Brow Basics: 3 Steps to A-List Arches

Hold the freshly sharpened end of a brow pencil (like Maybelline New York Eyestudio Brow Precise Shaping Pencil) vertically against the bridge of your nose and over your nostril to find the starting point for your brow, Stanislaus says. Next, pivot the pencil so that it rests against the outer edge of your nostril and extends past the outer corner of your eye to mark where the tail should stop. Your goal: to make the area between these points look lush. "Do not pluck below the brow to create an arch," Stanislaus warns. "It can look puffy or like you've had too much Botox and you're permanently shocked." A "modern brow," he says, is "quite straight and sharp."

"For someone who doesn't have a lot of experience with brows, it's smart to start with a lighter colored pencil," Stanislaus says. (If your hair is a deep, chestnut shade, for example, try a soft brown hue.) Beginning at the tail end, use a sharpened pencil to create short, feathery strokes that start at the underside of your brow and extend up and out in the direction of your temple—creating a clean, pointed shape. "Just like a feline flick on a cat-eye, it's the tail that people notice," he explains. As you work your way in toward the bridge of your nose, apply less pressure to the pencil for a lighter finish. Blend by running a spooly (i.e., a clean mascara wand) through your arches.

Mist the spooly with hairspray and comb hairs up at a 45-degree angle to lock the shape in place. "I find that this gives you an instant facelift and creates the illusion of lift without the surgery," Stanislaus says.

If you're an overachiever—or perhaps have a few stray hairs you want to cover—Stanislaus recommends dipping a fine brush in concealer and running it along the bottom of your brow. (Try Laura Mercier Secret Concealer and Angled Eye Liner Brush.) Blend by patting the line with your fingertip. "This gives you a polished, sharp, awake look," he says. Arches: aced.