I realized this morning while I was filling in my brows that I might be a little stuck, makeup wise.
For the past few days, I’ve tried to put more effort into makeup (beyond the brow pencil, mascara and tinted moisturizer I’ve been rocking for, oh, two years now), and I realized the last time I tried to evolve my skills was a while back — 2014!
I mean, I’m not doing a carved brow, false lashes or contouring my nose like I did daily back then, so my style has changed, for sure.
I’d really like to try something new, but I don’t know where to start. What I think might be missing is not knowing what’s current and modern for the style that I want to wear now. I’d like to find a way to do makeup that celebrates color — makeup that’s elegant and impactful but not overly done.
Take brows, for instance. What even is modern right now for brows? Whenever I’m out and about, I still see girls with intense, blocked-out brows straight outta 2012. Is it because new trends in the Bay Area take a while to catch on? Or are people still loving that type of look, and it’s me that’s changed?
Anywho, am I the only one who’s ever experienced this sort of mini makeup crisis of evolution? Maybe? Maybe not?
I think the first step will be to find inspirational photos. So maybe I’ll start with that.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
I heard thin eyebrows have a comeback (because of a TikTok filter!). I won’t be plugging mine though! 😆
I can’t deal with the return of thin brows, LOL! Thank goodness social media wasn’t a thing in the ’90s because my brows were a mess!
I was just thinking I was glad the super intense brows were on their way out (sigh— why can’t we have skinny jeans back instead of Groucho marx brows???).
I have never gone that crazy with my brows. I have always filled them with pencil post-90s/2000s, but I’ve mostly followed my normal shape. However, I have always thought that despite trends, what looks best on most people is a more natural enhancement of whatever features they naturally have— more like Bobbi Brown or Lisa Eldridge style, so I’ve always stuck with that. I do still do light contouring though, but it’s not obvious at all (or so I think!).
Also, I’m super satisfied with my brows at the moment— I started using a brow and lash serum around Black Friday, and a couple months ago the effects kicked in, and my brows and lashes are glorious! I still do a little pencil and mascara, but if I had to go out without makeup, I would feel so much better about it!
Hi Tara,
What brow and lash serum are you using?
RapidLash and RapidBrow. I bought a two pack of each from Costco on Black Friday. I thought they weren’t working, and then all of a sudden it was like everything bushed out all at once. It was crazy, almost overnight. I just used up my brow tube a couple weeks ago, so it lasted about 4.5 months using it twice a day. My lash tube has lasted longer, but I think that’s because I was only using that one once a day as instructed, until I realized that it really didn’t interfere with makeup as long as I let it dry for a minute first, so I upped that to twice a day as well.
I just bought a Grande Brow and Lash mini kit at the Sephora sale… but now I won’t know how well that one works anyway since I’m already in better shape. 🤷♀️ Most serums are probably pretty similar. I think I’m hooked now, though, so that is just another product that will be in my permanent lineup I guess. However, it makes such a difference, that I can’t ever imagine not using it now.
I used Rapid Lash for about 12 weeks before an event and by the time of the event I had amazing lashes. But then I couldn’t find another tube after I ran through that one. Dear Daughter sent me a tube of RevitaLash which seems to work. I tried Grande Lash, but for some reason it irritated my eyes. I used NeuLash and NeuBrow, the lash serum irritated my eyes and saw no results with the brow serum. Will have to see if I can find some Rapid Brow since I had good luck with the lash serum.
I remember Lisa Eldridge commenting on how well it worked for her in one of her YT videos a few years ago. I had looked for Rapid brow after that, but it seemed to be a UK brand not easily obtained, and then I saw it on super sale at Costco, so I nabbed it. Lack of eye irritation is important.
I’ve always felt that makeup is a way to enhance my features not change them, so I’ve never contoured my face or changed the shape of my brows. Although I do like to have fun with color every now and then.
When I was in high school, my mother warned me that if I plucked my eyebrows super thin that they might not grow back when the trends change and thicker brows come into style. So I’ve always just tweezed the stray hairs beneath my brows. I’ve noticed now that I’m older I’m starting to get a bare spot in one of my brows. So even though I am blessed with my dad’s full brows maybe I should see if a serum would help repopulate that bare spot with brow hair.
I love seeing others do trendy makeup styles, but I pretty much stick to my tried and true.
It totally worked for me. I had a couple little bald spots in each brow, and after about three months use of that serum (rapid brow), they are totally filled in. I could even go without pencil and be fine. I wish I had used it sooner— I’m a total believer now.
Since my hair has gone more grey, even my brows and have lost the volume due to age, I don’t spend much time on them. I just use my ABH Brow Wiz in medium brown and leave it at that. I have been feeling that way with most of my makeup application lately. It’s not that I am not excited about makeup, I think I have found the basic things that work for me and stick to them. I may change a thing here and there, but overall, I am good with my routine.
Be well.
I’ve always kept my brows pretty natural, and that hasn’t changed but I dyed them using Just for Men Beard and Mustache color with good results.
I have seen things on thinner brows coming back. I remember people turning them into sideways parentheses – sometimes people didn’t follow their brow bone and it could make the face just look off re: bone structure. I just try not to mess with mine too much.
My best friend plucked hers into what always reminded me of a curved tadpole (kind of like a sideways comma), and now they won’t grow back for her. I plucked mine into oblivion back then because I have the hairy Italian genes… I’m just lucky they mostly recovered.
The most important thing about looking current and modern with regard to makeup is not about knowing what is trendy but avoiding obviously dated looks. It’s a lot like accessories in that sense. The most obvious new thing in makeup is eyeshadow application. The classic rules – think of those charts that come with eyeshadow pallettes – look dated. It’s more about simple washes of color. Everything else is really about taste. I don’t like heavy contouring, overlined lips and those brushed up brows, but they are popular looks.
I get the simple wash of eye color, in fact I do it all the time (only with a medium, light and darker version of the color I’m using. But I have small insignificant eyes with almost nonexistant lashes and if I go too au naturalle with no definition, it looks like my eyes have disappeared. Ironically my brows are quite full. Although with age they’ve thinned a bit they are still good
I felt the same a while ago and started trying to follow random makeup tutorials on YT, the more out of my comfort zone the better, to push my limits. I’d only do that on the weekends though, when I had time, and then life took over and I was so busy I stopped again. Still have no idea what is on trend, but at least I am old enough to know what looks good on me, so that is what I wear.
I really hope I can get back to playing a little too though, just for fun.