I'm delighted that fashion has swung back in favour of the generous eyebrow. We shouldn't feel obliged to follow trends, but this one does discourage women from shaving off their eyebrows or having scary umbrella lines drawn over their eyes. It also encourages us to embrace (and improve upon) what we have already, which is no bad thing.
Cara Delevingne is the poster girl for the strong brow trend and if you want brows like hers follow my straight brow tips - but darken up the brows.
I think that a well-shaped brow is the single most important element in makeup, because it is the thing that gives the face structure and defines the eyes. We often don’t notice brows – we admire a face without realising the contribution that brows are making to it. By golly, though, we notice when they’re bad – nothing throws off a face like wonktastic eyebrows.
The best brow shape for you is the one that you naturally have already. But what difference can brow shapes really make to a face? Well…let’s see!
TRY USING TWO COLOURS TO DEFINE BROWS
- What you use to define your brows is entirely a matter of preference, but if you want to keep things natural, I would suggest using two colours.
- It sounds odd, but using one lighter shade and one darker shade just looks more natural – the brow should be slightly darker and more defined at the outer edge than it should be in toward your nose. It should start softly and then get stronger, as brows naturally do.
- So no dark blocks of colour- the Scouse brow is nobody’s friend, and it looks like two big leeches sitting atop your eyes. Just don’t.
- I like to use powder – my preferred colours are Mac shadows in Charcoal Brown and Brun.
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THE ARCHED BROW
An arched brow is traditionally feminine and, let’s face it, kind of sexy. Sported back in the day by Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor, it’s not for shrinking violets- an arched brow is a grown-up frame for the eyes. It's now worn by the ultimate contemporary sex bombs Megan Fox, Dita Von Teese and Angelina Jolie - this brow style can really amp up your look.
THE STRAIGHT BROW
To achieve this shape, you’ll need to thicken your brows (unless they’re full already). You need to remove the arch in your brow to create a strong, straight frame for the eye. This look is less grown-up than the others – it’s more youthful and innocent; think Audrey Hepburn.
THE SLIGHT ARCH
This shape is a lightly arched version of the straight brow. It’s a full brow – more grown up than the straight brow but less vampy than the high arch. Think Jennifer Connolly or Natalie Portman.
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I've done all of these shapes in as natural a way as possible, while keeping them full. They're not drastically different from one another - it would be hard to make them hugely different without taking a tweezers to my brows. But the different shapes do make a subtle difference.
What do you make of this? Do you have a favoured brow shape?
