Brow know how: from microblading to wigs, the latest trends are in your face
Thin, painted or bushy, brow styles are as cyclical as fashion
I thought I had my eyebrows under control. Then a friend whispered in my ear as a woman we both know approached, “Ooh, look. She’s had microblading.” Micro-what? It made me realise I haven’t upgraded my brow regimen since I began having them waxed and threaded in the 1990s. More recently, I’ve resorted to plucking to avoid yet another maintenance appointment, but they’re not exactly symmetrical.
What constitutes a beautiful eyebrow has morphed over the decades. In the 1920s, a pencil-thin Clara Bow brow was the desired style. They arched higher in the 30s, became fuller in the 40s and 50s, and then veered towards natural looks in the 60s and 70s. When I think of brows in the 80s, which I don’t often, I think of Brooke Shields and her thick, feathered ones. It was a time when the range of brow products expanded, too, from pencils and brushes to mascaras and gels.
The 90s brought the highly curated brow, which got thinner into the 2000s. Then came Cara Delevingne and a return to bushy brows. Most recently, cosmetics mogul Kylie Jenner has expanded her empire with the Kybrows line.
Microblading has grown in popularity recently, with many a celebrity endorsement. It’s essentially tattooing, but without the harsh, permanent results. A good microblading practitioner will begin by determining the best brow shape and pigment shade for you. After shaping, the area is numbed. Unlike a single tattoo needle, which penetrates more deeply into the skin, the microblading tool uses tiny blades which scratch lines that, after being filled with a semi-permanent pigment, mimic individual hairs. A second coat of pigment is added for just a few minutes and then you’re done. Well, almost.
You’ll need a second session in six to eight weeks, but before then you’ll have to contend with Joan Crawford brows, temporary flaking and fading as your skin heals. Read the fine print, and you’ll see you must avoid coffee, alcohol, ibuprofen, make-up, exercise, swimming, facials and retinol for varying lengths of time, from hours to weeks.
Refinements have been quick to follow, including gentler microshading and microfeathering, a more natural look created by Los Angeles eyebrow artist Kristie Streicher.
There is so much you can do with your brows: bleach, paint on pictures, shave into patterns. A trend from Korea is coloured eyebrow stains – and I mean colour, like purple. How about an eyebrow wig? Yes, they exist, too. Runway shows have a renewed focus on brows, with extremes such as rows of faux piercings and glued-on feathers.
A well-groomed eyebrow can do wonders. It can make your eyes look bigger, define your face and add symmetry where it’s lacking. But a mistake can have the opposite effect. Changing your eyebrows is a risky business. We can’t all be Rihanna, who had a make-up artist experiment on a model before approving the look for her 2018 Met Gala appearance (a pope outfit with lightened brows). I should definitely put more thought into mine.
