Take a look at this Instagram of Katy Perry and see if you notice anything missing … Crazy hair, check; wild manicure, check; huge blue eyes, check … OMG her eyebrows! What the hell did she do with them? Or I should say what did she do TO them. Perry's brows are still there, but they're so pale, you can barely see them. And you know what that means. Friends, we have ourselves a "no eyebrow" trend, and it's not just for Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus.
Curious? We talked with eyebrow stylist Joey Healy to explain this no-brow look and how you — yes, YOU — can try it out.
First of all, this is a trend that's happening only in fashion magazines and runways, not in the streets. Healy says his clients are not asking for this look. But people are definitely talking about it. "It's because eyebrows in general are really important right now," he says. The no-brow look is a grunge-inspired response to the big, bold eyebrows currently popular. It's more an artistic expression. Healy thinks "it's turning into more of an underground fashion movement."
So your PTA president is probably not going to show up eyebrow-less at the next meeting. If you like experimenting, though, here are a few things you should know.
1. How it looks on you depends a lot on your bone structure. The no-brow look gives most people a kind of an expressionless, alien look. But it looks better on people with really strong bone structure, Healy says. And even then, it's not necessarily a flattering look for most of us. It gives you a huge forehead and can make the area above your eyes look swollen and puffy.
2. If you bleach, you're going to look really weird when everything grows back. Unlike when you bleach the hair on your head, you won't get roots. Instead, the bleached hairs will fall out and new, darker hairs will grow in and it'll have a speckled effect. "Maintenance is nearly impossible," Healy says, though you can tint the bleached hairs a darker color.
3. But here's how to bleach anyway. Most people use Jolene facial hair bleach. But careful — it will turn your hairs orange, then yellow, so you'll want to tone that color so it's a softer blond. Also, the bleach doesn't stop processing and can turn your hair to mush if you don't keep a close eye on it. And finally, if you change your mind immediately, you're kind of stuck. Your bleached hair follicles are now so open and dry, any hair dye you apply will go on way too dark to look natural. A skilled hairdresser might be able to pull it off better than a home job.
4. Shaving your eyebrows off is not a good idea. Healy says this could complicate how they grow back. Just don't.
5. You can "bleach" your brows temporarily. A more practical way to try this look is to use makeup. You can take a blonde brow pencil like Healy's "Wicker" and very lightly massage it through your hairs. The pigmented wax will sit on top of your hairs. Or you could use a clean mascara wand to paint tinted brow gel or even concealer over your eyebrows.
6. Why you'd ever want to do such a thing. Oh … well, maybe you don't. But having "no" eyebrows does give you the chance to experiment a bit with a blank canvas — what would you look like with thin, peacock blue eyebrows? Might be fun for a party. Taken to less of an extreme, lightening your eyebrows just a shade or two with makeup could give you a totally different look for summer, something fresh and glowing.
It's not for everyone, but speaking just for myself, I was dying to know what happens when your bleached eyebrows grow out. The more you know! (Yeah, so not bleaching my eyebrows ever.) The makeup tricks sound intriguing, though. Might be worth trying at least once, I think.
What do you think of this trend — hideous, or do you think you could pull it off?
Image via Katy Perry/Instagram
