The secret to better brows at any age

Sonia Haria

Mon, July 6, 2026 at 6:00 AM UTC

Eyebrow mapping — Four Telegraph staffers had their eyebrows 'mapped'

It may sound like I'm exaggerating, but I promise I'm not: I have been getting my eyebrows threaded every three to four weeks since I was 16. That's 23 years of consistent brow upkeep, bar a few months over lockdown when I let them go rogue – but the less said about this the better.

The point is, I take them seriously, as do many other women with South Asian heritage (threading originated in South Asia). A well-executed eyebrow tint and shape can, in the right hands, give you the effect of a more wide-awake look that frames the eyes beautifully. While I don't get Botox , my version is brow -tox.

How best to shape your eyebrows, and with what tools, is a question I often get asked as a beauty editor, and for that, there's brow mapping. It is a technique that is used by many professionals to map out exactly where your eyebrows should start and end, as well as where the arch should sit.

"Rather than imposing a trend-led shape, mapping allows us to enhance what's already there," says Jaimineey Patel, head of treatments for the eyebrow chain Blink Brow Bar, who has been brow mapping for over 20 years. Whether you want to refine the front of your brows, softly lift the arch or elongate the tail of your brows, brow mapping will usually indicate the most flattering shape for your face.

How to brow map at home

While the best way to brow map is by booking in to see a professional, you can try a simplified version at home. Using your nose as a guide, place a slim pencil vertically from the edge of your nose. This is where your brow should begin (you can add a fine stroke of brow pencil here, temporarily, as you map your brows). Then pivot the pencil so it passes through the centre of your pupil, which will show where your brow arch should sit the highest. Finally, pivot again to align the pencil with the outer corner of your eye, which is an indication of where your brows should end. This can be a helpful guide if you're plucking your brows, or when filling them in.

Of course, it helps to get them done professionally at least once, to kickstart a good shape and "can help you stay aligned to your natural proportions", says Patel. "However, the most important principle we share with clients is to follow your natural brow pattern, carefully mapping the shape and removing only excess hair." The aim is always to enhance your brows, never overpower them.

How to make sparse brows appear fuller

If your concern is brow thinning, there's a multitude of treatments to help. Brow tinting, either done professionally or at home, is a great way to enhance the brows through colour and give the illusion of fullness in sparser areas. This will usually last you around three or four weeks, and really does make all the difference if you have thinning or sparse brows.

Then there's a multitude of products to use at home, to gently define the eyes in a natural-looking way. Firstly, if you want to add some volume and fullness to your brows, tinted brow pomades or gels are excellent: one of my favourites is the 1980 Brow Pomade by Merit (£21), which adds a soft hint of colour and holds the brows in place without feeling too stiff. The Brow Build Gel by Blink Brow Bar (£25) has little fibres within it, which is useful for making sparse brows appear fuller.

If you'd prefer to use a brow pencil, there are some excellent options. I would opt for an ultra-fine pencil that helps you to create believable, hair-like strokes – the Modern Brow Definer by Vieve is one of the best around (£23, Sephora ). My advice would be to focus first on the arch and tail of the brow, which will give the brows more lift and definition. And then, if you need it, add a gentle amount of colour to the start of the brows according to wherever you mapped your brows.

How did my four colleagues find it?

'After dermaplaning for years, it's time to ditch it!'

Stacey Thomson

"Although my brows are darkish, they are quite fine, and, as Jaimineey revealed, rather wanting in the 'tail' department. After years of plucking and waxing, I have recently dermaplaned any small stray hairs, and Jaimineey explained that this is a mistake as it can ruin the natural shape. Jaimineey tinted my brows and then pencilled in some areas, after mapping where they should start and end. She also applied some Blink Brow Build Gel to add some body and volume. I love my darker brows and now use brow mascara daily to enhance their shape. And at Jaimineey's suggestion, I will ditch the dermaplaner!"

'Some grooming can really enhance what you already have'

Bethan Holt

"After a lot of over-plucking in my teens, I vowed one summer in my early 20s (when we were at peak Cara Delevingne statement brows) to let mine grow out and have left them alone ever since. I'd been worried about doing too much to them but the mapping experiment showed that some grooming can really enhance what you already have, without going OTT. I assumed I had no hair at the end of my brows, which always seemed to fade away in pictures but Jaimineey told me it was simply a case of having pale hairs. The threading didn't hurt nearly as much as I expected and I couldn't believe the difference the light touch tinting made as well as Jaimineey's guidance on using a eyebrow pencil to accentuate my map points further."

'I was sceptical, but was genuinely surprised by the difference'

Michelle Bromley-McGhie

"I was slightly sceptical at first, but was genuinely surprised by the difference to my face after tinting and shaping my eyebrows. After years of over plucking and threading my eyebrows, I'd given up on them ever looking naturally fuller, without more invasive, costly, and time consuming procedures like microblading. I'm thrilled with the quick and transformative results."

'My brows are quite gappy – I thought microblading was the only solution'

Tamara Abraham

"I've known for some time that my eyebrows could be in better shape. They've become quite gappy, which made me think that microblading was the only solution – but they also needed a professional eye on the shape, because it's quite hard to work out what looks symmetrical on your own face. Enter Jaimineey and her magic thread, who, in a few swift moves, shaped and trimmed them, then filled in the gaps with a soft brown pencil. I'd been under strict instructions from Sonia not to pluck for the two weeks ahead of my appointment, and Jaimineey's recommendation was to continue that for another six to eight weeks, before returning to Blink for my next appointment. Then repeat. This will be a test of my willpower, but it'll allow for proper growth to happen, which will eventually result in fuller, less gappy brows."

Try these...

Boy Brow by Glossier (£22)

This is one of Glossier's best products, in my opinion: the teeny-tiny brush is easy to use and leaves a soft finish. It comes in a selection of natural-looking shades.

The Definer Micro Tip Pencil by Brow Aid (£24)

This Irish brand specialises in brow products and you can tell – every product is designed with careful consideration. This double-ended pencil has a highlight as well as pencil.