With the end of 2019 just around the corner, we’re approaching the end of the decade, too. If there’s one thing we can say for sure about the 2010’s it’s that this was the decade of the natural eyebrow. Since Kim Kardashian stepped onto the scene around 2010, the trend of full, thick eyebrows has become an iconic look. And let’s not forget the revolution Cara Delevigne brought in 2014 that really inspired makeup brands to launch a whole range of brow products!
The holiday season is a time of reflection upon the year behind us. So let’s look back on all the ways we took care of our eyebrows in 2010’s!
The best and worst of brow makeup products
Eyebrow pencil
The eyebrow pencil was nothing new, even in early 2010’s, but what the decade behind us brought was perfecting the formula and a huge expansion in the shade range. Every makeup brand, high-end or drugstore, has a brow pencil in their range of products. You can now choose from thousand different shades and formulations and find the pencil that suits you just right, which wasn’t the case in the 2000’s.
Brow pomade
A product that became a best-seller in 2015 onward is the brow pomade. This cream based product offers greater precision than the pencil, but it does take a bit more skill. Many brands offer this product, but the shade range isn’t that wide with most of them. The same goes for the brow powder, which comes in a loose, mineral-based formula. Hopefully, this will change in the years to come.
Fiber gel
The fiber gel, however, didn’t gain that big a following. This mascara/brow gel hybrid is meant to color the brows, but also lengthen the hairs due to it’s fiber-based formula. The idea sound great, but in reality, the result is often clumpy and untidy. Its predecessor – the brow gel – has proven to be very practical, though. You can get it in colored or clear version and it’s a great way to tame bushy brows and keep them in place.
Permanent makeup for eyebrows
Microblading
If there’s one field of the beauty industry that has exploded in 2010’s it’s definitely permanent makeup in general, and microblading in particular. Microblading – the treatment that implies injecting pigments into the skin between natural brow hairs in order to create a full, thick arch – has been one of the biggest brow trends and the most sought after non-surgical beauty treatment for a few years now.
Women (and more and more men!) have recognized the benefits of permanent eyebrow makeup that include, first and foremost, the fact that there’s no reapplication for up to two years. Many celebrities including Tori Spelling and Helen Mirren are huge fans of microblading.
Permanent eyebrows spin-offs
From microblading as the basic procedure stem numerous spinoffs. Powder brows are perhaps the second most popular PMU treatment for brows. The combination of hair-like strokes and shading gives the look of the so-called Instagram brow, which has emerged as a trend in 2015. This look can technically be achieved with regular makeup too, but with a whole lot of time and energy.
For those even more adventurous, there’s the ombre brow, which mimicks the trend of ombre hair that was the dominant hair-coloring technique of 2012-2016.
One of the newest brow trends which has yet to prove itself in 2020 is the Breezy Brow, an overexaggeration of the feathery eyebrow arch that maximizes the width of the arch and gives a dramatic, yet effortless look.
Take a look at all permanent eyebrows treatmens developed in 2010s on our Treatments page.
Bleached brows
On the opposite side of the scale, there’s the bleached brow, which appears to be non-existant and goes hand in hand with hair so bleached it’s almost white.
Brow lamination as an alternative to microblading
Another trend that has only emerged this year. The idea behind brow lamination is to achieve the results of microblading without the needle. This 100% non-invasive treatment implies straightening, lenghtening and tinting each eyebrow hair using a combination of chemicals.
Although the end result is not as bushy as it can be with microblading, it’s a great way to fill in sparse patches and increase the volume of the arch without any pain.
Eyebrow extensions
2019 has brought us yet another option for eyebrow styling! The idea of eyebrow extensions stems from the eyelash extensions that have been around for a while, but only became popular in the past 4 years or so. Brow extensions work in much the same way. Artificial hairs are glued either onto pre-existing, natural hairs, or directly onto the skin. This is arguably the most natural looking eyebrow treatment, as there’s no way to tell if you’ve had any work done if your brow technician is even remotely skilled.
However, given that they last a relatively short amount of time – up to 4 weeks – and the high probability of fall-out, it is yet to be seen if eyebrow extensions will become a hit or not.
Eyebrow experimenting
Apart from these trends that have become established and well-known, the 2010’s have given us a number of edgy, more underground brow trends for those who like to switch up their look once in a while.
- The brushed up brows that look spiky were worn by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as far back as 2013, but they were reintroduced and taken to the next level on Instagram in the past 2 years.
- Eyebrow accessories such as the ring piercing have has a brief resurrection in 2014-15.
- Since 2017, Instagram has seen a fair share of experimentation with eyebrow shapes. They range from lightning bolts to strings of little squares.
We can only imagine what else beauty gurus will come up with in the decade to come, but one thing’s for sure: it won’t be boring!
Write in the comments section which was your favorite brow trend of the 2010’s! 👇👇👇
Cover image source: Freepik
