f there’s one facial feature that acts as a sign of the times, it’s eyebrows. From the razor thin brows of the 90s, to the trend-setting bush brothers of Cara Delavigne and the overgrown post-lockdown caterpillars loads of us are begrudgingly still sporting now for the fear/embarrassment of hitting up our trusty brow lady.
Reckon they’re just a bit of face fluff? Think again. Our brows have an unmatched ability to give proportion to our face, enhance our features and frame our eyes beautifully. Just take it from brow queen (and former architect), Anastasia Soare, who applied her knowledge of scale and structure to our brows. “If you look at a portrait, you can change the way you perceive someone entirely based on their brow placement and shape,” she reckons.
Low and heavy can make you look tired or sad, high and arched can make you look stern, too fair and it can lack the definition needed to pull attention towards your eyes, too dark and they will look like black stickers blasted on your . It’s why brow treatments like tinting, threading, microblading and, more recently, brow laminating are such big business (and why we’ve missed them hugely while they’ve been on lockdown.)
But rather than committing to transient trends, we’ve seen a return towards much more natural brows lately. Paired with simple tweaks (like fluffing them up, filling them in or shading them slightly) to add subtle shape or definition where needed. Celebs like Shay Mitchell, Zendaya and Dua Lipa ,are all a good example of this, since they stick to emphasising their natural arches. Rather than harsh Nike tick shapes that shoot up, then down, the straighter shape and slightly lifted tail-end creates an eye-opening effect, with soft tapering used to keep it natural and modern.
According to Nilam Holmes, brow expert and founder of Eyebrow Queen, they’ve got their brow style exactly right, by ditching anything to trend led in favour of what works for them. “Your eyebrows create the frame and balance to your face. Having the right style and shape of brow can make a huge difference to your look,” she says. While Sherrille Riley, founder of Nails & Brows, Mayfair adds: “The most important thing is to work with your natural brow shape, rather than against it. Then go in with brow products and treatments to enhance, fill in gaps or add volume.”
We asked the experts to share their tips to perfect brows below:
Stick to an enhanced version of your natural shape
“I always recommend sticking to a brow shape that is similar to your natural brow shape and placement. They say to enhance what you were born with and I agree. I never recommend to follow trends of brows, for instance like the 90’s Pamela Anderson brow, that really didn’t do us many favours.” says Nilam.
Don’t let your brows overpower you
Nilam says: “Make sure the size of your brow is relative to the size of your face, a full brow can overpower a small face, so you don’t want your brows to walk into the room before you do! A really thin brow will make a fuller face look even bigger.” In addition to that Sherrille adds: “I know it’s tough but resist the urge to pluck your brows at the first sight of hair growth. Excessive plucking and over shaping can permanently damage your brow hairs.”
Match the size to your face shape
“The size of your brow should be in line with the size of your face. If you have a long face you don’t want an arched or high set brow as it will make the face look longer. A straight, flat brow on a square face will accentuate the square shape, so if you add in an arch to lift the brow, the face will look softer. Having a round brow on a round face will accentuate that shape, so a brow with an arch will give it more of an oval look.” says Nilam.
Choose your colour wisely
“The right shaped brows can make your face look slimmer, shorter and more youthful. But, it’s not just about the shape. It’s about the colour. If you like a dark brow, try not to have a big brow as this will overtake your whole face. Really dark brows on mature women can make them look harsh, so it’s best to have a lighter softer brow. If you have grey hair, stick to a nice ash blonde, ladies who had black hair but are now grey, should consider lightening their brow colour.” adds Nilam.
Get some help with your shape initially, then you can keep it up
“I would recommend finding a professional brow artist to get you onto the right track, choose this person like you would your hair stylist. If you prefer to do your own brows, then you should draw your brows in lightly and then tweeze and trim what you don’t need. Best of all, if you’re sticking to roughly your own natural shape, little maintenance is needed. Follow the natural shape of your own brows and remove strays where needed.” Nilam advices.
Invest in a good eyebrow serum to aid hair growth
Sherrille says: “So many of us want thicker brows but forget that eyebrow hairs need taking care of. We suggest incorporating a nourishing serum into your beauty routine to promote hair growth. At Nails & Brows, Mayfair, we use the Revitabrow serum after each treatment to help encourage hair growth.”
As for filling them in at home, makeup artist Lisa Potter-Dixon shares her tips
- Look straight ahead into a mirror. Hold a makeup brush at the dimple of your nose straight up to your brow. Mark with a line. Starting here will give a slimming effect to your nose and balance your eyes.
- Hold the brush from the edge of your nose through the pupil of your eye to find the arch point. This will give you an instant eye lift.
- Hold the brush from the edge of your nose through the outer corner of the eye to the brow. Ending here will give you an eye-opening effect.
She recommends, having your brows waxed and tinted every four weeks by a brow expert to give you the best possible long-term eyebrows, while styling them every day will give you that much sought-after definition. “Even if it’s just brushing a fibre gel through the hair to add volume – something as quick and simple as that can make a huge difference,” says Lisa.
Bushy Brilliance
English rose Lily Collins keeps her beauty look natural, thanks to her porcelain skin and carefully maintained brow shape. We love the touch of casual cool her beanie hat adds
Arched Perfection
Make like Jaime King and finish off a sleek, sharp beauty look with the addition of two powerful arches. This is immaculate beauty at its finest.
Bold & Beautiful
Zendaya’s brows have always given us major goals.
Long & Lean
Former Harry Potter star Emma Watson is pretty much perfect in every way and with faultless face-framing brows like this, we weren’t surprised when she bagged herself a Lancôme deal.
The Man Brow
What beauty look book would be complete without a shot of this man? Sex god extraordinaire Robert Pattinson, won a legion of fans back in ’08 when he first appeared on our screens as vamp Edward Cullen. While many were unable to pull their gaze from his generally amazing face, some of us couldn’t help but notice his illustrious brows – a sure sign of virility – perfectly demonstrated by the man himself, here.
