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Brow trends over the years.

You have all heard that fashion and trends are recycled and come back over the years. many trends can be seen in a family photography and then re-created over editorials. Many of these trends can be created using 2 simple products. 

it’s easy to forget that we’ve been tampering with our brows for years. In ancient Egypt, both men and women darkened their brows with powdered minerals, achieving a strong look that offset their heavily-lined eyes (that’s right, Cleopatra was the first to pioneer bold brows).it turns out that there’s a distinctive brow for every decade.

1900-1920

By the early 1920s, the film industry had flourished in Hollywood, giving rise to the movie star. Hollywood helped to harness a look that would come to define the decade. With  cupid’s bow lips, dark eye makeup and thin, downward-arching brow. 

1930's

By the 1930s, eyebrows had become less almond-shaped and more rounded with an upwards arch. As makeup became more affordable, the penciled-on look remained in vogue.

1940's

During wartime, brows became fuller and more natural looking. Though they were still very shaped, brows were definitely heavier, which created a softer look.

1950's

The ‘bombshell’ look; dramatic brows came to typify 50s femininity . Perfectly groomed with a high arch, the squared-out shape undoubtedly added to a sultry look. Since darker eyebrows were preferred at the time, women tended to pencil over their natural brows too.

1960's

Thin brows were back and treated as a kind of afterthought for many young women; in the 60s, it was all about bold eye makeup instead. Brows were neat and understated.

Sophia Loren forged as one of the most in-demand stars of the decade, her look was distinctly different to the mod aesthetic that we usually associate with the 60s. Her unique approach to brow grooming involved shaving them off completely, before drawing them back on. She would apply short, thread-thin strokes to make her eyebrows appear more natural.

1970's

When it came to brows in the 70s, there were two camps; ultra-thin or naturally full. The former came with the birth of disco; preened and plucked into a high arch, Donna Summer’s groomed brows match the high-octane spirit of disco’s look and sound.

The rise of the hippie movement led some women to forego brow grooming altogether. The sub-culture tended towards a freer aesthetic so there were just as many women putting their tweezers down, as fans of disco were taking theirs up with zeal.

 

1980's

By the 80s, everything had gotten bigger and bolder; hairstyles and shoulder pads were just the start. “Caterpillar” brows started creeping onto the faces of every A-lister worth their salt as a bushier look was favored. With her full, natural looking brows, actress Brooke Shields became a beauty icon of the decade.

 

1990's

the bushy brow trend was over. In the 90s, thin, low-arched eyebrows graced the pages of Vogue one again, as Kate Moss made waves in the fashion industry. Modelling themselves after her, a generation of women plucked their brows with abandon; some of us took it too far (and have the school photos to prove it).

2000's

Brows stayed ultra-thin well into the noughties, though the arch had raised to become almost angular in shape. Towards the end of the decade however, a more natural shape began surfacing once again, as brows started filling out – call it a sign of things to come.

2010's

As Cara Delevingne’s modelling career took off around 2012, so too did the bold brow trend. Letting our brows grow back and extending them and keeping them in place with the help of brow soaps. 

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