You’ve got to hand it to brows: Those two little arches are constantly demanding big changes. In the ‘90s they had to be plucked beyond recognition, in the early aughts they called for a proper wax and threading, and in the 2010s they needed to be squared off, colored in, and outfitted with a suspiciously long tail. More recently they had to be tattooed on (microblading) and stuck up (soap brows and lamination). But we’re past that, right? (We’re past that, yes.) But that means we are now where, exactly? We’ve been asking this very question since our friends down the hall launched a new brow gizmo into the universe: Boy Brow Arch. And while we may understand how to use the new pomade pencil, we wanted to check in on how exactly to apply it. What’s today’s brow look? We turned to five experts for the answer.
The Minimalist Brow
Katie Jane Hughes, Makeup Artist and Founder, KJH.brand
“I was definitely a serial overplucker at the age of 15. I tweezed my brows into oblivion and they didn’t really grow back. As I became a makeup artist, I learned the tools of the trade, and as product development became more advanced, I learned the craft of penciling and drawing them back in as realistic as possible with products like Glossier’s Brow Flick and Nabla’s Brow Ambition. I do actually find myself going for more of a skinny brow now. The silver lining of having slim eyebrows and overplucking is that I can keep them that way and lean into that trend if it ever creeps back around, or I can pencil them in and fully go for it.
A lot of my clients are in the limelight and they’ve had their brows really cared for and looked after really well—or possibly, they’re a bit younger than me, and therefore didn’t succumb to the ‘90s overplucked brow moment. I find that my work with them usually involves a little bit of brow gel and a tiny bit of pencil to enhance a few sparse areas and that’s it. But I do actually think that we’re going through a much more minimalist brow moment. Soap brows and lamination, at least in my experience, aren’t happening that much anymore. We’re looking for that youthful, fresh, and untouched look, so we’re leaning into an aesthetic where it looks like your brows have been kept left alone.”
The Young Brow
Jo Baker, Makeup Artist and Founder, Bakeup Beauty
“My brows are still very sparse from overplucking a long time ago, so I’ve got a real love and admiration for full, ‘youthful’ brows as I call them. My clients like that look, too. When you brush them up, it’s almost like when you’re a preteen and haven’t discovered tweezers yet. Your face just appears a little softer. Combined with a pencil—and I really pride myself on mimicking real hair—I find that the look is universally timeless.
I’m not seeing ‘big’ trends as much anymore. I mean, I love the laminated vibe, but I don’t like permanent or even semi-permanent beauty treatments, to be honest. You can do so much with makeup. I really feel like the best thing we can ever do is have a blank canvas because nothing ever stays the same in beauty and everything is so cyclical. I mean, Miley Cyrus could have a ‘90s brow tomorrow and it could become huge for a while—but there are ways you can achieve that without destroying your brows!”
The Healthy Brow
Sania Vucetaj, Brow Artist and Founder, Sania’s Brow Bar
“I believe we reached ‘peak brow’ about a decade ago with the recognition of a full, feathery, natural looking brow. However, I believe the beauty industry has taken advantage of people with the proliferation of trends—like tinting, lamination, and microblading—over the years. Each has their drawbacks and lack of precision: Tinting lacks proper regulation and is banned in many states; lamination is essentially a perm that damages brow hairs and can cause hair loss; microblading is a form of tattooing and typically discolors and later drops with the skin around the eyes; soap clogs the hair follicles. You eventually see trends lose momentum as people notice the damage. For over three decades, my approach to brows has remained consistent: just tweezing and trimming to achieve a natural, feathered brow. In the end, this prioritizes the health of the brows and avoids the potential damage caused by more aggressive, trendy techniques.”
The Fluffy Brow
Harold James, Makeup Artist
“Brows can make such a difference in your face structure. I like to keep mine natural and full, so I usually fill them in lightly with a brow pencil like Boy Brow Arch and add volume with Glossier’s Boy Brow gel. Over the years, I’ve experimented with different shapes and thickness, but I tend to go back to a more natural but defined look.
I always take into consideration my clients’ face shape, features, and personal preferences. Some clients prefer a more defined and structured brow, while others like a softer, more natural look. I’ve been seeing a trend towards fuller, more natural brows with a slight arch, definitely moving into a more ‘effortless’ aesthetic. Personally, I’m noticing a focus on enhancing and embracing brows, whether it’s through microblading for a more defined shape or using products like soap for a fluffy, feathery look.”
The Undone Brow
Sable Yong, Beauty Writer and Podcast Host
“I got my brows microbladed in 2019 for a story when I was still an editor at Allure. The shape was very… defined, let’s just say. Really sculptural, carved, and angled brows were in at the time, and that’s what I got. It wasn’t so dramatic, but when brows look so perfectly groomed, it can give a kind of uncanny valley meets Instagram brow look. I thought they would have worn off by now, but they haven’t. I’ve wanted to try bleaching my brows or even a straighter shape, and those aren’t really possible to do without FX makeup basically. I thought of also just embracing slightly feral-looking brows—like how fluffed up, laminated brows then became popular—too, but I can’t do too much to mine because the tails are not budging. That said, I feel like brows now are nearly almost left alone—brushed up and slightly fluffy, but not overly glossy and laminated, and not so precisely shaped. They’re kind of like little kid brows, just… groomed.” —as told to Daise Bedolla.
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