How to Use Eyebrow Stencils

Co-authored by Melissa Jannes

Last Updated: September 16, 2021 References

Brow stencils let you shape your brows like a pro–without the effort. Find a brow stencil that fits your natural shape and fill it in with your favorite pencil or powder. Then, for an extra clean look, touch up your eyebrows with tweezers, concealer, and eyebrow gel. You’ll get those perfect eyebrows quicker than when you try to draw them in by hand. Ready for bolder, better brows? Follow our beginner-friendly stencil tutorial to up your makeup game.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Filling in Your Brows

1
Find a stencil that more or less matches your natural brow shape. Stencils usually come in a pack with a few different shape options. Hold each stencil up to your eyebrow to find which one most closely fits your natural shape.^{[1]
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- The stencil doesn’t have to be a perfect match.
2
Line one stencil up with your arch if you have the plastic kind. Hold the stencil up to your eyebrow and try to line up the curve of the stencil with your natural arch. It might help to hold the stencil with your first two fingers or with your index finger and thumb, so that you can press down on both sides of the stencil.^{[2]
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- Press the stencil fairly firmly against your skin so that it doesn’t slip around as you color in your brows.
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3
Stick both stencils over your brows if you have the sticker kind. Line up the arch with your natural arch and make sure that both of the stickers are symmetrical on your face. Eyebrow stencil stickers often have lines drawn on them so that you can tell if you put them on straight or not.^{[3]
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- Sticker stencils can be easier to use than plastic stencils because you don’t have to hold it on with one hand while you fill in your brows with the other.
4
Fill in the stencil with an eyebrow pencil or powder and brush. Use an eyebrow pencil or powder that matches your natural eyebrow color.^{[4]
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Expert Source

Melissa Jannes
Licensed Esthetician
Expert Interview. 30 August 2019.} Shade in your eyebrow with gentle strokes. Make sure to cover all edges of the stencil.^{[5]
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- You don’t have to worry about going outside the lines, because the stencil will guide you into the perfect shape.
5
Fill in your other eyebrow the same way. If you used a plastic stencil, you can just flip it over and hold it against the other side. If you used a sticker stencil, it will already be on. Fill in the stencil with the same color you used for the other brow.^{[6]
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- Your second eyebrow should begin at the same distance from your nose as the first eyebrow.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Touching up Your Brows

1
Remove the stencil and brush your eyebrows with an eyebrow brush. Brush up and out to soften the sharp edges the stencil created. Brushing makes the edges of your eyebrows a little more natural.^{[7]
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- A toothbrush is an easy alternative to an eyebrow brush if you don’t have one.
2
Brush concealer under the eyebrow line and blend it down. Dip a small makeup brush in concealer and brush a thin layer just underneath your eyebrow line. You can use the concealer to slightly reshape the bottom edge as you apply it. Brush the concealer down to blend it out so it’s not such a sharp line.^{[8]
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- Putting concealer under your brows will make them pop.
3
Pluck hairs that fall outside the stencil line for a cleaner look. With your tweezers, grasp one hair at a time and pull them out in the same direction as they grow. Using sharp tweezers will make the process much easier.^{[9]
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- It’s easy to over-pluck, so make sure you step back and check how the shape of your brow looks from far away every now and then to make sure you’re not plucking too much.
4
Set your eyebrows with an eyebrow gel. Brush eyebrow gel over your eyebrows with a brow brush or toothbrush so that your hard work stays in place throughout the day. If you don’t have eyebrow gel, clear mascara is a good alternative.^{[10]
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- Use a very small dab of gel, so your brows don’t look goopy.

Expert Q&A

Question

How do you fill in eyebrows for beginners?

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

You can fill in your brows with an eyebrow pencil or an eyeshadow powder. If you're using powder, dip a brush in the powder and apply it over your brows. Make sure the eyebrow pencil or powder you choose matches your eyebrows perfectly.