Skinny Brows Are Back — Here’s How to Fake the Look Without Tweezing

Children of the ’80s and early ’90s, beware — what we’re about to say could also be deeply upsetting: skinny brows are again. Yes, you learn that proper. The makeup trend all of us swore we would by no means relive has made its manner again into the mainstream — and it is bringing low-rise denims with it. Don’t consider us? Just take a look at the newest Met Gala attendees. Even the consultants at Yelp are singing this track: in accordance to its 2024 Beauty and Lifestyle Trends Report, searches for waxing providers have risen practically 700 p.c.

In conjunction with the resurgence of quite a few Y2K beauty trends, it would not be too far of a attain to say that you just want to begin warning the youth, and quick. Before you say completely not — or worse, seize your tweezers and commit wholeheartedly — we would like to make a case for faking the look with out destroying your natural brows. Here’s how.

Experts Featured in This Article

Melissa Hurkmam is a star make-up artist primarily based in Los Angeles.

Joey Healy is a star eyebrow skilled and model founding father of Joey Healy Brows.

Cara Lovello is a make-up artist primarily based in New York.

First, know that this is not the precise look of yore, in accordance to superstar make-up artist Melissa Hurkmam. “This is not the early-2000s brow your mind automatically runs to when I say skinny brows. This is a more realistic and softer approach to a defined, sculpted brow.” (Think Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber, and Bella Hadid.)

Where many individuals went flawed with the thin-brow pattern again in the ’90s was altering the form of their pure forehead to slot in as a substitute of using make-up to look the half. Due to overplucking the hairs to obtain the desired stick-thin look, many individuals nonetheless have bother rising of their brows to today. With the return of the thin-brow make-up pattern, you are going to need to go about it in a totally totally different manner.

According to eyebrow skilled Joey Healy, the key’s to proceed with warning. “If you overshape your eyebrows, it can be difficult to regrow them,” Healy tells PS. Unlike altering your coiffure or making an attempt out a brand new eyeliner pattern, altering your forehead form can have long-lasting results. “There are a few ways to temporarily fake the look of thin brows without taking the plunge and tweezing away these full brows we’ve finally grown over the last few years,” says Hurkman. That’s the place make-up is available in.

Step 1: Comb Up Your Eyebrows, and Trim

If you will have naturally fuller or thicker brows — particularly in the event you’ve been rising them out for a while — do not attain for the tweezers. Instead, seize some scissors.

“Comb your brows up and out, and trim off any extra length at the top of your brow,” Hurkman says. Healy provides: “You can really take out some of the density, making the brow feel a lot lighter, giving that thin-brow effect.” Tweezing can harm the hair follicle and scale back forehead development — trimming hairs, on the different hand, does not alter regrowth down the street. For this, you may desire a pair of eyebrow scissors, like the Joey Healey Precision Brow Scissors ($28).

Step 2: Fill In the Tops of Your Eyebrows Only

Once you’ve got trimmed your eyebrows, it is time to fill in the form, however solely from the high of the forehead, in accordance to Hurkman. “Don’t fill in or darken the base of your brow, as this will only bring the appearance of your brow down,” she says. “Along with filling in from the top, also add a tiny bit of length to the end tail of your brow, straight out to your temple.” For this, we like the Benefit Cosmetics Precisely, My Brow Pencil Waterproof Eyebrow Definer ($26) or the Covergirl Easy Breezy Brow Micro-Fine+Define Brow Pencil ($7).

Step 3: Set With Brow Gel

Next comes forehead gel. “Opting for a slightly lighter shade will make the brows less impactful and sit back a little more instead of taking center stage,” Healy says. “It also gives the effect of what a thin brow is: minimizing the brow.” Look for a product with a wide range of shade choices so you will discover the proper match for you, like his Brow Lacquer ($28) or the Kosas Air Brow Tinted Clean Volumizing Eyebrow Gel ($24).

Step 4: Highlight Your Brow Bone

Combing some gel via your eyebrows is technically the final step in the grooming routine, however to take it a bit additional and actually commit to the thin-brow look, you are going to need to seize some highlighter and concealer. “A highlighter is a great way to get more arch, lift, and crisp definition without removing any hair,” Healy says. “It’s a great way to push up the arch to open up the eye.” He recommends a cream highlighter as opposed to a powder as a result of “it has the ability to cover the hairs underneath, whereas powders do not.” Try the Ilia Illuminator ($36).

You can even use concealer to get the same impact. “I would use a skin-colored concealer (not a shade lighter) to carve them out a little slimmer in some areas,” make-up artist Cara Lovello says. Hurkman provides: “With a full coverage concealer, cover the portions of your brows that are not contributing to a thinner appearance. Usually, this is the base of the eyebrow and or the outer tail of the eyebrow.”

Jessica Harrington is the senior magnificence editor at PS, the place she writes about hair, make-up, skincare, piercings, tattoos, and extra. As a New York City-based author and editor with a level in journalism and over eight years of business expertise, she loves to interview business consultants, sustain with the newest traits, and take a look at new merchandise.

Renee Rodriguez is a employees author and social producer for PS. She writes throughout all verticals, however her important areas of experience give attention to vogue and wonder content material with an emphasis on evaluations and editor experiments. She additionally produces social content material for the PS TikTok and Instagram accounts.