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The aesthetics of eyebrows evolve through beauty history and — more often than not — soon get recycled back into the mainstream. Whether it be over-plucked, thin brows tied to the early aughts that are on the verge of making a reoccurrence or a fluffier style that’s been popular among Hollywood's biggest stars, there's no way to pinpoint exactly what look we'll be seeing all over our Instagram feeds next. But lately, there has been a noticeable shift toward louder, bolder, and more statement-making beauty and fashion — and that trend is trickling up toward our brows.
Referred to as "dopamine dressing," nailing the look depends on the most unapologetic form of self-expression and the rejection of any limiting mindsets. From flamboyant camp-like attire to whimsical hairstyles and artistic eye-catching makeup (including eyebrow inspiration), the sky's the limit.
Brow experimentation concentrates on revamping eyebrows directly with eyeliner, stickers, gems, and more. Eyebrows are becoming an extension of the eyelid, instead of a bounding facial feature. "Beauty creators are using the face as a blank canvas and finding new surface area for their creativity," Brooke Ozaydinli, creator marketing manager at Instagram tells Allure. As part of her job, Ozaydinli works to uncover and highlight emerging trends on the social media platform.
We've seen the re-emergence of nostalgic Y2K trends takeover, which is a category Ozaydinli notes that eyebrow experimentation falls under. "Within the '90s nostalgia frenzy, this trend will go hand in hand with overlined lips, frosted eyes, and glossy finishes," she predicts. "These hyper-thin brows are not new but this iteration is less about tweezing into oblivion but more about temporary and faux shaping techniques."
We'd be remiss not to credit the viral looks of Euphoria that have aided in normalizing looks such as a bleached brow for everyday wear, but let's not forget that, as is the case with many beauty looks, the experimental eyebrows trend has roots in the LGBTQ+ community — everyone else is just finally catching on.
As the trend continues to rise and gain traction, Allure spoke to five creators who shared why playing around with your brows is so fun, and even liberating for some. They also shared a bit about their inspiration behind their looks and the best tips they have so you, too, can be a self-proclaimed brow whiz.
Stella is a non-binary makeup and mixed media artist based in Berlin. They frequently share gothic, grunge-inspired looks on their pages and have kept their eyebrows bleached for the purpose of leaving more room to experiment. "I can try a new color everyday or just glue rhinestones on my brows. Every day I find new inspiration," they say of their beauty choices. When asked why brows, in particular, excite Stella, they explain that they used to be "incredibly perfectionistic" about their eyebrows, but that's all now changed. "I just want to experiment and look like an alien!" they note.
"I believe people are tired of chasing one and the same boring beauty standard. People want to stand out and the quickest change you can make to your face is changing your eyebrows," Stella says. For Stella, having bleached brows might allow them to achieve their signature looks quickly, but they still rely on a clear brow gel and a white eyebrow pencil on top of their bleached brow when they’re looking to make them "really white." When it comes to clear gel, you can't go wrong with Allure's Best of Beauty-winning CoverGirl Easy Breezy Brow Clear Setting Gel. The r.e.m. beauty At the Borderline Kohl Eyeliner Pencil in So Mod also works to line and define white brows.
Their biggest advice for anyone looking to replicate their style?: "BLEACH. THEM. It'll look good, I promise."
If there's one thing makeup artist and creator Jacinda loves to incorporate into their looks, it's colors. One swipe down their page and you'll see an array of yellow, pastel blues, bright pinks — and those colors extend to their brows. "As of late I've been inspired by the '90s thin brow," Jacinda says, adding: "Thin brows are sexy and also give me vampiric vibes. When I think of a thin brow, I think of people like Angelina Jolie or Naomi Campbell."
Although Jacinda has a gift for producing looks that incorporate their whole face, they have strong thoughts where it concerns all things brows."Eyebrows are the main character that can tell a lot about someone and who they are," Jacinda says. "[They] can really change and morph your whole appearance, which I love. It’s crazy how much control we have over our eyebrows and the way we can shapeshift into anyone or anything just by putting our eyebrows on shuffle mode and deciding how we want them to look."
"Makeup has no rules nor is there a guidebook on how to do your makeup the right way. I’m all about shaking the table in terms of adding your own spin and personality to makeup looks," they tell Allure. "It is an art expression, and I feel like people forget that. Makeup is about you at the end of the day. Don't let makeup outdo you — you gotta outdo it!" Jacinda notes that they love using the Sample Beauty The Equalizer Palette: Volume II eyeshadows as brow makeup.
Sandy Taboo is a creator and artist who established their own shop, TABOO, in 2018 that sells eyeliners, accessories, and more. They tell Allure that shaving their eyebrows gave them the room to further tap into their creative side. "I shaved my brows off five years ago and never looked back," Sandy says. "It completely changed my face shape and made me a virgin to experiment with my face and my art. I love the openness to create from the eyelid to the forehead. It gives an extraterrestrial look to let go of the normal brows we're used to."
With brows being on the rise, Sandy has a few hopes for the looks we'll see this summer. "People are coming out freaky and free this sunny summer. I want to see people rocking unibrows, jewelry on brows, animal print brows, bling brows, striped brows, chain brows, flowers on brows, fur brows, insect brows. Let's get creative. Anything is game at this point," they say. To create their looks, Sandy loves using the Taboo Liner Bundle, Taboo Glue Pen, glitter, and rhinestones.
For makeup novices on the brow scene, Sandy shares a few words of inspiration for you to try out ASAP. "Use lipstick and a brush to create your brows today. Draw a cool shape with orange eyeliner. Glue on some pearls or rhinestones as brows today. Dot your eyebrows out to your nose bridge or up towards your forehead. Put one brow pink and the other brow black," they suggest. "The more you experiment, the more you will find your personal style. Consistency makes growth look easy."
Jake is a 21-year-old creator and artist currently based in Virginia. They tell Allure that eyebrows, or at times lack thereof, have "always been a defining factor of my looks and I find they make my work even more unique." He adds: "Many of my looks contain no eyebrows at all, or have a style of brow that tends to convey an extreme attitude or emotion."
To create his looks, Jake says he has been shaving his eyebrows for the past five years and he couldn't recommend it more to anyone who wants to achieve a similar aesthetic. "If you really want to experiment with multiple new brow styles, shaving your natural eyebrows off is 10/10 the way to go. Doing this will create more of a blank canvas for you to work with and will give you more creative freedom." If the idea of shaving off your brows scares you, Jake suggests shaving a third or a half or your brows off instead. "Remember they are just hair and will ultimately grow back," he adds.
Once your brows are at least partially shaved off, you'll need a good product to start creating art. Jake shares that he loves using the KVD Beauty Super Pomade because it is "extremely easy to use and rarely budges throughout the day if used for long wear."
Ali is an Atlanta-based creator and model who uses her entire face as a canvas to convey a message and attitude to her followers. In their looks, they've incorporated flowers, sand and seashells, and even candles. "For me, eyebrows are truly a determining factor of any makeup look," she tells Allure. "How thick or thin I make them can truly change the feel of the makeup look as a whole. Choosing what color can also help portray the overall theme of the look."
Sharing details of her favorite look that is featured above, Ali says: "I love the bright colors and how they contrast with the black eyebrows and bottom lashes. I am also really pleased with how the colors easily transition into another. Having dots for brows makes the look. My brows and my bottom lashes are the only things that have a defined shape, which gives you something to focus on while the colors on my eyes are like a backdrop. The way I arched and shaped the brows also gives me a rather edgy and intimidating look which I enjoy."
Overall, Ali advises approaching makeup with an "if you think of it, do it" attitude. "Makeup is fun and brows are such an easy way to play around with changing your overall facial expression. Don't be afraid to go beyond the 'norm' and put any and everything on your brows." Ali notes that she also uses the KVD Beauty Super Pomade to define and shape their brows and Elmer’s Glue Stick and translucent powder when they want to block them out.
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