"Even if the hair on your head is silver or gray hair, I suggest dyeing brows light brown," says Petrescu.
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!”
YOUR BROWS SHOULD BE DARKER
We hate to break it to you, but if you thought that your brows should perfectly match your hair, you might want to think again. 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.
BEST EYEBROW PENCILS FOR GRAY HAIR
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.
Focus on using your brow makeup to complement your eye color, skin tone, and hair. A good rule of thumb is to try to stay within two shades of your hair color. If you have dark eyes, pick a brow shade that is lighter than your hair color and vice versa.
“Thin brows can tend to make you look older, and can give a harsh or unflattering look to any face,” says Ursula Cervellone from Feather Brow Couture. “Making sure your brows have more depth and thickness than a thin pencil line will help any face appear younger.
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.
Light eyebrows age you. The tails of the brows get lighter and thinner with age, and you may also notice some patchy areas. Fill the tail area in with a brow pencil, and then go over the whole eyebrow with tinted brow gel. For patchy spots, fill in with brow powder to make your arches appear fuller.
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.
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. Given that eyebrows do tend to pale with age, that makes sense.
Grey Hair and Dark Frames
Grey hair with darker frames offers a nice contrast, regardless of whether you choose black, burgundy, blue, or purple. You can have a lot of fun here, especially if your original hair color prevented you from wearing warmer tones in the past.
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.
Brow Shape Trends
The past few decades have been largely dedicated to arched brows — the lifting effect is at once face-flattering and more than a little foxy. But in 2023, an exciting new contender enters the ring: the straight-across brow.
“A straight brow is considered a younger-looking brow in Korea because the fuller, straighter brow is associated with the look of a younger person, even a teenager,” explains celebrity eyebrow specialist, Elke Von Freudenberg, who adds that she's currently getting four to five clients per week coming in and asking for ...
Technically, it's a myth that you shouldn't pluck stray hairs from above your brow - it isn't going to ruin the shape of your brows if you do it carefully. However, never try and slim your brows down by plucking from the top. All shaping should happen from below for a natural look.
And while thin brows best suit women with smaller eyes and more delicate facial features, these brows are also perfect for people with oval and round face shapes.
In 2022, tweezers are back – and so is the skinny eyebrow, last seen in Gen Z's favourite Y2K era.
“Powder helps give brows a softer, more natural look as opposed to pencils or pomades, which can sometimes look too heavy or leave harsher lines,” she tells SELF. Pencil is great for filling in a few hairs that might be missing. Pomades are good if you're looking to create a bold brow look or darken brows.
How to find the right eyebrow shape for you. The golden rule is to go for a brow shape opposite to your face shape. For example, if you've got a long face you should go for a low-lying arch and straight, elongated brows to add width to your face.
1. Straight and full. Perhaps one of the most iconic and desirable eyebrow shapes has to be Audrey Hepburn's straight and full style.