The Eyebrow Trends You'll Be Seeing Everywhere In 2023
If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then the eyebrows are the window dressings. Whether you adorn those windows with barely-there valances or elaborate curtains typically depends on the beauty trends of the time. Since women first appeared on the silver screen in silent movies in the 1920s, eyebrow styles have spread like wildfire and evolved into their own subset of beauty and fashion trends. Those silent film stars wore their eyebrows in a very thin, rounded line that arched down the temple all the way to the bottom corner of the eye (via The Lash Lounge).
Over the decades that have followed, there have been many swings between thin brows and bold and fluffy ones. Since the mid-2010s, brows have trended toward big and blocky, as detailed by HITC. This was likely in response to the tragic overplucking of the late 90s and early 2000s. However, as 2023 approaches, change is once again knocking on beauty's door. Here's what to expect when it comes to upcoming eyebrow trends.
Bleached and colored
The coming year seems to be embracing both ends of the eyebrow spectrum. On one end, minimal styles like thin and bleached brows are trending. On the other, brightly colored, tinted, and enhanced brows are becoming just as popular. Bleaching your brows can allow you to take part in a plethora of creative trends. Just like when coloring the hair on your head, bleaching the hair first prepares it to take on bright, vibrant colors. Celebrities are jumping on the bleaching bandwagon, including Julia Fox, as reported by People.
When you rock bleached brows, you can choose every day between painting on a bright color, filling in a natural hue, or embracing the platinum. If bleaching feels too intimidating, but you're drawn to the idea of colored brows, you can still use colors and tints. They will appear more subtle over a natural brown than a bleached one, but covering the brow with concealer or foundation can help (via L'Oréal). If you decide to go forward with brow bleaching, it is strongly recommended to go to a professional technician for the service since the eye area is particularly delicate.
Plucked and thin
Highly groomed, skinny brows are making a clear comeback, triggering elder millennials everywhere. Fortunately, the thin brows making their way onto the beauty scene now are a little less damaging than those of the past, as reported by The Guardian. This time around, simply plucking your eyebrows until they're one hair wide and then drawing over them with a pencil line isn't the only way to go. Thin brows are in many forms, meaning you can go full alien or stick with a more naturally groomed brow and still be fashionable.
If you damaged your brows by overplucking last time this trend made an appearance, and now you're afraid to try again, don't be afraid. You can make your brows look thinner without drastic hair removal (via Beauty Daily). Rather than combing or brushing all your brow hairs up in an effort to maximize size, volume, and fluff before adding a product like soap brow, pencil, or gel, brush them straight out into their natural shape, If your brows are very thick or long, you may wish to trim the ends or pluck only the outermost hairs on the top and bottom of the brow. Use an eyebrow pencil to lightly fill in any gaps or unevenness but not to add bulk. Your brows will look thinner and well-groomed without extreme measures.
Enhanced
If bleached, thin, or tinted brows aren't for you, don't worry. Eyebrow enhancements will continue to trend in 2023. These include microblading, laminating, and transplant surgery. Microblading involves temporarily tattooing additional individual hairs into your brows. You can choose the shape, color, and thickness, and since the enhancement is temporary, you can change up the style every few months. Laminating, as explained by Lash Perfect, uses a process similar to perming to lay each brow hair into the desired shape. A tint is typically applied at the same time for those who are also seeking a darker color.
For people who are really committed to big, bold brows, eyebrow hair transplant surgery is an option. The procedure involves surgically removing hair follicles from the back of the patient's scalp and transplanting them to the eyebrow area. After the surgery, the newly transplanted hair will fall out so that new hair can grow. It will take a few months for this new hair to fully grow in, but once it does, the transformation to full brows will be lifelong (via the Cleveland Clinic).