They’re everywhere on YouTube and Instagram! — crisp, blocked-out brows carved with concealer and filled in with various brow products that start at a sharp, narrow point and build out to a well-defined tail. Sometimes there’s also a steep, sharp angle in the arch.
They’re all about the drama. BIG brows that look right at home with big glam makeup like falsies, contouring, highlighting, winged liner — the whole shebang — and they’re the shizz now on social media.
I haven’t gone all the way to full-on big glam Instagram brows myself, but I’ve gotten pretty close a few times. When I’m feelin’ it, I will fill mine in and carve out the tops and bottoms with concealer, or fill the tails with a gel for definition, but I have yet to go all out, and I don’t think I will. I just don’t think it’s a look for me. Brows like that can look bangin’ and balanced on some people, but whenever I do something similar, all I can see are brows, brows, BROWS!
So I guess for me, full-throttle Instagram brows are a don’t.
What’s your stance on super blocky, angular, super sharp brows? Are you into ’em? Are they a do or a don’t?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
The all out carved eyebrows look good on some people. I just fill mine in and sometimes put a brow highlight underneath. I don’t have time in the morning to do the whole clean up with the concealer. Although, sometimes when I fill them in a little dark I get self conscious that people are staring at me. Does that ever happen to you?
OMG, YES! But mostly among non-makeup people. When I’m at Sephora or the MAC counter, it ain’t no thing. But with my family someone will stare and say something, LOL!
What are you using to fill them in?
I used to use the ABH brow wiz but I switched to the NYX micro brow pencil. They are the same in my opinion but the NYX one is cheaper. Sometimes I use the Tarte amazonian clay waterproof mousse when i have more time.
Once I tried a brow product from BH cosmetics and it was a little darker than I wanted but I went with it. I was at a meeting at work and I noticed someone staring at my eyebrows. It kind of freaked me out. I haven’t worn that product again. Now I’m super paranoid about them being too dark.
Im over that trend. I just changed mine into a soft round arc. Which were inspired by Salma Hayek new Allure cover. I am in love with hef full brows!
For a long time I only ever really saw people with the Instagram brows…on Instagram. I’ve never been a big fan of the angular look, but I didn’t think about how it looks on a person in everyday life. Not too long ago I saw someone in real life with the Instagram brow, walking down the street, and it was then that I realized it’s certainly a whole lotta look. You definitely lack the everyday context when you only see the super-duper closeups of one eyeball and eyebrow on Instagram, if that makes any sense.
All that being said, though, my approach when it comes to makeup is “you do you,” so no judgment here! It’s just not *my* thing.
It looks good on some people… I personally don’t like it on me, I prefer a more natural brow.
My brows are just about non-existent without assistance so I try to enhance. However, sometimes they just won’t cooperate and I feel like people are staring. My brows are definitely not twins and often not even friendly stepsiblings. I end up combing the bangs down over the offending brow.
For me makeup is a way to look like a better version of myself. So the big, blocky brow is definitely not me.
Brows are tricky. A polished, well groomed brow is a great idea for every face. But the very DONE dramatic brow, well, that may be best left to the runways and professional MUAs. Easy to overdo, and it can age us and make us look Groucho way too easily. I have mad respect for peeps who can pull it off artfully and with casual makeup looks! I feel much the same way about extreme contouring and highlighting, or a very crisp dramatic cat eyeliner. You are brave, dramatic and expressive if you try it. Not for the faint of heart!
On the upside, I think the full and dramatic brow trend is a great thing for regular everyday makeup users, because I have noticed the number of options in brow products has increased tenfold! This is wonderful news for all of us, don’t you think? A couple I want to try: Benefit Speed Brow and Le Sourcil de Chanel.
I’m a fan of full brows, and if some people like to chisel theirs on, have at it! It is very attention-grabbing though, personally I don’t like my brows to be the first thing other people notice, heh.
Oh the big blocky brows scare me, while high fashion may call it the in thing right now, all I see in my head are images of Groucho Marx, Im of the opinion a womans make up should be real for her, enhancement of what’s natural, I like the minimal. [for me] 🙂
In fairness to everyone’s tastes and personal style, I would never say “never” about anything. To each their own.
My personal taste isn’t necessarily all natural all the time, and I love an editorial look as much as the rest of us, but in real life, I’m not a fan of anything so bold on the face that you can’t look away from it. I care more that the overall face is balanced and beautiful, whether you’re sporting no liner and simple lashes or an evening smokey eye. That to me is the beauty and challenge of mastering makeup – finding the perfect balance and mastering the application of each area of the face. That being said, I don’t find that Instagram brows allow for the rest of the face to feel balanced. To me, they look ridiculous but if that’s what makes you happy, go for it. It’s just makeup.
I personally don’t have the skills to turn my very sparse, asymmetrical brows into sculpted, angular “Instagram brows”, so I’m not even trying. I don’t think it would be a great look for me anyway, it would look very unnatural considering what my real brows look like. I fill them, and it already looks a lot more defined.
Heck no!
I hardly do anything with my brows, I’ll use a little bit of a clear wax pencil before photos sometimes, but I never conceal around them or fill them in and only pluck when really bored or before a major event. I’m way too lazy for that!
That said, I’m going to a 1920s themed event with a costume contest, so I tried to do the trick with glue to make my brows invisible. Nope, won’t work! They’re too dark and thick.
I like looking at them but I never had the patience to do them on myself.
I like the look on others, but I cannot pull it off.
My two favorite brow quotes that I totally agree with…
“Your brows should not walk into the room before you do.” -Eugenia Westin, brow guru
“Do the magazine test – what major magazine would publish this?” -Renny Vasquez, MUA
There’s another quote I love but can’t remember the source, and it’s something like this:
“Your brows should look like cousins or siblings, never twins.”
I love it because every time I see someone with perfectly even, symmetrical brows all I can think is how unnatural it looks. Each brow is slightly different from the other and, although we automatically think that perfect symmetry is the way to go, our minds can subconsciously tell that something is off.
I hate Instagram brows! Of course, I’ll never go up to anyone spotting it and tell them my thoughts (because everyone is entitled to doing their makeup however they want it!) But I do hope this trend will pass the way most trends do.
You are so right. They’re the shizz on social media. I dunno. My brows are naturally full & now that I’m tryna grow them out before getting them threaded again, they’re highly untamed. I love a full brow & I do use concealer to highlight underneath them because it makes them appear crispier (but I use a concealer that’s the same color as my undertones) but I’m not a fan of the super blocked, extra high angle, stencil brow. I think there’s a fine line between a defined brow & a brow that looks drawn on. But my brows could totally not work for someone else 🙂
While not my preferred look on myself, I think there’s a time & place for super-brows. I attended a little fashion show put on by a local vintage clothing store & whoever did the models’ makeup made sure they had full dark lips, super-brows, & winged liner. They looked amazing; it’s just not my personal choice which really suited (pun intended) the clothing being modeled.
Also, have you seen the slits shaved into eyebrows trend? Another look that works for some people but not me!
Ugh, this is a sore subject with me. I really dislike the bulky, sculpted brow.
I really like the show Pretty Little Liars because I’m secretly 13 instead of 45. One of the characters, Aria, has always had a strong brow but this season, all I see are her brows. They are ginormous and threaten to take over her cute little face. It really bothers me.
I use powder from Bobbi Brown on my own brows but I keep them very natural–no tripling their size.
Instagram brows are definitely for Instagram. No one I know walks into a work place, school, or a date w those brows. To each their own and while I love a full brow I’ll say a big no to this trend.
For me, they’re a don’t. My brows are pretty full, black (they’ve never matched my natural hair color), and have only the slightest, gradual arch to them. When I carve out/sculpt them, I think it looks really weird on me. I look better with a neat but more natural-style brow.
I think when done right, the “instagram” brows look great, especially when there is a really nice, sharp arch to them and the eye makeup is well done and balances them out. I think they require a full eye look.
Such a massive don’t for me. Even when I do dramatic make up on me they look too much. You mentioned that all you can see is brows when you do it, its the same for me. It looks like they’re not even part of my face! Like I just tacked something on and you could have a dark green/black smokey eye (UD’s zodiac style) and a red lip going but the brows would make it so that you couldn’t even notice ALL THAT make up.
Just can’t pull it off, maybe cause I’ve pretty dominant brows as is?
Bit of a highlight under the tail on the brow bone is always nice though 🙂
Like all trends, brow madness has gotten a little out of control and probably reaching its expiration date. Everyone can agree that full, grown-in brows are here to stay, but not everyone has a naturally thick brow. “Architectural” brows are better left to Instagram, not real life.
Nah… I like more of a natural looking brow or I, like you, just see brows brows, BROWS!! And I don’t care for that look on me. 🙂 But there are some people that can totally rock the look!! 😀