Asian Eyebrow Shapes
If you’re a person of Asian descent living in the West, shaping your brows following mainstream methods can be a struggle. If you’ve ever tried and failed to force your brows into a sharply arched shape, this post is for you. We’ll cover the ideal Asian eyebrow shapes and explain how to create a brow that’ll flatter you effortlessly.
Table of Contents
What Are the Common Asian Eyebrow Shapes?
The brow-shaping techniques popular in East Asia today honor Asian features and brow growth patterns.These are the main Asian brow shapes you’ll often see, especially on celebrities. As you read through, remember that they can vary in color, intensity, and other small details.
Flat
Flat eyebrow shapes have had a major increase in popularity largely because of Asian beauty trends! For many East Asians, the brow hairs grow sideways near the front half and downwards from the “arch” to the tail, which is why creating a high or angled arch is so difficult.
If this applies to you, and you find that your brows don’t have a natural arch, you don’t need to force it. A soft, flat brow gives the face a delicate, youthful look, and you can always taper the tail for a more intentional, groomed vibe.
Rounded
If your brows do have a bit of natural lift but you love the softer look, go round! This style is all about how you fill in your brows, making sure to create a softly rounded, continuous outline.
Arched
Asian eyebrows can still have an arched eyebrow shape. It’s a great choice if you want a slightly more angled, mature style. Even so, it’s usually best to aim for a softer arch, largely by filling the brows in from above rather than by attempting to tweeze or trim the hair from below.
How to Shape a Perfect Asian Eyebrow
Once you have an idea of what kind of brow shape you’d like to try, here’s how to shape an Asian brow, step by step.
- First, experiment with how you’ll brush your brows. It’s easiest to simply brush them sideways or even sideways and downwards following their natural direction, but you can also use a strong eyebrow gel to manipulate them upwards.
- Next, use a pencil to outline how you’ll shape your brows from below. Start below the front of your brows, and fill in below the brow gently using either short strokes for a natural look or in one clean line for a neat look. Create a gently sloping line from the front all the way to the tail for a rounded look, or to the arch for a sharper look.
- Next, refine the tail. Use brow mapping to ensure it doesn’t extend too far, by measuring from the nostril to the outer corner of your eye. Draw a straight line from the arch to the tip of the tail for a sharper tapered look, or keep it continuous for a straight look.
- Next, plan out your arch from above if you are going for an arched look. Measure from your nostril through to the outer part of your iris, and that’s probably where the highest point of your brow should be. Mark it with a pencil.
- Complete the upper part of your arch by connecting it to the upper line of the front of your brows as well as to the tail. Use straight lines for an angular look, or curved lines for a softer look.
- Finish by filling in your brows softly using a pencil, powder, tint, or pomade. Use a clean spoolie to blend things out.
- Refine the front of your brow by filling it in softly with strokes going in the same direction as your natural hair growth. Use a pencil to blend it out.
- Finally, once you’re happy with the shape, remove any excess hair that grows outside the areas you’ve filled in. You can also carefully trim overly-long hair.
- When you trim, we recommend holding the scissors vertically, so you can cut hair by hair with precision.
Final Thoughts
The days of trying to force your eyebrows into a shape that doesn’t work are over! Our world is much more internationally connected than it’s ever been in the past and different approaches to beauty have permeated all over the globe.
It also means that finally, folks of Asian descent from all over the world can celebrate their natural brows, instead of filling or tweezing them to oblivion to conform to Western standards.
Are you interested in other eyebrow shapes?
Maya Adivi
Maya Adivi is a makeup artist and beauty writer originally from Toronto, Canada. She’s passionate about all things makeup, skincare, and beauty. She takes a science-based approach to writing, ignoring the marketing buzz in favor of facts and results.