Eyebrow Trends: Crazy or Cool? Here are 5 to Try
If you’re an Instagram fiend, you’ve probably taken notice of the wild eyebrow trends taking over social media.
From feathered brows to sculpted looks, stylists are taking more liberties than ever with eyebrows – just as they would with hair.
Here are 5 eyebrow trends you can totally try – but you’ll have to decide for yourself if they’re crazy or cool!
1. Feather Brows
According to Marie Claire, the stylist who posted this offbeat look was just joking around.
“As part of her April Fool’s prank this year, makeup artist Stella Sironen declared that she would be starting a new eyebrow shape that looks like an actual bird feather,” reports beauty editor Clara Siew. “But when Instagram decided to take her seriously, she decided to just go with the flow.”
Still, if these feathered friends look appealing, they’re within reach – as long as you have some styling time and glue.
Check out beauty editor Carly Cardellino’s experiments with the feather brow – and other trends – at Cosmo.
2. Barbed Wire Brows
Not to be outdone, makeup artist Athena Paginton responded to feathered brows with her own twist: barbed wire brows.
(You heard that right.)
With a little gel – and a lot of coaxing – Paginton twisted her brows into the classic barbed wire shape.
This punk-inspired trend will make you look ferocious – but it may not be for all eyebrow types, cautions Cardellino.
The look was difficult to recreate because “…my brows were fighting against their normal growth pattern in a major way,” Cardellino writes at Cosmo. She ended up using tons of spray on them to keep them in place.
You’ve been warned!
3. Dragon Brows
Dragon brows aren’t for the faint of heart. This look requires quite a lot of glue, gel, and coaxing, too. The idea is to shape your brow into a pointed ridge – much like a dragon’s back.
“I wanted to embrace the opportunity to move away from the cookie-cutter brows that are so common and try to have more fun with my expression-caterpillars,” the 23-year-old creator of the look told Allure.
That’s one way of putting it!
As with feather brows and barbed wire brows, the young makeup artist who created dragon brows was playing around on Instagram – but that doesn’t make her sculpting abilities any less impressive.
4. Sculpted Brows
Feeling brave? Try calling attention to your eye makeup – and your brows – by sculpting out the negative space around them with makeup or paint.
(They really might have.)
If you want to play around with negative space along the brow, it may be easier to experiment with eyeshadow instead.
“The trick is to leave a section of your eyelid totally makeup free,” explains beauty editor Kelsey Stiegman at Seventeen, “and apply shadow around the empty space.”
Love it or hate it, experimenting with space seems very 2017.
5. Thick & Defined
Okay, we couldn’t leave you hanging without showcasing one of the most popular – and wearable – trends from the runways. Think thick, defined brows à la Cara Delevingne or Emilia Clarke.
Getting the look is all about creating volume and definition. Grab your brow brush and a brow pencil that matches your haircolor to start filling in your natural brow line.
“Begin filling the center of the brow using light pressure and a short back-and-forth motion; work outward,” brow artist Maribeth Madron explained to Glamour. “Finish by penciling in the inner corner.”
Once this is all blended, you should have a thick and defined brow that any celebrity would envy. But, according to brow artist Sania Vucetaj, it’s easy to go overboard.
“I love that people are finally embracing bold brows but I also warn people that there is a difference between heavy and full,” Vucetaj explained to Bustle. “Brows should always frame the eyes and face.”
Need some more tips on grooming your brows? Read on for more expert styling advice.
Brow Grooming 101
Whether you stay on trend for 2017 or just need a refresher course, grooming your brows is just as important as styling your hair.
Since eyebrows are such distinctive face-framing features, it’s important to take it easy between appointments. Most brows take about 6 to 8 weeks to grow in, which can make overplucking a disaster.
That’s why you should carefully space out your appointments, suggests makeup artist Sebastian Latiolais.
“The standard amount of time for brow maintenance is three to four weeks,” Latiolais told Teen Vogue.
Because brows grow so slowly, leave those tweezers alone when you’re between appointments, too. Not only can it disrupt how your new shape grows in, but you could cause more permanent damage to your brows.
That’s right, tweezer fiends – back off before it’s too late.
When it comes to defining your brows for a night out on the town, a little makeup goes a long way. Most makeup artists depend on three primary tools when defining a brow – but they use a light touch.
“Pencil for structure, powder for color, and then a gel to settle the hairs and keep them in place,” brow expert Maribeth Madron told Refinery29.
Before you start filling in your brows, though, it’s important to find the shape of your natural arch with a brush, advises Krause.
Once you’ve established the shape of your brows, try these expert tips from Mario Dedivanovic, Kim Kardashian’s makeup artist, for natural-looking definition:
“Next, I define the shape by taking a brow brush and shadow—I use one that’s one shade lighter than the pencil I used beforehand, which softens the look and adds dimension—to set everything,” he adds.
Set your look with a little bit of eyebrow gel, and you’re ready to rock.
A dramatic chop or cut and color tend to get plenty of attention – but don’t our brows deserve a little bit of love, too? Brows help anchor our features and can define a look, as anyone who’s brave enough to try feather brows or dragon brows well knows.
But you don’t have to embrace the crazy eyebrow trends of 2017 to feel put together. Styling your brows as an extension of your look is simply another way to embrace self care.
Take a healthy approach to tweezing and sculpting your arches, in order to prevent damage a brow expert won’t be able to undo. As long as you’re tweezing with care, the sky’s the limit when it comes to flaunting your on-trend look.