With Halloween just under 300 days away (at the time of publishing!), you might be wondering how you can cover your eyebrows with makeup for the perfect dramatic look. Or maybe you just want to learn how for future hi-fashion moments. Or perhaps you’d simply like to change the shape of your brows for a moment.

There are multiple reasons why people do it. It’s also an extremely useful technique among the theatre, ballet, and drag queens alike. The question is, how do you actually cover your eyebrows with makeup?

Whether you’re an experienced makeup professional, general beauty junkie, or a makeup rookie, everyone has the ability to enhance and alter their natural eyebrows. All you need are a few tools and the know-how.

In this article, we’re going to show you how to cover your eyebrows with makeup in just a few easy steps. Have fun!

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Products you can use

Removers needed

There are different kinds of removers you can use for different products.

Oil-based cleansers and makeup removers work best to remove non-toxic glues like elmer’s glue stick and silicon adhesive. Using an oily remover helps remove the product without ripping hairs out, which preserves the health of your brows.

If you use spirit gum or a silicon adhesive to block out your brows, invest in a specific remover or a spirit gum remover. It’ll make the process much easier and prevent your brows from getting damaged. Check out this convenient spirit gum and spirit gum remover kit.

It’s also worth remembering to be very careful with these products as you are working near your eyes.

If you do use Telesis, or any silicon-based adhesive to flatten your brows, I recommend using a gel formulation for your remover. It can reduce the likelihood of any remover drizzling into your eyes, and is easier to work with. You may have to seek it out from a theatrical makeup supplier or check it out here.

Those of you using nose and scar wax to cover your brows will need a prosthetic adhesive remover to properly and safely remove the product.

Whether you go for sky-high arches or drop your brows altogether, it’s always important to remove all your makeup (and adhesives) from your eyebrow hair properly. Not doing so can make the product stick more, making it harder to remove the next day and ultimately, placing more pressure on your skin and brows.

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close up of woman's right eye
Photo by Luca Laconelli via Unsplash

Step By Step Guide to Covering Your Eyebrows with Makeup

1. Prep the Eyebrows

Before diving in with your makeup brushes and products, be sure to wash and dry your face so that you’re starting with a clean, dry base.

Doing this helps remove oil and dirt, or any makeup from within the eyebrows. Any build-up can break down your adhesive and stop your adhesive from sticking.

I know you hear this step all the time with makeup tutorials, but this is one step you don’t want to miss if you want this technique to work.

It’s the first step of most makeup tutorials, and is important for so many reasons!

You can use a little 99 percent alcohol solution on a cotton pad to prep the brows before applying makeup and glue. Clean, product-free brows will give you the best results when covering them using these techniques.

2. Brush the Eyebrow Hairs Up and Out

Using an eyebrow brush or spoolie brush, brush your eyebrow hairs up and out so you can start planning your brow line. You’ll find it much easier to work with brows that are groomed and combed. It’ll make defining the shape a lot simpler, making the process even more seamless.

If you would like to build upon your natural eyebrow shape with your cover, it’s best to take a moment to plan beforehand. Do you want a straight and narrow look? Super-arched brow bone? Big and bushy? Your brows, your choice.

3. Flatten the Brows

Now that you’ve designated where your new brows are going to be, it’s time to go in with the product of your choice to lay down your brows. Some good suggestions include Elmer’s Glue Stick, Silicon Adhesive, Spirit Gum, and Nose and Scar Wax. Or you could even use a combination of two of those – for instance – you could flatten your eyebrow hairs down first with spirit gum, and then apply a thin layer of nose and scar wax over the top to create a flat and uniform surface.

Elmer’s glue sticks are also available as purple glue sticks. These are quite interesting, as they go on as a purple substance, and turn clear when the glue is dry. This may be perfect for the beginner brow cover application!

While the glue is still wet, flatten the brows to create a smooth canvas. Your brows need to be as flat as possible and every hair flattened down for the look to appear realistic.

When applying the glue, always follow the direction of the hair from root outwards. For a more precise application, try applying the product with a spatula. This will ensure a flattening of the hairs at the same time as they are being glued down.

A good way to tell whether all the hairs are down is by turning your face to the side in the mirror. You’ll quickly be able to see if a hair is out of place. Another way to tell is by touching your brows. You should be able to feel any stray hairs that are not stuck down. Also, feel free to ask a friend if all your brow hairs are down.

4. Dry the Product

Now you need to let the glue set. There are two ways to do this: by letting it air-dry or using a hairdryer on a cool setting. Bear in mind, you will need to be patient with this step.

If your brows aren’t completely dry, the next step won’t work.

5. Set the Brows

Ready to set those brows? We are!

Using a powder puff or makeup sponge, apply a matte loose setting powder over the brows and surrounding areas so that everything stays in place. The loose powder will prevent any issues once you apply your brow makeup.

Make sure you invest in a good quality setting powder such as RCMA No Color Powder. This is one of my favorites.

6. Repeat if Necessary

If you’ve got really thick or full brows, you may need a little extra coverage. Repeat the process again of gluing, flattening, and setting as many times as needed until your brows are fully covered and you’ve achieved a smooth surface. Don’t give up just because it doesn’t work the first time around. It may take up to three times before you are pleased with the results.

It’s important to spend time perfecting your brows so that the end result is as natural-looking as possible. Without full coverage, your new brows simply won’t look believable, and that would just spoil the entire look.

7. Create a Guideline

Now it’s time to decide where you want your “new” eyebrows to go!

If you would like to build upon your original eyebrows with your cover, it’s best to take a moment to plan beforehand. Do you want a straight and narrow look? Or are you going for a natural eyebrow shape? Super arched? Are you recreating someone else’s eyebrows? Your bows, your choice.

You can draw inspiration from celebrities, movie characters, and historical characters, wherever you like. Take a look online and see which eyebrow shapes you like. Then you can use this as a reference to work from when covering and re-shaping your brows. Use an eyebrow pencil to mark your intended brow shape.

Nowadays, you can also find eyebrow stencil templates available which you can draw through to give you a good starting point. These can be particularly helpful to get the symmetry of perfect brows and balance from your left to right brow.

8. Color Correct

To make your brows disappear completely, dab a layer of high-coverage concealer over your brows using either your fingers or a concealer brush, although the latter is probably a better idea for precision.

Don’t worry if your eyebrows are dark and thick. Simply go in with an orange color corrector first, followed by your favorite concealer. This should camouflage the natural color of the brows Iand help this area blend into your skin tone. It’s also best to use matte products as your formulas so that they won’t break down the glue and make your brows reappear.

Once again, if you’re unhappy with the results the first time around, repeat the application process again. Go in with a second layer of concealer. Then blend it in. I find a “stippling” motion works best to help get the product in and do a more thorough job of concealing.

You’ll also soon learn that it’s best to start with less product and build from there.

9. Apply Your Foundation

Next, apply a full-coverage foundation to the eyebrows and over your entire face to create an even skin tone.

The more even your complexion, the better your new brows will pop!

10. Set It All!

Then dust over a powder to set everything in place for hours of beautiful brows! You’ll want to use a stipple motion with a powder puff and some translucent powder to set your makeup best.

The same rule about using matte formulas applies to those with thicker, darker brows. And once again, they may need to apply a couple of layers of the foundation for total coverage.

You can even seal your brow coverage at this point – or if you’re going to continue with more eye makeup, can wait until your work is done! I like to use Ben Nye Final Seal for this. Be careful if you’re going to be spraying your won face – make sure you do this with your eyes closed!

Avoid rubbing against the eyebrows too much when applying your eye makeup. The less you disturb them, the better. This will make them last so much longer and will prevent any unwanted incidents from occurring such as smudging, color fading. In other words, STIPPLE ALL THE WAY!

Now that your base is established and your natural brows are hidden, you can officially start creating your new shape. Whether thin or thick, flat or arched, be as creative as you like with your new brow shape. If it’s for an event like Halloween, the choice is yours.

Take inspiration from wherever you like, and see what magic you can create with your makeup. Oh yeah, and remember to take LOTS of selfies! You’re going to want to remember this!

Of course, you don’t have to create brows. Go ahead and rock the NO eyebrow look if that’s how you’re feeling.

.The fun thing about brows is that they can drastically change your face. With or without, brows can make you look like someone completely different. And that’s what makes it exciting!

Covering your eyebrows with makeup is such a fun thing to do to switch up your look and be someone else for the day! If there’s one thing we love about makeup, it’s just how creative it can allow you to be!

Want thin brows? Super thick brows? Bold arches? Or no brows at all? These are all looks you can achieve by mastering the art of eyebrow covering. Have fun with it, and let us know what you create!

Featured Image by Charisse Kenion

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