the edges of your brows. Or you can clean them up by brushing color-correcting concealer around the perimeter of your brows.
- Lightly cover your brows with clear gel or clear mascara to help maintain your look all day.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Creating a Gradient Look

1
Start with clean, dry brows. Pluck or wax any hairs you don’t want in your brow line. Brush your eyebrows upward with a spoolie brush to see the shape of your brows. Trim the tops of your brows if you have longer hairs you don’t want above your brow line.
2
Line the bottom arch of your brow. Use an eyebrow pencil to line it. Shape the bottom arch into the shape you want for your brows. Make your line heavier from the center of your iris outward. You want to end with a very dark, well defined tail for your brow.
3
Fill in your brows with powder. Use an angled brush and brow powder or eyeshadow to fill in any sparse areas. Make light strokes working from the inner corner of your eye outward. Also use your angled brush and powder to smooth out and blend the color from your pencil.^{[6]
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Expert Source

Melissa Jannes
Beauty Stylist
Expert Interview. 30 August 2019.} Apply more powder at the ends of your brow.^{[7]
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- Consider using a slightly lighter shade of powder in the inner corner of your eye to emphasize the gradient effect.^{[8]
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4
Diffuse the color at the beginning of your brow. Take your spoolie brush and brush through the beginning of your eyebrow. Wiggle the brush around to soften the color on the inside of your eye. Next, lightly brush your brows outward with the spoolie brush. Make sure to blend any clumps of color as you brush.
5
Clean and set your brows. Outline the edges of your eyes and the rim of your bottom arch with concealer. Use a concealer brush and blend the concealer. You can also use a concealer pencil, but be sure to blend it very well. Apply some clear gel or clear mascara to set your brows.
- Further highlight your arches by feathering very light eyeshadow under your brow bone up to your eyebrow arch.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Making Ombre Brows

1
Begin with clean, dry, well-defined brows. Wash your face. Remove stray hairs from your brows by plucking, waxing, and/or trimming them. Use your spoolie brush to fluff up your brows. Check for sparse spots where you’ll need to fill in extra color.
2
Choose two colors. Make ombre brows with any combinations of colors that you like. Choose one lighter and one darker color that match your brows for a more subtle approach. For example, you might want a light brown for the beginning of your brow and a deeper brown for the end. Select completely different colors, like gold and brown for a more stark contrast.
- The colors should still be in the same family. For example, you would want to use a warm brown shade with gold, not an ash brown.
- Pick vibrant colors for more impact. Try choosing one color in two different shades, like light and dark blue.
3
Use a pencil that matches your brow hair color. Use it to line the outer edges of your brows. Focus on the arch under your brows. Start with lighter strokes in the center of your eye, and make the strokes heavier as you work your way to the end of your brow. Clearly define the tail of your brow in pencil.
- Bring the end to a point if you want to emphasize your arch.^{[9]
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- Make sure you use a pencil that matches your eyebrows. If you are filling in sparse areas with an unnatural shade, it will only draw attention to the unevenness.^{[10]
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  Melissa Jannes
  Beauty Stylist
  Expert Interview. 30 August 2019.} Save the bright shades for the powder.
4
Apply powder with an angled brow brush. Start with the lighter color. Make feathery, upward strokes at the beginning of your brow. Using the same brush, fill in your brows at the end in the darker shade. Blend the colors over your arch.
- Use a spoolie brush for better blending.
- If you’re using a vibrant color that doesn’t match your brows, be sure to fill in your entire brow with powder.
5
Clean and set the color. Define the edges of your brows with a concealer brush and concealer or a concealer pencil. Add a light eyeshadow under your brow bone to highlight the ombre effect. Finish up with a clear gel or clear mascara to set the color.
- Use a matching eyeliner to really emphasize your ombre look.

Expert Q&A

Question

How do you know what color eyebrow pencil to use?

Melissa Jannes
Licensed Esthetician & Brazilian Wax Educator
Melissa Jannes is a Licensed Esthetician and the owner of Maebee's Beauty Studio in Philadelphia, a single practitioner space providing quality services with individualized attention. Melissa is also a National Educator for Universal Companies. She received her esthetics degree at The Beauty School of Middletown in 2008 and is licensed in both New York and Pennsylvania. Melissa won the "Best of Beauty" award from Allure magazine in 2012 for the quality of her bikini waxing.

Melissa Jannes

Licensed Esthetician & Brazilian Wax Educator

Expert Answer

Make sure that your eyebrow pencil matches your eyebrows perfectly. You may need to try different colors out to find the one that closely matches your natural eyebrow color. If you use a color that's not the same color, it'll just highlight the unevenness of your brows.
Question

What color of eye pencil can I use if I'm black?

Community Answer

Silver colored eye pencil will be a good one as it will make your eyes pop.
Question

What are clear mascara and a spoolie brush?

Elizabeth Oxer

Community Answer

Clear mascara is exactly what it sounds like -- mascara that is clear. Maybelline has one in their Great Lash range at the drugstore. It does everything a mascara/brow gel does, but without pigment. A spoolie brush is the long, cylindrical brush that's on a lot of brow products that helps to brush your brows and shape them. They look like mascara brushes, but are more associated with brow products.