2.2 Current trends

As you have seen already, the beauty industry is always evolving, and there are new techniques, products and styles that are continually being introduced. As a professional brow artist, it is essential that you are aware of and incorporate the latest fashion trends, styles, and products in your service offerings! Brow artists who do not keep up to date with the trends will quickly see themselves and their sales fall behind the competition! In this course, we will look at a range of techniques, products and styles that will ensure you can confidently provide your services in line with the latest industry trends. No one has a crystal ball, and much like any trend in fashion, some are short-lived, and others stand the test of time! The table below provides a snapshot of current trends that are likely to be the focus for the next few years:

Ombré Brows

Ombre brows are still on-trend, and they required brows hairs that are softer in the inner portion of the brow, graduating to a heavier and darker look toward the outer end. Ombre brows are not to be confused with ‘insta brows’. In 2015, the “Instagram Brow” and the #OnFleek revolution became all the rage. In real life, insta-brows do not look super flattering, but they do look excellent in photos! Ombre brows look more natural in person.

90s-inspired stick-straight arches

Popular on TikTok and the red carpet, straight and upward-facing eyebrows are coming back into fashion. Similar to the trend in the 90s, rather than a subtle arch, this brow style slants upward in a straight line.

Colourful brows

Across social media, you will see many influencers playing around with colour and fun shapes for their brows. While these looks are often temporary and use makeup to achieve them, it can be a fabulous way to get creative and to test out different shapes and colours. Brow blocking is often performed when doing this, and this is where you use glue to stick down and smooth the brow hairs. Afterwards, a combination of makeup products is applied to hide the natural brow, resulting in a blank canvas to work from.

Brow tattooing

Brow tattooing uses needles and will create a lot of tapping motions to penetrate the skin to the deeper layers of the dermis. Tattooed eyebrows will last a lifetime, although colours fade over time and lines may blur. Once you have an eyebrow tattoo, it’s forever unless removed via tattoo removal treatments.

Microblading

Eyebrow microblading is a form of semi-permanent makeup. It’s similar to eyebrow tattooing; however, microblading uses a specialised hand-held tool and a completely different kind of ink than traditional tattooing. Microblading results typically last about 6 months to a year. Because the pigment doesn’t go as deep as tattooing, the look fades as skin cells naturally shed.

Eyebrow trends, like anything in beauty and fashion, will vary from decade to decade in terms of thickness, shape, intensity, and method of hair removal. While it is crucial you are aware of trends; you will learn later in this course that certain shapes and lengths look better on different face shapes. A think upward arching brow might be on-trend now, but it won’t suit every client! Our brow hairs become sparser as we age, so you and your client need to think about the longer-term consequences – is being on-trend now worth having minimal brow hairs in the future worth it?

Much like the evolution of hair removal techniques and brow styles, the tools and products we use are also continually evolving. Nowadays, there are heaps of different hair removal products, applicators, tints, dyes, stencils, and so many other brow products with various formulations. In this course, we will look at a range of products and tools that will help you to hit the ground running, but it is important that you also keep up to date on advancements with products and tools.

Did you know… The shape of your brows may predict your personality. According to Amazing Face Reading by Marc Fuller, if you have straight eyebrows, you might be more fact-oriented and direct. If they are slightly curved, you’re likely to be more people-oriented.

Given the industry is continually evolving, you can keep up to date by:

• Conducting research online
• Watching online tutorials
• Attending industry events
• Networking
• Attending professional development workshops and training sessions

Another excellent way to keep up to date and to test your skills is to enter competitions! There are numerous competitions in Australia, and globally that brow artists can enter to compete at a professional level. There are a couple of eyebrow specific competitions, but you may also find eyebrow events at lash artist and makeup artist competitions. Whether competing or attending these competitions, you are guaranteed to be exposed to the latest trends, techniques, and products available.

To learn more about previous competitions that have been held and to better understand the sorts of skills and techniques you can showcase, click on the links provided: