The ultra-thin brow look of the ’90s and 2000s is popping up everywhere, from TikTok filters to red carpets to fashion runways. This leads us to wonder: Are skinny brows back for good?
(image via british vogue/andreas rentz)
The brows of the ’90s were thin and rounded with high arches. As seen on Bella Hadid, today’s version of the trend is much more flattering. Rocking brows this thin after years of chasing the full-brow look might seem like a big leap (and it is), which is why we want you to test it first! So before you reach for the tweezers, follow these steps.
Start With Typical Brow Maintenance
Your faux skinny brows will look best when you trim and shape your natural brows as you normally would. This might mean light waxing or tweezing, but resist the urge to pull hairs that belong in the brow shape. Instead, use a pair of small scissors to trim any wild hairs or carefully use a dermaplane razor around the brow to keep the area extra clean.
Define What You’ve Got
Use a product that can shape and hold – like wax, soap brow, or pomade – to draw in your desired skinny line and fill bald spots. This will differentiate between the hairs for your brow shape and any excess.
Conceal
This is the part that saves you from potential eyebrow-related stress: Apply a creamy concealer that matches your skin tone over any excess hairs above and below the brow area you’ve defined. Once everything is covered, blend out any lines or blotches. To really emphasize that high arch, apply a touch of highlighter to each brow bone.
Set
Now that your brows are nice and thin, step in with a brow pencil to outline any sparse spots once more if necessary, then use a gel brow product to ensure the hairs stay in place. Mist some setting spray to lock in the concealer and highlighter.
Scared of the skinny brow? You can fake the look with makeup to take it on a test run before you commit!