Also remember that your eyebrow pencil shade should be a wee bit lighter than the actual brow colour since the oils in your skin often oxidise the pigment and make it darker.
YOUR BROWS SHOULD BE DARKER
In fact, your eyebrows should actually be darker than your hair color—unless your tresses are pitch black. This is what looks the most natural.
"When choosing a brow pencil, it's not just about matching your hair color. It's also about your skin tone and eye color. If your skin tone has pink in it, you don't want to match exactly to your hair color or else it will look orange. So you want to go for something a little ashy," advises Madron.
Our experts suggest using brow products that are a shade lighter than your hair color. Using a tone that's too dark may cause your makeup to look harsh or obvious, instead of natural and effortless. “Lighter tones look more natural and are more forgiving,” celebrity makeup artist Kimara Ahnert tells SELF.
If you prefer darker brows, consider trying dark brown, black-brown, taupe, or dark gray shades. If you prefer lighter brows, consider trying light brown, dark blonde, or light gray shades.
“Making sure your brows have more depth and thickness than a thin pencil line will help any face appear younger. Soft baby strokes appear far more natural than a bold swipe.”
For women of all ethnicities, brow color faded with age—so darkening them may really make people look younger, the researchers say. Though the study was only done in women, the findings likely apply to men, too.
Just as there's a limit to how dark your brows should be, you don't want them to go too light. Light eyebrows age you. The tails of the brows get lighter and thinner with age, and you may also notice some patchy areas.
Dark brows were shown to make a person look younger in a study that was published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology because humans appear to (subconsciously) correlate distinct contrasts in facial features with youth.
The rule of thumb for maintaining a flattering eyebrow shade is: For lighter hair colours like grey hair or chemically lightened hair, your eyebrows should be two shades darker than your hair. For darker hair colours like brunettes or red-haired girls, your eyebrows should be two shades lighter than your hair.
'It could be that relatively thicker eyebrows signal other qualities, such as a tendency towards more grooming. 'It is also possible that this preference reflects current fashion trends. Whatever the associated trait, it seems to be particularly desirable in a long-term mating context, such as marriage.
With the above in mind when considering whether your eyebrows should be lighter or darker, I'd suggest the main rule of thumb is… “…to have your brows similar to your hair colour! You can't go wrong! If you wish to go for a slightly different colour, I'd recommend only 1-2 shades darker or lighter!”
Dark brows were shown to make a person look younger in a study that was published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology because humans appear to (subconsciously) correlate distinct contrasts in facial features with youth.
In fact, getting older is one of the main causes of thinning eyebrows. One reason for this may be a natural decline in hormones or hormone sensitivity as you age. Lower hormones can affect hair follicles, causing hair to become thinner and not grow as well.
It's best to brush the brows up first and then just trim a tiny bit so you don't trim too much. An angled brush is perfect for applying powders and pomades. And a spoolie helps us brush the brow hairs up and into their natural position.
In 2022, tweezers are back – and so is the skinny eyebrow, last seen in Gen Z's favourite Y2K era.
The most popular eyebrow trend for 2022 by far, is brow lamination. The semi-permanent treatment provides perfectly placed, brushed up brows that last for months.
"Microblading is meant for someone who prefers a natural brow look and who doesn't wear makeup all the time, as the technique mimics real hair." Microblading uses a pen-like hand tool with a blade made up of needles to etch hair strokes into the skin, says Tran.
"Even if the hair on your head is silver or gray hair, I suggest dyeing brows light brown," says Petrescu.