Brace Yourself, Because Skinny Eyebrows Might Be Making A Comeback
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You know that feeling you get when you just know your eyebrows look great? For me, it’s a total confidence boost: Freshly waxed brows seem to elevate my whole look. But if you’re bored of your signature style, have no fear: There are a bunch of eyebrow trends out there that might just help you reclaim that on fleek feeling.
The pandemic has taken brows to another level, says New York City- and Los Angeles-based Chanel brow artist Jimena Garcia: “It’s not the mascara anymore. It’s not the powerful lip. It’s your brow,” she explains. After all, who wanted to make a statement with their lip color only to cover it up (or mess it up) with a mask?
Josh Beeler, a brow specialist at Shen Beauty in New York City, agrees that brows have become more important. In fact, he thinks the ball was rolling even before anyone had ever heard of COVID-19.
“I think people in the '80s didn't necessarily realize the impact the brows have on your face,” he says. “When the skinny brow came in, they saw what a transformation it was.”
Bottom line? Your brows have power, babe. Below, everything you need to know about the five eyebrow trends on these pros’ radars.
1. Lamination
Both Garcia and Beeler have noted this trend, which, Garcia says, is basically a brow perm. Not everyone can achieve a fluffy brow look due to the way their eyebrow hair grows, she explains. Lamination is a good way to manipulate your brows so they have that big, fluffy appearance.
But take note: You don’t have to laminate your whole brow—or use lamination just to fluff them. “You can do spot treatments,” Garcia says. And “the future of lamination is thinking about how to manipulate your brow to go any which way you want,” she adds. In other words, you might make them look straighter or cover up a sparse area.
How To Get The Look
First things first: If you want to take this look for a test drive, you can use a stronghold brow gel to imitate it. (Beeler likes The Brow Sensei by KIMIKO, BTW.) When you’re ready to go all in, he notes that it’s best to consult a trained professional for your brow care. So, skip the at-home lamination kits and get yourself an appointment.
The lamination process is pretty simple, according to Garcia: The brow hair is cleansed, and the lamination lotion is applied. Then the hair is brushed in the direction you’re looking for. (Sometimes, plastic wrap is placed on top to hold the hair still while the product activates.) After a period of time, the product is removed, and your brows are looking fab. The look will last for a little over a month, Beeler says.
Keep in mind, though, that brow care is an important part of the process, per Garcia. You want to make sure your eyebrows are in good shape before you put chemicals on them, she says—especially because they’re pretty sensitive.
“When we wash our face, we’re not shampooing our brows,” she adds. “So we have a lot of buildup. And there’s a lot of dry skin under the brow, which prevents brow growth.”
Her recommended brow care routine: Exfoliate using a very fine sea salt (like ground up CAP Beauty Pink Mountain Salt) mixed with a few drops of oil (think: castor oil or olive oil). Then, condition the hair with Egyptian Magic, aloe vera, or a brow serum (Garcia suggests Revitabrow Advanced Eyebrow Conditioner). As a rule of thumb, she advises doing this routine twice per month, but adjust if necessary to meet your skin’s needs.
And BTW, it’s possible to take good care of laminated brows, too. Once a week, Garcia recommends using a spoolie to brush in the direction of the hair and following up with a conditioning product.
2. The Natural Brow
“I think the reason why this [trend] happened is because people are feeling more comfortable in their natural state because of COVID,” Garcia says. But there’s a *bit* more to it than totally letting your brows go—it’s more of a cleaned up natural look, she explains.
How To Get The Look
For this one, Garcia recommends seeing a professional, since it can be tricky to get it right on your own. But it doesn’t have to be a monthly visit to your brow specialist, she says—make it a seasonal visit for a good cleanup. Then, on your own, keep up a good brow care regimen and perform some maintenance. If you’re not sure how to do that, here’s Garcia’s trick: Use a brow pencil to fill in your dream full brows, then tweeze around them. When you wash the makeup off, you’ll be left with natural, feathery brows.
3. Bleached Brows
Yup, it’s a thing—and it can really accentuate other facial features, Garcia says. This trend is a throwback, according to Beeler. “It’s a futuristic look, which I love, that also is kind of a reference to the supermodels of the 90s,” he says.
How To Get The Look
There are a few ways to embrace this trend, Garcia says. First of all, you can use makeup. “You can put concealer on your brow hair, brush it out, then use a clear gel on top,” Garcia explains. (She suggests using Saie Hydrabeam concealer and Chanel Le Gel Sourcils in Transparent.) Or you can use a white pencil, she says. The upside of going this route? If you ultimately decide the drama of light brows isn’t for you, the solution is simple: just wash it off.
For the bravest of us who are ready to dive allll the way in, Jolen Creme Bleach may be the way to go. The process, Garcia notes, is pretty self-explanatory—just be careful around your eyes, of course. You can always go to a pro for help, too. (BTW, following that brow care routine is *also* a good idea if you’re thinking about bleaching your brows.)
4. Colorful Brows
Garcia thinks this one is an upcoming trend—anything from pink or blue brows to shimmery brows. During the pandemic, many people had time to themselves to play, she explains. “And now people are becoming more fearless,” she adds. So, the idea of bold, colored brows might just feel right.
How To Get The Look
Combine a clear eyebrow gel with an eyeshadow that has lots of pigment (Garcia recs the Eye Kits from Pat McGrath Labs). Then, all you have to do is apply the gel. And BTW, if you apply the color after bleaching, it’ll be even more visible, according to Garcia. For shimmery, glossy brows, she recommends applying Chanel’s Baume Essentiel, a multi-use glow stick.
5. Skinny Brows
“I think that the skinny brow thing is kind of a rebellion to the fuller brow that everybody’s trying to achieve,” Beeler says. He notes that it’s primarily a younger demographic embracing this trend, since they didn’t live through its strong presence in the '90s. Still, no matter how old you are, remember this if you’re considering going for a smaller brow: When there’s repeated trauma to a hair follicle, the hair might stop growing, according to Beeler. So if you over-tweeze, for instance, it may not be possible to rock a fuller brow later on.
How To Get The Look
Again, Beeler advises getting the help of a professional to alter your brows. But he has some tips for making the trend work: “I think in order to support a skinny brow, you need to do a bold lip and you need to do a makeup look.” That said, you do you, girl—and feel free to rock the brows that make you feel your best.
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