Everyone remembers the first time they attacked their poor, unsuspecting eyebrows, don't they? Mine was with a pair of rusty tweezers I found in my mum's drawer after I spotted a classmate sporting pencil-thin arches and tasked myself with recreating the 'chic' look.
I, along with many other women who grew up in the 90s, have since worked tirelessly to grow back my semi-sad, lacklustre brows – I chucked away all tweezers, left any grooming to professionals and prayed to wake up one day with a full, bushy brow a la Cara Delevingne.
It never happened. Instead, I woke up one day (that day was today) to a shock. A shock I could never have imagined that shook me to my core. Rihanna, my queen, was on the cover of Vogue, looking like this:
Rihanna's Vogue cover shoot, shot by Nick Knight
Sorry, has there been a mistake? No, there hasn't. Rihanna, one of the most influential celebrities on the fashion and beauty industry, was gracing the cover of the fashion bible's prestigious September issue with micro-thin eyebrows.
Social media went into meltdown as people flocked to put in their two penny worth, with many divided over the bold look.
My opinion, you (didn't) ask? I LOVE it. With the entire world preoccupied with the quest for perfect arches – you're on Instagram, you know what I mean – Rihanna has gone behind our backs and taken on a trend we haven't seen for decades.
Before you run to Boots and pick up a pair of Tweezermans, my feeling is that only Rihanna could pull this off… Brow expert Amy Jean of the Amy Jean Brow Agency weighs in: "There is nothing flattering about a pencil-thin line, particularly on large and captivating eyes like Rihanna's. She is certainly giving Greta Garbo a run for her money with this bold statement but ladies, beware of this trend! This look has ben 'out' for a long time and with good reason - overplucking of the hair can permanently destroy the follicle. It may take years to groq back, or in some instances, never again."
Want to experiment with the look? Make like a drag queen and temporarily banish your brows:
- Comb brows in a downward direction using a brow brush, apply a layer of non-toxic craft glue using a metal spatula, and smooth over.
- Before glue sets, comb brows back up into normal position and smooth over with another layer of glue to create a flat surface.
- Let glue dry, dust with powder and coat with one final layer to ensure a completely flat surface.
- Apply some heavy-duty concealer and blend out before finishing with foundation and powder.
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