How to Create Feathered Eyebrows

Co-authored by Melissa Jannes

Last Updated: September 16, 2021

Feathered brows are a nice sophisticated look that leave your eyebrows looking full and beautiful. To feather your brows, you will have to fill in your brows as you normally would. From there, you will use a brow brush and a pencil to create an upward, feathered motion. Once you're done with that, finish off with a gel to solidify the feathered look.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:
Filling in Your Eyebrows

1
Identify gaps in your eyebrows. To start, evaluate your eyebrows in a mirror. Before you feather your brows, you will want to fill them in as normal.
- Use a brow brush to brush your eyebrows upward. This will make bald spots or spots where hair is light more apparent.
- Make note of where such spots occur. You will fill these areas in with a brow pencil that matches your hair color.^{[1]
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  Expert Source
  
  Melissa Jannes
  Licensed Esthetician
  Expert Interview. 30 August 2019.}
2
Figure out where your brow should ideally start. Before you begin filling in your brows, you want to make sure you know where they should start. To do this, take any straight makeup brush you have. Place it along your nose, forming a vertical line upward. Your eyebrows should start at this line and move outward.^{[2]
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3
Darken your brows in a feathered motion. Once you've identified where your brows should start, and where the gaps are, you can begin filling in your brows. The process of feathering starts now. You want to use the right motions to create the feathered texture.
- As you draw lines filling in your brows, use upward motions. You want to sweep along your eyebrows horizontally, moving from the top to the bottom.
- Move along the full length of each eyebrow, making swift upward swipes. This should create the feathered texture.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:
Creating the Feathered Texture

1
Use a brow brush to push your eyebrows upward. Once you've filled in your brows, you can solidify the feathered look. Take a clean brow brush to feather your brows.^{[3]
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- Use upward motions. Again, brush the eyebrows from top to bottom.
- Swipe your eyebrows quickly. This will help the hair move upwards, creating the right effect.
2
Create hair strokes with a pencil. You may notice some more gaps in your eyebrows after feathering them. If you notice any gaps, take a brow pencil. Create hair strokes by moving the pencil from top to bottom in the areas where you lack hair.
3
Finish with a touch of gel. You can use a small touch of brow gel to solidify the feathered brow look. Gel will fill in your brows a bit more and make them look darker and more defined.^{[4]
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- Apply the gel using the same motions you used with your brow brush. Use quick, swiping motions to move across each eye, pushing the hair upward.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:
Avoiding Common Mistakes

1
Choose the right brow brush. The wrong brow brush can make it difficult to feather your brows successfully. You should not use any brow brush to fill in your brows. Opt for a thin, angled brush as you can use this tool with more precision.^{[5]
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2
Make sure to blend when you're done. You do not want the makeup on your brows to look unnatural.^{[6]
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Expert Source

Melissa Jannes
Licensed Esthetician
Expert Interview. 30 August 2019.} Make sure you make enough brush strokes that any makeup fades into your natural hair color. It can take awhile to blend, so have patience.^{[7]
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- A spoolie brush, sometimes called a brow wand, can be helpful for blending.
3
Select the right color. Make sure to select a color that closely matches your natural brow color. You should also make sure you only use a light layer of brow makeup. Too many layers can make your eyebrows look unnaturally dark.^{[8]
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Community Q&A
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Question

How can I make sure my eyebrows look natural when I fill them in?

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

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

With eyebrows, I'm very less is more. I recommend using a matte powder to fill them in, as it's a little more softer-looking than a pencil. Remember that your goal isn't to color in your full eyebrow. It's just to add what you need and build it a little bit.
Question

Why can't I fill in my eyebrows right?

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

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

Check that you're using the right color. Your brow pencil should match your eyebrow color exactly. Additionally, you may not be blending your eyebrows after you fill them in. It's important to blend so your eyebrows look natural.