None of us are immune to eyebrow mishaps, especially as we get older. And just as we
change up our skincare and makeup routines throughout our lives, our brows can use an
update, as well. Here are the brow mistakes that will launch you way out of your generation.
"What happened to my brows?"
Most women experience thinning eyebrows as they age, at least, according to a dermatologist
for Self, who explained,
"The trauma inflicted on hair follicles during waxing, tweezing, and threading can lead to
permanent…damage. Women who grew up in the height of the '90s overplucked, pencil-thin
brow trend have begun to notice the difficulty in growing thicker eyebrows after years of
this habit."
Although those skinny brows may have looked youthful and trendy back then, sparse brows
decades later only makes you look older. But thinning brows can also occur during menopause.
"Am I going through menopause? You bet I am."
An OB-GYN from the University of Colorado told the outlet,
"Abrupt hormone changes can cause sudden hair loss that recovers over about six months'
time."
If you tweezed the crap out of your eyebrows in the '90s, don't worry, there's hope. The
BrowGal told Byrdie,
"There are so many options nowadays for bulking up the brows. There are restorative products
that help to repair damaged eyebrows, as well as a variety of makeup products that create
the illusion of thicker, fuller brows."
"If you can't grow 'em, show 'em."
Just don't go bonkers with the brow stamps. Too much definition can age you too! A brow
pro told Self,
"The biggest mistake I see is people being too heavy handed with their eyebrow products.
I recommend applying products in hair-like strokes, versus just filling in with powder
because it often gets smeared and messy."
It turns out that paying special attention to how you shape your brows, is an essential
key in looking your freshest. And this is especially true as you transition out of your
30s. A celebrity brow expert told Coveteur,
"In your forties, it's more about the arch…And you might want to focus on using things like
pencils versus powders because pencils can give you more definition, and you can create
tighter perimeter linework."
"That's what I'm talkin about, ow!"
And just how you define your arches will continue to change as you enter your 50s and beyond.
The pro added,
"The older you get, the more arch you want. It opens your eyes and combats slacking of
other facial muscles."
Good brows can go a long way for everyone. Even celebrities have transformed their whole
look by changing their eyebrows, including stars like Drew Barrymore and Lady Gaga.
In actor Stellan Skarsgård's acceptance speech at the 2020 Golden Globes, he joked that his
eyebrows had been holding him back in his career, claiming,
"I should thank one person [who] said to me a couple years ago, 'Stellan, I've seen so
many films with you, but I never remember your face!' And I realized it was because
I don't have any eyebrows. Nobody could tell if I'm angry or surprised. For [Chernobyl],
Daniel Parker made a couple of eyebrows for me."
It's funny, but it's also true. Gray, or other light-colored brows, don't just age you. In
reality, they vanish from your face. A New York City salon owner explained to Prevention,
"From afar, gray or white brows disappear completely, which makes your features look
unbalanced. Even if the hair on your head is silver or gray hair, I suggest dyeing brows
light brown. It creates a frame for your eyes that sharpens your features for a more youthful
look."
While some people may experience thinning eyebrows as they age, others may notice that
their brows actually become bushier. A Los Angeles-based brow expert explained to Prevention
that having overgrown brows can make the eyelid appear droopy, making the person sporting
said brows appear older.
It's a good idea to keep those bushy brows well-groomed. Using slant-tip tweezers can
be helpful for removing overgrowth, but it's not necessarily an easy job.
"How the pluck am I supposed to do that?"
The expert advised,
"[Grooming] can be tricky, so I recommend going to a pro."
Once you've got your brows looking how you like them, you can finish off your look with
brow gel. Even if your brows are naturally dark, stick with clear gel so you can keep
things in check throughout the day.
Science has proven that facial bones change as we get older. And the angle of the bones
beneath our eyebrows softens as we age. According to researchers, this may contribute to "crow's
feet" wrinkles and droopy eyelids. Short of surgery, it seems there's not much we can
do about these changes to our faces. But we can work some magic with what we've got!
You may think of using highlighter to pop your cheekbones, but it can also land a spot
in your brow routine, especially for middle-aged and older women. A brow pro told Coveteur,
"For fifties [and on], start using highlighter under the brow. A matte cream highlighter…lifts
the brow."
While the physical effects of aging can sometimes be a challenge to figure out, there are loads
of products, tips and tricks to keep our style looking fresh! So no matter how old you really
are, you're only as young as you feel!
"I do feel beautiful now."
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