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Filling in eyebrows with makeup can be tricky to get right. You might get the wrong shape, or the colour may look too heavy and dark. This is why we called on our resident makeup artist Magda Smyczek to reveal her top tips for creating a realistic, super flattering brow look with makeup. 

Brow Tip #1: Brush Your Brows

For starters, brush your brows down. This will enable you to see where there are any sparse areas, so you can get strategic about where you fill them in. After you have applied your brow makeup, brush the hairs back up. This will groom them into place but will also soften the makeup you have applied. 

Brow Tip #2: Use a Fine-Nibbed Pencil

Kevyn Aucoin's The Precision Brow Pencil has a super fine nib so you can control exactly where the pigment lands. It's also hard, which means it won't deposit too much pigment, instead you get an easy-to-control, softer-looking, shadow effect.

Brow Tip #3: Go Lightly

If you're using a brow powder like Iconic London Sculpt and Boost Eyebrow Cushion, dip your brush in the pigment and then use the back of your hand to remove any excess before applying it to the brows. Less is more, it's much easier to build up brow colour than remove it if you have applied too much.

Brow Tip #4: Start at the Arch

Naturally, our eyebrow hair is more sparse in the centre and thicker at the arch, before tailing off at the edge. Honour that natural density by applying less product and perhaps a lighter shade at the outer edges and more product or a darker hue in the centre (the Iconic London Sculpt and Boost Eyebrow Cushion is a two-tone for precisely this purpose!). To avoid being too heavy-handed at the edges, start by applying the product at the arch and blend out. 

Brow Tip #5: Don't Stray Too Far From You Natural Shape

Makeup should simply enhance your brow shape. Unless you have very thin brows and want to fake a fuller brow, you should stay as true to your natural brow shape. If you want to tweak your brows, the best thing is to get them shaped - threaded, waxed or tweezed. Want to shape your brows at home? Here's how. If you want to keep your look natural, use a brow gel (like the one below by Huda Beauty) to tame hairs into place and to add a bit of colour and depth.

Brow Tip #6: Use Soap!

Want a bushier-looking brow? Use soap! Take a brow spoolie brush, wet a bar of soap and run the spoolie over the soap before using it to brush your brows up. The soap will help create a denser-looking brow in seconds. 

Next up, this is how to get rid of blackheads at home.