How to improve the shape of your eyebrows; choose the right makeup for your skin type; color-tone it to your hair and eyes; camouflage any imperfections - plus a step-by-step basic eye makeup plan you can do in a jiffy.

SHAPING YOUR EYEBROWS

Your eyebrows play a major role in the expression of your face. Getting them exactly the right width and contour is the first step in an eye makeup make-over. Don't make the mistake of removing - instead of improving - your eyebrows. A lot of women have discovered that the eyebrow is one area where the hairs don't necessarily grow back.

Skim your hair off your face and have a good look at yourself in a mirror. The brow bone must be taken into consideration to discover the perfect frame for your eyes. Run a finger over this bone and trace its arch. Your brows should copy this curve.

If they are to be shaped higher or lower, it should be by only a fraction. Oddly shaped eyebrows have never made any woman better looking, and sometimes the expressions created by distorted eyebrow arches can be positively frightening.

Makeup artists have a trick for finding exactly the shape of a pleasing eyebrow arch for your face. Once learned, it works like a charm.

Lay a pencil perpendicularly along the outside of the nose, passing by the inside corner of the eye. Your brow should begin where the pencil crosses the eyebrow.

To find the natural end of the brow, hold the pencil at an angle from the side of the nose to the outside corner of the eye: it should end where it crosses the brow. The curve of the brow should begin over the pupil of your eye and taper to a graceful end.

Once you've taken this test, you should readily see the best arch for your eyebrows, and you can begin tweezing them into the new shape.

Before you begin to tweeze, make sure you have tweezers, cotton wool and astringent or a couple of ice cubes to dull the "ouch." Tweezers with an angled edge are the easiest to use, and daylight is definitely the best light.

To begin, grasp the hair firmly and pull one at a time in the same direction as the growth pattern. Be sure to trace the hair to the root before you pull. Some eyebrow hairs are long but not thickly rooted. If you pluck one hair at a time and from the root you will avoid creating bald spots.

After you've finished shaping your brows, dab on some astringent. The skin might redden, but this will soon fade. As you become more proficient at tweezing the brow, you'll be able to do it in seconds. A good policy is to keep a pair of tweezers in your makeup bag. Pull out a few stray hairs every day.

Key points to remember

• Never pluck from the top of the eyebrow arch. That will decrease the height of the natural line and, once tampered with, the hair may grow in straggly and hard to tame.
• Never shave your eyebrows, no matter how thick and unruly they might be: you'll end up with five o'clock stubble.
• Never pluck them in a bizarre fashion to fit a fad. They might not grow back.
• Your eyebrows need care and feeding, too! Brush them daily with a "retired" toothbrush. Brush against the growth pattern, then straight up, and finally level them off at the ends into a perfect arch.
• A tiny touch of petroleum jelly will lubricate the brows and make the hairs stay in place. It will also help train the unruly ones to conform. 
• Be sure to rinse off all face cleansing preparations, especially soap, from your eyebrows. Soap can collect at the roots and cause the skin to flake.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT PRODUCTS

The products you choose for your eye makeup are of the utmost importance. Eye makeup should be color-toned to your hair, eyes and skin. You must also consider whether your skin is oily, dry, normal or is allergic to certain chemicals.

Eye shadows come in a multitude of colors and a number of different types and textures. The "if-it's-expensive-it’s-must-be-good" theory can be a mistake. Many inexpensive brands are good and often include a number of different shades in one compact so that you can enjoy inexpensively experimenting with new colors.

Here is a rundown on the types of eye shadows available:

Cream eye shadows come in a stick. More recently they've become available in little pots or cases with their own applicators. Use cream shadow if your eyelids are dry and crepey: it also acts as an all-day moisturizer on this extremely delicate area.

Powder eye shadows are applied dry. I prefer to use my fingertip rather than the applicator provided. Powder eye shadow is excellent for those with unwrinkled eyelids or for those whose eyelids are oily and have a problem with eye shadow because it wears off.

Liquid eye shadow is clear color and usually comes in a tube. It looks much deeper in color in the tube than when it's applied. It's good for those with smooth, unlined lids.

Allergy tested shadows are also available. If you are sensitive to the eye shadow you are currently using, switch to an allergy tested type. Although most of the common allergens have been removed from allergy tested shadows, you could still be allergic to the ones that remain.

A popular notion is that allergies occur only with a cosmetic you use for the first time and that old "standards" are completely safe. Untrue! An eye shadow you've used for years can suddenly cause an allergic reaction.

COLOR TYPES

Here is a basic outline of hair color and eye color types and the shades of eye makeup recommended for each.

As you experiment, you can eventually use and combine many different shades to arrive at your individual eye makeup formula.

• Dark brown hair, brown eyes: Use taupe, sand or deep brown shadow; dark brown mascara; soft brown for brows.
• Dark brown hair, blue eyes: Use berry, moss green or deep blue shadow; black mascara; dark brown on brows.
• Light brown hair, brown eyes: Use brown or deep green shadow; brown mascara; brown on brows.
• Light brown hair, blue eyes: Use rich green, blue or heather shadow; black mascara; soft, "natural" brows (use palest shade to fill, but it should look very natural).
• Blonde hair, brown eyes: Use soft, earthy colors in shadow; brown mascara; soft brown on brows.
• Red hair, brown eyes: Use brown, moss green or heather shadow; brown mascara; pale, soft brown on brows.
• Black hair, brown eyes: Use plum or grey shadow; black or dark brown mascara; dark brown on brows.
• Black hair, blue eyes: Use lavender or blue shadow; black mascara; dark brown or slate grey on brows.
• Grey hair, brown eyes: Use taupe or sand shadow; brown mascara; grey on brows.
• Grey hair, blue eyes: Use deep blue or grey shadow; brown mascara; grey on brows.

If you have an exceptional eye color such as green, grey or violet, try to pick a shadow that matches it exactly. Brown eye shadow is worth its weight in gold. It's perfect for all types of coloring because it can be used to reshape your eyes.

You can achieve wonders with it that you couldn't begin to get with all those pretty, fragile shades such as blue or heather. If you have a problem with the shape of your eyes, don't hesitate to give up splashy color for that good old "workhorse" brown.

The word "mascara" has an exotic sound. Out of all the types of eye makeup available, it is probably most enjoyed. Models like to apply mascara from a cake. They load up a little brush that is first moistened with hot water and then paint on the mascara lash by lash, coat by coat. This method is very time-consuming. It takes ages to apply correctly and twice the time to remove it.

Cream mascara that comes in bottle or tube with a built-in applicator is more popular because it is easy to apply and stays in place well.

For more beauty tips on how to be pretty, visit How to Look Pretty