By Fabiana Santana
In the eighties, Brooke Shields was famous for hers. So much so that Brooke Barbie even sported thick ones. Models like Christie Brinkley and Dayle Haddon graced the covers of fashion mags with their sultry full brows proudly on display.
Then came the nineties when thin was truly in. Pairing with the grungy waif look that took over the runways, eyebrows seemed to have suddenly been erased from the face—all but a thin line of definition left. But thanks to the new crop of girls taking over the runway these days, full and natural is back in fashion.
Landy Dean is a world-renowned makeup artist and eyebrow specialist based out of the Edris Salon in New York City. His work appears on the covers of magazines like Cosmopolitan and Harper’s Bazaar. Landy spent some time talking with Modelinia about the growing trend and how you can get model-worthy brows, too.
“The trend now is the fuller, nice, more natural shape and angle to brows. It’s the bit of roughness and softness that makes it more natural and appealing. Forget the too thin and manicured look of the eighties and nineties,” he says. And even if you have naturally thin eyebrows, you can play with technique to fill them up. “Just follow your brow’s natural growth angle. The key is to make it look like something that could really be there, not something that you painted on.” The pointed arch and teardrop shapes that defined the makeup looks of the nineties are out, too. “They are dated. And thin, severe brows can be very aging, too. Who wants to look old?” Landy explains that a fuller, more natural and softer brow enhances a youthful look.
Dayle Haddon sports full, thick eyebrows for the cover of Cosmopolitan in 1977. Sixteen years later, Kate Moss shows off her barely there brows for British Vogue.
Tips for getting your best brow:
Landy says that the looks will vary from girl to girl, but the guidelines for getting the right look for your face is the same.
Brows should start or line up at the inner corner of the eye.
I tend to line the brow with the eye. I don’t use a brush or stick to line it up with the nose or anything like that because it’s all about framing the eye—not about the rest of the features. If you have a wider or perhaps a very narrow nose and follow that rule you could get yourself in trouble.
Angle, not point.
The peak of the brow—or the arch, as most people refer to it—should have a soft angle. That “peak” should hit the outer edge of the iris—the colored part of the eye—right at the dark rim.
Even lengths.
The length of the brow from peak to end should be roughly the same length as the inner corner to peak, so you have an even brow.
Don’t move!
Keep a still, straight face when working on your brows. No moving or funny faces.
Keep ends soft.
Do not overpluck the ends.
If you overpluck, they can become a hard edge quick. Instead leave a softer, more gentle end.
Not too thin, not too thick.
Make a steady, natural progression the same thickness from the inner—or front part of the brow—to the peak. Don’t keep plucking at the bottom so that all of a sudden the angle of the arch is too thick. You want to gradually reach the arch, not force a point.
Ease, don’t erase.
Remember: Making your brows neater doesn’t mean making them thinner. Just groom your natural brow so that it’s not unruly; don’t take away the natural shape it wants to have.
So who has the best brows in the biz these days? Click here to see the slideshow.
