Bold, bushy, thick, dainty or plucked. Eyebrows are probably one of the most crucial, and yet, undervalued parts of a person’s face. It’s common knowledge that their primary, natural function is to protect – by deflecting water and sweat away from a person’s eyes. But what most people don’t know is the fact that their eyebrows basically define them – or their features, at the very least.
Take the case of supermodel and actress behind the highly successful Paper Towns, Cara Delevingne – her powerbrow (read: the bold and bushy look we all love) is not only her most defining feature, it’s so famous it has its own Twitter account! As the English lass best known for her bushy brows shot to fame, there has been a steady influx of both celebrities and fans waking up to the hair-raising truth behind the beauty of brows – as can be seen in the sudden surge in the sale of eyebrow pencils (by over 42 per cent in the UK in 2014!) and, of course, those all-too-popular online posts on just about every website showcasing celebrities with and without their brows.
In a 2003 study, published in the journal Perception, people were shown images of celebrities without their eyebrows, and then the same snaps – only this time, without their eyes. Interestingly, participants were able to recognise 60 per cent of the celebrities without eyes, but only 46 per cent without eyebrows. Which can only mean one thing – your eyebrows do a whole lot more for your face than your eyes! It’s almost no surprise the brow trend has blossomed over the last few years – from a barely-thought-of trend to an integral part of a woman’s daily routine. Today keeping your brows shipshape is as important as putting on lipstick.
Which is exactly why global brow expert Jared Bailey was emphasising the importance of keeping those brows in perfect shape, during a recent trip to Dubai. “It’s hard to explain the transformative power of eyebrows unless you have already gotten them done at some point. But shaping your eyebrows is the easiest thing that anybody can do to ‘open’ their eyes and transform their overall look. It’s all about finding the right brow shape for your face type.”
