How to Apply Temporary Eyebrow Tattoos

• They're printed brows. Each pair is printed in vegetable dye on a transfer sheet, with fine hair-like strokes, the way a temporary tattoo is printed.
• They go on with water. You hold the transfer against clean skin with a damp cloth for 30 seconds to a minute, and the printed brow transfers to your skin.
• They're waterproof once they're on, so you can wash your face, shower and swim.
• They last two to three days, then come off with baby oil or makeup remover whenever you choose.
• Each sheet holds several pairs.
• They work best on bare, smooth skin. Over sparse brow hair they still work, but they wear off sooner. They aren't made to go over full brows.1

Start with clean, dry skin

Most temporary tattoo instructions recommend wiping the skin with rubbing alcohol first, to remove every trace of oil so the tattoo grips. That works well if your skin is oily. If your skin is dry, sore or sensitive, which is common during treatment, skip the alcohol: wash the brow area with a gentle cleanser instead and pat it dry. Keep moisturizer and serums off the spot where the brow will go, because the transfer won't hold on them. Follow your care team's skin-care and sun-protection advice, even if it shortens wear, and follow the directions on your sheet. Don't apply a tattoo over broken or inflamed skin, and stop using it if it irritates.2

Cut out a pair

Cut a pair of brows from the sheet, then cut the two apart so you can apply one at a time. You don't need to cut close to the printed strokes; a little paper around each brow is fine. Check which brow is left and which is right: the tail points toward your ear.

Get a feel for where your brows go

If you're not sure where to place them, these simple rules give you a reference. You don't need to mark anything on your skin. After a few tries you'll know the spot without thinking about it. It helps to hold the cut brow up to your face as you look.

• On the brow bone. Feel the ridge above your eye with your fingertip. The bottom edge of the brow sits along the top of it.
• Starts above the inner corner of your eye.
• Peaks a little past the middle, roughly above the center of your eye.
• Ends just past the outer corner of your eye, level with the start or a touch higher.

Want to double-check? Hold a pencil from the outer edge of your nostril: straight up shows where the brow starts, through the center of your pupil shows the peak, and past the outer corner of your eye shows the end. The drawing shows roughly where those points land. More in eyebrow mapping, with pictures.

The most common slip is placing brows too high, which can look surprised. If you're unsure, go a little lower rather than higher, and keep the bottom edge on your brow bone. If it's hard to judge in the mirror, lie back and ask someone to place it for you.

Line it up on your brow

Lay the brow face down on the skin, using those reference points as a guide. The printed shape may not match them exactly, so check that the start, arch and tail look balanced before you wet it.

Press it on with water

Hold a damp cloth or cotton pad firmly against the paper for 30 seconds to a minute, or as long as your sheet's directions say. It only needs to be damp enough to wet the paper through, not dripping: too much water can make the brow slide or blur. Keep the paper still while it transfers.

Peel off the paper and let it dry

Peel the paper back gently, starting at one end. If any part hasn't transferred, lay the paper back down and press the damp cloth or pad on that spot again. Let the brow dry fully before you touch it, then repeat on the other side.

Optional: soften shine or deepen the color

If the brow looks a little shiny, or you would like it a shade deeper, brush a little brow powder, a matte eyeshadow in a similar shade, or your usual brow makeup over the top with a small brush, such as the angled end of our dual-ended eyebrow brush. Use a light touch: press or dab it on rather than rubbing, so you don't lift the tattoo. A dusting of translucent setting powder also takes off shine.

Ready to choose? Find your shape ↓

Each shape differs in arch height, how pointed the peak is, thickness and tail length. Compare the arch, fullness and length with the brows you want to recreate; the face shapes are starting points, not rules. Then check the size: the brows on each sheet are a set length, and two shapes, #12 and #16, are made for smaller faces. If you're not sure, start with #17. It's our most popular shape, it comes in 10 colors, and it works on most faces.

see the eight shapes

Eyebrow Tattoos #12

A thin, natural shape with a low, gentle curve, sized for petite faces. For oval and oblong faces.

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Eyebrow Tattoos #16

Feathered, with a defined angled peak at medium height, sized for smaller faces. For round faces wanting a sharper arch.

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Eyebrow Tattoos #17

A soft angled arch at medium height, in 10 colors. Our most popular shape; it works on most faces.

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Eyebrow Tattoos #18

Feathered, with a medium arch and a long tail. For oval, heart, diamond and pear faces.

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Eyebrow Tattoos #19

A feathered brow of medium thickness with a shallow arc and a long tail. For oblong and diamond faces.

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Eyebrow Tattoos #20

A full, thick brow with a soft angled arch at medium height and a short tail. For round and square faces.

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Eyebrow Tattoos #21

A full, groomed brow with a high, rounded arch and an extended tail. For pear faces.

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Eyebrow Tattoos #22

A full brow with a high, soft angled arch and a long tail. For round and pear faces.

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Not sure of your face shape? Find it in a mirror in two minutes, then come back to the table.

• As a starting point, stay within about two shades of your hair color. Lighter hair, including blonde, light brown and gray, suits a brow one to two shades darker. Darker hair suits one to two shades lighter, so the brow doesn't look heavy.
• Between two shades, pick the lighter one. A shade often reads darker on bare skin than it looks on the sheet. You can deepen a tattoo with a little brow powder; you can't lighten it.
• If you wear a wig, compare brow colors against the wig you wear most often.

#17 comes in 10 colors; the other shapes come in fewer. The full color guide, including gray hair and brows that grow back a different color after chemo, is in choosing the right eyebrow color.

Shop all temporary eyebrow tattoos →

• Take the shine off. A fresh tattoo can look a little glossy. Brush eyebrow powder over it with a light touch, pressing rather than rubbing so you don't lift the tattoo. The powder also adds depth. A dusting of translucent setting powder works too.
• Customize it with pencil. If the tail is shorter than you'd like, extend it with a few short strokes of eyebrow pencil, using the techniques in how to draw eyebrows with a pencil. If it's not full enough, add short ticks through the brow. Soften the pencil lightly with a fingertip or small brush so there's no patch, without rubbing the tattoo itself.
• Put the tattoo on before your makeup. Apply it to bare skin and let it dry, then put foundation around the brows, not over them, and finish with powder.

to take off the shineCardani brow powderPress it over the tattoo with a light touch and a small brush, such as our dual-ended eyebrow brush. It adds depth and lets you deepen the color.

Call us at 281-334-4287 and a person will talk the options through with you.

Most women get two to three days from a pair. Wear time varies from person to person: the company that makes our tattoos tells us body temperature, hormone levels and the oil in your skin all affect how well the transfer holds. When a customer tells us her tattoos have suddenly stopped lasting, oily skin is usually the reason.

• Oily skin shortens wear. Oil loosens the transfer, which is also why oil-based removers take it off.4 Clean the brow area well first (with rubbing alcohol if your skin isn't sensitive), and set with brow powder.
• Skincare lifts them. Keep moisturizer, oils and serums off the brow area while you're wearing them, including night creams. Oil-based products can make a transfer smear.4
• Rubbing wears them first. The tails usually go first, from your pillow or from touching your brows without thinking. When a tattoo wears, it tends to flake rather than fade, so touch up a worn tail with a few strokes of eyebrow pencil, or replace the pair.
• Menopause can change how they stick. Hormone changes alter the skin, and some women find the tattoos don't hold as well as they once did. If they stop holding well, eyebrow wigs may suit you better.
• To take them off, see the steps below. No scrubbing or peeling needed, which matters if fine new hair is growing back.

how to remove temporary eyebrow tattoos

They come off in a minute or two with something oily, the same thing that makes them wear off sooner.4

1. Soak a cotton pad with baby oil, which many of our customers use because it's gentle on sensitive skin, or an oil-based makeup remover.
2. Hold it on the brow for about a minute, so the oil has time to loosen the tattoo.
3. Wipe gently from the start of the brow toward the tail. If any is left, hold the pad on again rather than rubbing harder.
4. Wash the area with a gentle cleanser and pat it dry. Any oil left behind will stop your next pair from sticking.

Don't peel them off or use tape, especially over fine new growth.

See every shape and color: temporary eyebrow tattoos | brow makeup | eyebrow wigs