TikTok says fine eyebrows are back – here’s what eyebrow experts have to say

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Once the low-rise jeans of the ’90s made a comeback in full swing, we knew it was only a matter of time before thin eyebrows started to catch on. For those of us experiencing this trend for the first time, even the idea of those pencil-thin arches was enough to send us into a full-blown spiral.

It’s not just the intimidating factor of it all that many women are still struggling to undo the damage caused by excessive plucking 30 years later. But after years of thick, bushy eyebrows taking over, the pendulum is bound to swing backwards. The good news: As with the resurgence of other ’90s trends, thin brows are getting a refresh in 2022.

“The fine brows of the past weren’t just fine brows-they were actually bad brows,” says celebrity brow stylist Joey Healy. “They were asymmetrical and rainbow-shaped; they were the exact same width across the entire brow. So when you think of these ugly, thin eyebrows, you think of small, thin semicolons – and that’s not what the modern version of semicolons are.”

While Healy says he’s wary of the return of skinny brows (“Anything to do with hair removal, it can be permanent or harmful,” he says), Generation Z seems to have largely lost that sentiment. A study LookFantastic, Europe’s top beauty retailer, analyzed key beauty trends over the last year and found a 450 percent increase in searches for fine eyebrows in 2021 compared to 2020.

Anastasia Soare, CEO and founder of Anastasia Beverly Hills, has her own concerns about the trend. “I can emphatically say that whatever you do, don’t over pluck your eyebrows,” she warns. “Trends like this one turn on a dime, but tweezing can damage hair follicles over time. As those of us who lived through the razor-thin brow heyday of the ’90s can tell you, hair doesn’t always grow back.”

Another reason Healey is hesitant about the return of thin brows When it comes to the signs of aging, there’s no benefit to thin brows. As we age, our eyebrows tend to thin and become more patchy. So by removing hair and opting for a less impactful brow, you automatically age your face (to be clear, there is absolutely nothing wrong with aging, but we prefer our faces to happen naturally).

If you do plan to go all out, Healy recommends taking a more modern, long-lasting approach than simply tweezing your brows. “It’s all about not over-modifying and listening to your own natural brow look based on trends,” he explains. “The way I like to approach thin brows is to choose the one we all like and then narrow it down by about 20 percent. It has to be a modern brow that we all like, but just scaled down.”

Beyond that, Healy and Suar say they’re not entirely opposed to the trend itself, but more to the destructive methods people are using to achieve it. “If we’re talking about thin brow makeup, then I’m all for it!” Healey says.

“If you’re truly committed to the cause, use the method of disguising your brows by first using skin-friendly gels and concealers,” Soare shares. “It’s time-consuming, but it will protect your arches from possible permanent damage.” She recommends playing around with styling and product application – but emphasizes fixing the shape of your brow to the golden ratio to ensure it fits your face shape.

Healy recommends starting with a matte highlighter (no shimmer, no glitter) underneath your brows, which will give you more arch and lift without sacrificing any precious hairs. He recommends the High Brow Concealer from his namesake brand (which we can confirm is definitely a 10, skinny brows or not).

You can also use a lighter colored brow gel or powder to create slimmer brows. As he explains, using a softer, lighter gel allows the brows to recede a bit – which is really what the skinny brow trend is all about. It makes them look less important and takes the attention away from the area without causing any permanent damage.

“We’ve really learned a lot about how brows shape your face over the last few years, and we don’t want to go backwards,” he says. “We want to use that knowledge to keep our brows in tip-top shape, which for me is neither super thick nor super thin.”

Soare agrees. “There’s always a rhythm to what’s popular, and there will always be trends that seem to disappear completely, only to reappear a year or two later,” she says. “Thankfully, I think beauty norms are less uniform these days, so if you’re not into thin brows, there’s less pressure to give in to a homogenous look for the sake of a trend.”

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