If your brows are looking less Brooke Shields and more Bert from Sesame Street, join the club. As large portions of the country continue to social distance, seeing a pro right now for your usual shape-up is not an option. While shaping your eyebrows at home can seem daunting, there’s some basic maintenance that can be easily executed with a little know-how.

Properly groomed eyebrows can make a big difference in your overall appearance, helping to frame your face and balance your overall features. “Most people aren’t completely symmetrical,” says Benefit Cosmetics Global Brow Expert Jared Bailey, “But properly looked-after brows can actually create the illusion of evenness.” Not to mention the fact that our brows naturally thin with age, so maintaining them is like a little drop of the Fountain of Youth. Personally, I’d be lost without my Sania’s Brow Bar pencil.

But before you begin, know that now is not the time to do anything crazy. “I wouldn’t recommend attempting a complete brow overhaul,” Bailey says. Also, don’t rush. “This isn’t something you want to do if you only have ten minutes before a Zoom meeting,” adds brow specialist Joey Healy, owner of the New York City-based Joey Healy Brow Studio. Set aside about a half-hour of your time, and follow these simple steps to shape your eyebrows at home.

Step 1: Gather your supplies—and find natural light.

The right tools are the foundation of every good eyebrow shape—both in a salon and at home. You’ll need a brow pencil, slanted stainless-steel tweezers, a spoolie brush, and a pair of small, sharp brow scissors, says Healy. Instead of the brush, Bailey recommends a clear brow gel—your choice, really. Another item you may want to have at the ready, adds Bailey, are some cold compresses you’ve created by soaking cotton rounds or soft paper towels in water and chilling them in the fridge (more on that below).

One other step before you start shaping your eyebrows: Wash your face. Cleansing will remove any makeup and residue from skincare products that may make it harder for tweezers to cling to tiny brow hairs, says Healy.

As it is with fruit flavors, when it comes to lighting, natural is best. One surprising spot Bailey suggests Your car. “You’ll get plenty of natural light and there’s a mirror already in there,” he says. (Important side note: A locked car also offers respite from family members or roommates who may be driving you a little quarantine-crazy.) And both Bailey and Healy recommend ditching the magnifying mirror altogether. “When you get too close, you can’t see the forest for the trees and that’s when you over-shape,” says Healy.

Step 2: Identify your natural brow shape using this map technique.

Bailey and Healy stress that you must start by identifying three key parts of your eyebrow: the head (the part closest to your nose), the arch (where your brow is naturally the highest), and the end of the tail (the part nearest to the outer corner of your eye).

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