Growing our arches out in order to reach their full, thick potential has definitely been our main eyebrow mission over the last year or so. And now that we’ve reach maximum brow hair growth, what is the best eyebrow shape trend of the moment?
Here, Benefit Cosmetics’ National Brow Artist, Hannah Mutze, chats with ELLE about how to bring our brows into the new year.
What is 2018’s best eyebrow shape trend?
2018’s eyebrow has been crowned the ‘Textured Brow’. “This brow style is all about building dimension, texture and fullness through the brow regardless of shape,” says Mutze. As this brow type is more about building depth within your brow, and less about manipulating your brows into a particular shape, eyebrows of all types should easily adapt to the textured brow. The 2018 brow definitely follows a ‘one size fits all’ approach!
This brow style has been popping up quite a bit recently, with celebrities including Margot Robbie, Zoe Kravitz and Hailee Steinfeld leading the textured brow pack throughout this year’s Awards Season.
How do you achieve the ‘textured brow’?
There are a few key steps to nailing the top eyebrow shape trend of 2018. Firstly, you’re going to want to use a fine-tipped brow pencil, such as Benefit’s Precisely, My Brow to apply fine, hair-like strokes to fill in the brow but still retain a natural look. It’s just like Microfeathering sans any ink or needles.
To put the finishing touch on your textured brow, Mutze says that a clear setting gel is a must. By brushing your brows up with a gel, you’re not only adding thickness and extra texture by separating the hairs, but you’ll also open the eye area and keep your brow hairs uniform.
If your brows are of the thicker variety, you’ll probably want to forgo the first step and stick to just a brow gel. “It’s easiest to create dimension in a naturally thicker brow by simply brushing them up and setting them, as opposed to using a pencil or powder,” says Mutze. “Too much product on a naturally thick brow may look too heavy or block-like, whereas using just a brush and brow gel will keep the brow textured and 3-Dimensional.” Make like a French girl, and stick to natural-looking fullness.
How do you maintain the ‘textured brow’?
“Well shaped, lightly trimmed and tinted brows will provide the best base for this style and prevent it from looking too heavy or messy,” says Mutze. “Pay a visit to your brow artist every 4-6 weeks to keep them looking groomed!.”
How does 2018’s brow differ from 2017?
“2017 was the year of the Insta Brow,” says Mutze, describing the heavily filled-in, super-shaped brow style that dominated our feeds in 2017. Moving away from a brow shape that many would consider a little too high maintenance, and perhaps a little too unnatural, the 2018 brow could not be more different. “This brow is quick and easy to create and will enhance any and every natural brow. Consider this a brow for the people.” says Mutze.
