Have your eyebrows changed over the years? We’ve come a long way with pencils, brow wax, tints, pomades, and even extensions. In the last few years, we experienced an eye beauty industry boom thanks to mask mandates. But eyebrows have been carefully preened and decorated since ancient Egypt.

And it’s no wonder. Eyebrows can transform the overall appearance of your face. 

Done well, they can correct facial imperfections and create greater symmetry. The right brows add weight or length where it’s needed. They can slim a wide face and turn back time on eyes that could use a lift.

Entertainer-inspired trends started taking root in the 1920s, so that’s where we’ll begin our journey. 

Which one is your favorite?

1920s

Silent movie star Clara Bow pioneered this look. 

Brows were drawn super thin, pencil straight, and extended past the outer eye corner. The simple, extensively plucked brows created the dramatic aesthetic we associate with the roaring 20s.

Petroleum jelly was also used to groom, add shine and keep hairs in place.

1930s

Jean Harlow and Greta Garbo sported these thinner, often penciled brows of the 30s.

These were the extra dramatic and artistic evolution of the flapper brows. Brows were high, with curved pronounced arches sometimes reaching the temple. Severely tweezed, dark, and shiny. Women sometimes shaved off brows to draw the desired shape. 

1940s

Lauren Bacall and Grace Kelly were famous for ushering in a more natural brow with less product. 

Over-tweezing was dead, and heavier, thicker, well-maintained brows became all the rage. They were less severe, which created a softer facial definition. 

These brows were graceful and sported a prominent arc. When we think of Old Hollywood, this is the era that often comes to mind.

1950s

Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn rang in the mid-century with dramatic, more pronounced eyebrows. 

These lush, bold variations accented the heavier “full face” makeup look that was popularized in this period. The strong, thick brows were penciled in and characterized by high, sharp arches.

1960s

Sophia Loren was truly an eyebrow icon. 

You may be as surprised as I was to learn her eyebrows were shaved off and penciled in with precise hair-like strokes for a natural look. Women of this decade followed suit and shaved or dramatically plucked to achieve these bold brows.

1970s

Ali MacGraw and Lauren Hutton were hot tickets with hippie inspired natural eyebrows.

“Fresh faced” was the hot new beauty trend. It was a simple time for eyebrows. Models and actresses of the seventies embraced less plucking, unkempt, and bushy brows.

At the same time, thin arched brows were trending for disco enthusiasts.

1980s

Brooke Shields and Madonna took the natural trend and ran with it. 

Wild and bushy became in vogue in the eighties. Big hair called for big brows. No tweezing or shaping required. Pencils and powder made these fluffy and full “caterpillar” brows possible.

1990s/2000s

Gwen Stefani and Angelina Jolie were big names with little eyebrows.

Ah yes, the 90s. The era that’s responsible for so many over-plucked brows of today. If half your brow hairs are missing, you were probably plucking them into stylish needle-thin arches during the 90s or early 2000s.

Here we experienced a return to the styles of the 20s and 30s, which carried into the 2000s. Brows were thin, well-defined and on the shorter side.

Somehow, these segued into bold, thick brows as the 21st century progressed.

2010

Cara Delevingne and Lily Collins saved us from eyebrow genocide.

We finally retired our tweezers. Dark, face-defining brows started trending for those who still had any brows left. These power brows were lush with natural arches. Brows were naturally thick, or crafted with pencils, powders, and gels.

Microblading, threading, and other popular brow services were in full swing or spreading like wildfire.

2020s

Gigi Hadid and Dua Lipa’s brows are on fleek in the current decade.

There’s been no shortage of fads since 2020: Soap Brows, shadow effect, toned down, permanent color tinting, etc.

Since the lower half of our faces were masked, everyone started ditching their lipstick and highlighting their eye beauty instead. Lamination is catching on. Brows are darker, grown out, and dewy. Caterpillar brows are making a comeback.

Natural and accentuated is in.

TODAY

It’s easier than ever to keep up with the latest trends. One NYC salon is making waves in the beauty world as the premier authority on eye zone care. Wink Brow Bar not only offers a range of services from highly trained technicians, they’re also making their top-of-the-line cosmetics and tools available worldwide. 

Founder and CEO Umbreen Sheikh has been a brow expert and entrepreneur since 2014. This licensed cosmetologist grew up with inspiration from her mom, who runs her own beauty salon. She believes everyone should have the knowledge and tools to enhance their unique beauty. 

With biomedical sciences degree in hand, she’s crafting clean beauty products that will empower you to keep up with the latest trend, or go rogue and do your own thing. 

SHOP POWER BROW BUNDLE

Wink bundled their best award-winning and all-natural brow products to create the best look for you. Whether you have sparse areas, thick eyebrows or bushy eyebrows, these kits will deliver your dream aesthetic.

AS SEEN IN: