The Art of the Eyebrow

Audrey Hepburn. Frida Kahlo. Cindy Crawford. Cara Delevingne. Strong women with strong, brows. They understood/understand that eyebrows are unique to everyone and these women let their brows do the talking. It’s said that fuller brows can ‘lift your expression and open up your whole face.’  If it’s true that the eyes are the windows to the soul, then the brows may be a map of the psyche.

Though the bold brow may still be the in- vogue shape, this season’s brows of power took a straighter, more understated finish with boyish, squared-out brows on a delicate, polished base at Dolce & Gabbana for AW14. Legendary make-up artist Pat McGrath was tasked with creating the ‘enchanted beauty’ look and  took a natural approach to brows. The trick she revealed  “is to brush brows upwards with a spiral grooming brush to reveal their true shape, then work the from the inner to outer corner using small, light strokes in the natural direction of growth with a soft liner.

In keeping with this boho mood for some of the AW collections, lashes were kept bare and brows were groomed, but not filled in for a more delicates expression. A sort of cool -girl minimalism to complement the collections. As contrast to that edgier designers like Alexander Mcqueen and Alexander Wang had very futuristic heavily worked and in your face brows. Interesting and definitely not for the fainthearted!

Thicker eyebrows have been stealing beauty headlines everywhere and the art of eyebrow shaping is more subtle for 2014. It’s all about working with with what you’ve got. Nature creates the best shape for you so don’t deviate to much, and over-plucking and tweezing to death is just so unfashionable!  


Text by Minoli Ratnayake