o y'all remember back in 2018 when there was some new eyebrow trend every single day? Fishtail brows, halo brows, geometric brows… the chaos truly never ended. Now, in 2021, those same types of bold and experimental eyebrow makeup are making a bit of a comeback — but this time in ways you'll actually want to wear. Among Lizzo's recent bleached eyebrows, Bella Hadid's alien-like straight eyebrows, and TikTok's wealth of high-brow content, we stumble upon a new eyebrow makeup and grooming trend every week. In contrast, natural eyebrows with hands-off grooming are becoming more commonplace for day-to-day wear. So we scoured the internet and asked a handful of our favorite experts to give us the rundown on the seven eyebrow trends that are going to be huge this fall (and onward).
Hands-Off Grooming
Brow minimalism is popping up more and more in eyebrow artist Robin Evans’s studio. “I feel like low maintenance and natural eyebrows are a trend we’re going to see more and more,” she explains. “For fresh, modern, natural brows, I suggest using a pencil that’s not too heavily pigmented and a clear brow gel.” She uses Browluxe products at her practice, but we’ll name-drop Giorgio Armani Smooth Silk Brow Pencil and Wander Beauty Frame Your Face Precise Brow Gel for your consideration, too.
Stick-Straight Arches
Popular on TikTok and the red carpet (see here on Bella Hadid at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival), straight and upward-facing eyebrows could very well become the standard soon, as eyebrow artist René de la Garza explains. “I think we’re probably going to move toward a more sculpted brow where it’s lifted on the tail — it ties into the thread lift and brow lift trends that are happening because a lot of people are doing that snatched look.”
If you’re not ready to fully commit to this shape, you can totally fake it for a day. “You can achieve the look by concealing the little fluffy hairs at the tail end,” he says. You’ll need a full-coverage formula like Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer.
Bleached Brows
Another TikTok staple that’s become increasingly popular with celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Maisie Williams, bleached eyebrows are no stranger to designer runways. In 2021 alone, they’ve made appearances at shows for Dolce & Gabbana (above), Balmain, and Jean-Paul Gaultier. From a distance, these create the illusion of no brows at all. The look certainly is not for the faint of heart, but you can fake it with a full-coverage concealer and a spooley brush.
ROYGBIV Brows
Lizzo took her bleached eyebrows to the next level by adding pink and purple pigments to the look — and she’s not by far the only person to have done this recently; eyebrows colored in every shade on the spectrum also made a grand appearance at Paris Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2021.
This look is definitely easier to achieve on light or bleached eyebrows. Either way, a colorful mascara can act as your high-octane brow gel in this case (one of our favorites is Colourpop’s BFF Mascara). Evans recommends keeping the rest of your makeup minimal with this trend if you really want to draw attention to it.
Lamination & Soap Brows
Lamination — the procedure that temporarily perms your eyebrows upward for a full and fluffy look — took off in 2019, but it surely isn’t going anywhere. Just take it from makeup artist Delina Medhin. “I feel like people are liking a structured, fluffy brow; lamination is super popular right now because it creates that structure by having the brows stick up,” she says. “With that, brow gel is making a comeback because it’s something you can use at home that will give you the same effect.”
Speaking of brow gel, this trend also lends itself to the popularity of soap brows, which you can do with the right products. If you ask us, Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze is the end-all, be-all product for soap brows or faux lamination at home.
Disco Brows
If you’ve taken a leisurely scroll through TikTok recently, you’ve undoubtedly come across “disco brows,” the glittery new take on eyebrow makeup made popular by Megs Cahill, who explains how to make them as approachable as possible.
“The key is to slick your brows down flat so you can add chrome or shimmer eye shadow on top —not glitter; glitter is too chunky,” she explains. After styling her brows upward with soap, “I use my finger with my shadow of choice and lightly tap or swipe with the hair growth over the brow.”
If the look turns out a little too intense for her liking, she grabs the pen side of the Urban Decay Brow Blade to create small hair strokes and tone things down.
Eyebrow Slits
The same way that the sound of soothing rainfall can help lull you to sleep, realigning your breathing and clearing your mind of work and your day, can also help you sink into a proper sleep state. “Anything that keeps you awake or causes stress can be a trigger,” says Pitts. Meditation takes patience, but it can help relieve some of the stressors that contribute to migraine.”
