It’s been fascinating to watch the evolution of eyebrow trends! From something you tried to make as small and dainty as possible to something meant to be bold and eye-catching, eyebrows have been at both ends of the spectrum over the past couple of decades. But times are still changing.
Rather than there just being one way to style your brows in order to look on-trend and chic, there are an increasing number of ways to style your brows to get the look you want—and more and more, brows are used to express your personality in a way that’s way more interesting and elaborate than just knowing the girl with high, sharp arches in a movie is going to be the villain.
Like other fashion trends, brow trends shift with the years and the seasons. Whereas this summer you may have been rocking a full, fluffy brow in a lighter, warmer color than your natural hair, as the weather cools, you might be in the market for something that suits the changing seasons.
Let’s talk about some eyebrow trends that will look more at home in a winter wonderland setting so you can be sure you’ll make every one of your high school acquaintances jealous as you walk past them in your hometown supermarket and avoid eye contact. Jealousy, we’re here for. Awkward chit-chat with that girl you never liked that much from gym class? We can give that one a miss.
1. Ice Cool Bleached
The bleached brow trend has actually been going on for a long time in the high fashion world. Think of supermodels strutting down the runway in couture with that surreal, otherworldly, super sexy quality you can’t quite put your finger on—it’s often due to the bleached brow look.
More and more, though, people are pursuing bleached brows for their day-to-day look, and we’re all for it. It gives you a sort of “I woke up in a super chic high rise this morning and live on champagne and coolness” factor that is great whether that really is your vibe or if you’re low maintenance but want to make a statement.
In that way, bleached brows are actually super versatile! They can look waifish and ethereal, or hardcore and edgy or make you look like you’re ready for the runway even when you’re just out to the corner shop in your oldest sweats. Of course, bleached brows will be a much bigger change for those of you with dark hair—but whatever your natural hair color is, you can find a way to make bleached brows work for you. Bleached brows are also a great option if you’d like to experiment with colored brows (more on that in #2) because they create a blank canvas for any other look you’d like to try.
If bleach sounds too permanent, there are also ways to lighten your eyebrows without the use of bleach. While normally you’d see a licensed technician or cosmetologist to get your eyebrows lightened or dyed to be safe (although it’s true there aren’t any brow dyes currently approved by the FDA) there are some great DIY options for lightening your brows, too.
But if you're not interested in changing your brows at all and still want to get the look, we’d recommend a bit of concealer, a tinted brow gel, and a microblade pen to help keep everything looking natural. You’ll obviously want to go multiple shades lighter than your natural hair, but how light you go is up to you!
2. Festive Brights
If bleached brows are a little too beige for you, you could try out colored brows! While you might be a veteran when it comes to dying or highlighting your hair, it might not have occurred to you to try it with your brows, too—but you can! If you feel like you want to break the mold a bit this winter, coloring your brows might be a great way to go, especially around the holiday season when it’s easier to get away with bolder and brighter looks.
The key to coloring your brows if we’re talking hair dye is, much like with the hair on your head, lightening or bleaching your hair first so you’re not just adding a tint you can barely see to dark hair color. Obviously, if your hair is super fair, this step is easier! If the dye feels a little too permanent, you can also look for tinted brow gels in bold colors if you can. You could also use a colored eyeliner as a brow pencil to add a pop of brightness to your natural brow tone.
If you want a bit more range when it comes to color, you can even use eyeshadow like brow filler. Just apply the powder so it clings to your natural brow hairs, and do some detail work with a fine pencil or brow pen if you need to in order to keep your brows looking natural, and then finish off with a swipe of our Ultra Hold Brow Gel. Voilá!
3. Festive Lights
If bright colors or a bold bleached brow isn’t doing it for you, but you still want to feel a bit more sparkly over the holidays, what’s often known as Disco Brows might be for you! You’ll want to slick your brows flat with brow gel by brushing them in an upward motion. Then all you have to do is take a glittery or metallic eyeshadow and, using your finger, coat your brows in the shine.
If you end up feeling a little too disco for your liking, you can always tone down the look by going in with a Micro Precision Pen in a shade that’s one or two lighter than your natural hair color and add some more natural-looking strokes to try to balance out the sparkle.
It might be tempting to use skin-safe glitter on your brows instead of eyeshadow for a bolder look—New Year’s Eve is coming up!—but while we’re all for experimenting, glitter tends to be a bit too chunky to properly adhere to your brow hairs and doesn’t quite mesh with the overall look. But as always, if you can work it—do!
4. Natural
One of our goals this holiday season is to get way more sleep than we usually do between work commitments, family plans, and friendly celebrations. This is why we’re here for the rise of super low-maintenance natural brows. Instead of plucking and preening, you’ll let your brows grow a bit more naturally.
In order to keep yourself looking put together and neat rather than totally ungroomed, you can use a light brow pencil to give your brows some structure and fill out any areas that might look a little sparse, and follow that up with a coat of brow gel to hold your hairs in the direction they grow naturally.
We’d like to emphasize brow pencil here—brow pens are great for precision and many other looks, but the key here is to keep things looking soft and subtle, so you look put together, but not like you’ve put much effort in—partly because you haven’t. One of our favorite looks to have on standby for post-late night holiday parties, or just when we don’t want to look too coiffed.
5. Fluffy
Fluffy brows are a great trend for those of you who are blessed with thick, full brows. It’s also perfect for cozy winter days because it keeps your brows looking bold and statement-making, but also leaves them feeling soft and gentle.
After making sure your brows are shaped and plucked or waxed to your liking, you’ll want to use a brow gel to swipe all the hairs of your brows upwards. This will help give your brows the fullest possible appearance without making them look aggressive. The brow gel will help them set in the right shape without flaking or drying.
Once you have your shape in place, you can go back in with a TatBrow® Microblade Pen or a Micro Precision Pen to draw in some additional hairs anywhere that your brows don’t seem full enough, or just to make them look thicker and lusher if that’s your preference. This step is really up to your personal tastes! When you’re done, you’ll have luscious, full brows that go perfectly with the cheerful, homey vibes you want when it gets cold outside.
6. Straight
While you may have spent a lot of time trying to get that perfect arch in your brows in the past, maybe it’s time to move on from sharp, statement brows and embrace the slouchy, woke-up-like-this glamor of the straight brow. It’s similar to the fluffy brow in that it looks both super cool and also ultra-low maintenance, and it’s dreamy in how easy it is. Because most of us have naturally straight brows to begin with, the straight brow is all about embracing your natural shape while also looking put together.
If you’re trying to get the straight brow look but your brows have seen some hard times when it comes to plucking and waxing, start working a Brow Enhancement Serum into your regimen to help encourage new growth—the thicker your brows are, the more mileage you’ll get out of the straight brow. And if you’re waiting for your brows to grow back or if you just aren’t naturally blessed with thick brows, a microblade pen or a precision pen can fill in your brows to get the look in the meantime.
7. Edgy Slits
This is a brow look not for the faint of heart. Think of Jason Mamoa—we’ll give you a minute—and how he just always looks so edgy and, we’ll say it, sexy. There’s obviously a lot of other things that contribute to that look, but we think part of it is definitely in the brows! Eyebrow slits are increasingly popular not just with models or movie stars, but with everyday people on the street, too.
The easiest and most obvious way to get the look is to take a straight razor designed to be used on your face and to very carefully shave a couple of vertical lines. The most common look is to do this toward the end of your brow, but you can have a lot of fun here depending on how adventurous you’re feeling!
You might have to go over your brow with the straight razor a few times to fully remove the hair in the area you’re trying to create the slit in, but this is key—if you only remove the hair halfway, you won’t get the stark, intentional look you’re aiming for, and instead might look like you got a little overexcited with the tweezers.
If you don’t want to commit to this look full time, enter concealer! Find a concealer that matches your skin as best you can, and draw on the vertical lines carefully. If you’re not confident in your ability to make these faux slits as straight as you’d like, you can use a small bit of tape or another product meant for giving you the sharpest possible cat-eye to guide you. In fact, we’d recommend you do this even if you’re using a straight razor to shave the hair! It’s always good to be safe when you’re doing something as drastic as changing the shape of your brow.
8. Shadow Lined
Shadow brows, or shadow lining your brows, is a growing trend this winter. Whereas it’s been all about the brow gels, pens, and other more pigmented fillers, eyebrow powder hasn’t necessarily had its time to shine just yet, so now might be the perfect time to bring it to the forefront of your winter looks.
It’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like. You’ll use a powder or brow shadow to brush through your brow so that the pigment collects on the brow hairs. This creates a natural-looking “shadow” that actually mirrors the way your actual brow hairs create a shadow against your skin.
The result is eyebrows that look subtle, natural, yet bold, and pigmented enough to do your face justice and set off the rest of your makeup nicely. It’s different from a lot of other brow looks, because shadow-lined brows aren’t about precision, they’re about filling in your brows to make them fuller while keeping the overall look seamless and soft.
If you find yourself turned off a bit by the sharp, defined brows seen most on social media, but you still want to give your brows the love they deserve, shadow lining is a great option. It works whether you have thick, full brows or even sparse brows you’re trying to make appear fuller — so it really is an all-around wonder that’s worth trying on this holiday season!
If you're stuck on what color to pick, a general rule of thumb is to choose a shade that’s one or two lighter than your natural brow color. That way, it blends in and makes your brows look thicker without it being too obvious that you’re wearing the product.
Of course, there’s definitely some leeway here—because you’re using brow powder or eyeshadow to create this look, you pretty much have the whole rainbow at your disposal! So if you’d like to venture outside of the box and try a bright, bold color, you have that option, too.
In Conclusion
While there are of course recommendations and guidelines when it comes to finding the best brow look to flatter your face, there are no real rules. Especially with eyebrow trends becoming more whimsical and providing you with many options to choose from this winter, the only real limit is your imagination when it comes to your brows!
Even if you’ve been committed to one particular brow look for what feels like your entire life, with so many brow products available to help you achieve every look even temporarily, there’s no reason not to consider your brows something you can experiment with—or change daily depending on your mood.
Eyebrows are key parts of our face when it comes to how others perceive us (and how attractive others find us!) so there’s actually a lot of value in taking some time to consider which eyebrow trend sparks joy this winter. Whatever eyebrow trend you choose to pursue, we’re sure you’ll shine.
Shop the Look
No matter which eyebrow trend you’re looking to welcome into your life this winter, there are some products that are crucial to have in your arsenal. They’re simple, versatile, and super easy to use. Here’s what we’d recommend having on hand!
Sources:
Use Eye Cosmetics Safely | Food and Drug Administration
The Importance of the Brow — Achieve Picture Perfect Eyebrows | New York Institute of Beauty
Aesthetic Analysis of the Ideal Eyebrow Shape and Position | National Library of Medicine