Eyebrow Trends: How to get the laminated brow look at home

Let’s talk about THE beauty feature to focus on, the eyebrow.  I mean, the eyebrow trend has been making waves for a few years now, when all of sudden bushy Brook Shield brows became societies go-to.

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But eyebrow trends have evolved a lot in 2020 and you should be aware of these changes if you don’t want your makeup to look dated.

So eyebrow trends 2020:

We started 2020 with heavily filled-in brows, like the ones below.  While they were not the most natural evolution of bushy eyebrows, they did take the makeup world by storm…

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A post shared by Quigley Goode (@officiallyquigley) on Mar 25, 2019 at 12:44pm PDT

Now, this look was usually done with an angled brow pencil and essentially drew in a thicker eyebrow.  However, your eyebrows were transformed into one straight block of color, not very realistic, and lacked the “bushy” natural strands effect.

So drawing on eyebrows? In or out?

We will get into the exact technique below but drawing in your eyebrows is still a popular way to fake the bushy brow look.

However, the newest eyebrow trend is the “laminated brow look” also known as a feathered brow and that requires a completely different approach.

So instead of using an angled pencil to draw your eyebrows in, you can use a wet pen like this one, or this, to draw in individual strands.  This technique allows you to look like you have naturally full eyebrows, which is one of the biggest eyebrow trends currently.

Laminated Brows

So this is the laminated brow look, and its the biggest eyebrow trend.  Here’s a visual if you have NO idea what I ‘m talking about:

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A post shared by JOURDAN SLOANE (@jourdansloane) on Jul 2, 2020 at 8:32am PDT

Notice the piecey look to each strand, and how they seem to stand up on their own past the original top of the brow.  It’s natural, and fresh in aesthetics.

Laminating brows (professionally) is an option for people who want to invest the money AND who know of a really good technician.  But because we don’t know when the laminated brow look will pass, I would avoid a more long term solution like getting your eyebrows professionally done. Also, make sure you have a personal recommendation for your technician because I have seen HORROR stories.

There are also kits you can use to laminate your brows at home.  This one seems to be very popular, and if you have a very beauty-savvy friend they can help you do it.  Below is an example of the more permanent laminated brow at home.

A lot of people use a lash tint kit, like this one, and it’s important to buy a top-rated one for obvious reasons.

@bustle

Laminated Eyebrows😍 @kierajacob ##fyp ##foryou ##foryoupage ##laminatedbrows

♬ original sound – bustle

But, how do I get the laminated brow look? I want feathered brows!

So, I love the laminated brow look but I wasn’t ready to make it permanent.  So here are my tried and tested products that will help you get this natural eyebrow look, even if you have thin eyebrows.

Natural Feathered Brows At Home:

@gabriellearrudadesign

Best feathered brows ever! ##featheredbrow ##laminatedbrow ##eyebrowsonfleek ##naturallookmakeup ##beautytips ##athomebeauty

♬ Formula – Labrinth

Watch the above video to see my exact technique!

1. Decide which product you want to use

             Brow soap

I’ve tried brow soap and it definitely works but  I did find it wore off around midday.  However, there are tons of reviews that highly recommend it and didn’t have the same issue I had.  Brow soap is an easy product to use.  You simply wet your brush, put some brow soap on it and then use it set your brows up.  I would gently back brush my brows to get them to have that “laminated” eyebrow look.  Then you let the eyebrow soap dry, which only takes about a minute.

OR

Schwarzkopf got2b Glued Styling Spiking Glue

This is actually for your hair but works WONDERS on your eyebrows.  Take the same eyebrow brush and technique but add a bit of the spiking glue instead of the brow soap.  Back brush your brows and allow them to dry in the natural bushy shape.  I am obsessed with this, and it’s my personal favorite for the laminated brow look.

related: The TOP ten Sephora products and their affordable alternative 

2.  Add more volume to your brows (but make it natural)

Here is where this eyebrow pen will evolve your 2020 eyebrow game.  Watch the video for my exact technique.  But generally, this wet pen will allow you to draw singular strands into your eyebrows.  The result is very natural and no one can even tell that I have “filled in” my brows.  Make sure you match the color well, and you will be set.

For reference, the one I use is this one, and the color is “Brunette Betty”.  I’ve heard great things about the Glossier Brow Flick as well, but I’m not currently in the market to change.

Tip: Don’t go too crazy trying to draw new eyebrows.  If you have very thin eyebrows you can use that old angular pencil to darken where your hair is naturally and use the wet pen to draw in strands around your natural shape.  Created a more gentle full look.

3.  Darken it up

I always add a little bit of eyebrow tint just to give my eyebrows that extra oomph.  It helps define their shape and put any of the strands in place.  My favorite eyebrow colored gel is this one:

Unless you have naturally dark eyebrows I suggest always going with a tint over the clear gels.  This is the last step, not to create shape, but to define.  We already used the spiking glue or brow soap to shape.

OPTIONAL:  Add a highlight

Add a bit of light concealer or a matte highlighter right under your eye to give the bottom of your brow sleek definition.  This step is optional, but highly recommended. If you have a lot of natural stray hairs towards the tail end of your brows, just add the highlight to the front half of your brows.

related: Beauty trends 2020 that will give anyone confidence 

Any other eyebrow trends I need to be aware of?

So the laminated brow is definitely not everyone’s favorite, but it certainly made its way to becoming the eyebrow style of 2020.

Another popular eye/eyebrow trend is controversial. It’s the fox eye, that people like Kendall Jenner have slowly popularized by a noticeable shift in their eyebrow shape.  Now let’s break this trend down first.

The fox eye is pulling the skin of your temples to lift your eyebrows into a “straighter” shape that gently angles upward.  It can also gently draw your eye shape up, creating the controversy by appropriating Asian eyes.    While celebrities have used botox or minor surgery to get this “look”, a lot of photos of people mimicking it caused outrage as it was blatant cultural appropriate of Asian eyes.

So, my recommendation.  Avoid the fox eye trend, and if you want to gently mimic a straighter brow due so botox around your eyebrow (by a licensed professional).  You can also use your brow pen to slightly “fake” the straighter brow).  Both of these options will ONLY straighten your brow subtly, and will NOT culturally appropriate because it will not affect your eye shape or appropriate Asian eyes.

HOWEVER! Do not, under any circumstances, IMHO take a photo like this.

This article will help you understand the seriousness of cultural appropriation when it comes to the “fox eye” and western culture mimicking it.  And instagram photos like this one are sure to get backlash, so don’t do it.

Proceed with caution: beauty is about feeling good about yourself, not culturally appropriating anything.  But ultimately, up to you.

So there you have it, THE perfect laminated brow look that you can do easily at home.  You don’t need to spend a few hundred bucks trusting a shady person you found on Yelp to get you luscious bushy brows.  Instead, try this foolproof method.  I swear, I am not in any way an advanced beauty maven, and don’t ever contour my face.  So, if I can master this laminated brow look, you can too.

And if you’re into natural-looking makeup, check out my no-makeup makeup tutorial, because it will literally be a life saving on those busy early mornings!

Now, get your bushy brows on and get ready to conquer the world.  Because you should never underestimate the power of a good brow.

Pin this, so your eyebrows are always on point.