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Then as years went by, my brows became more sparse and so faded you could hardly see them. So, instead of plucking my eyebrows a few times a month, I have to pencil them in every day.
That's when I noticed how different I looked without my thick eyebrows and wished I had them back. I looked tired, drained, and washed out. And, dare I say, older!
Could brows make that much of a difference in your appearance and perceived age? Apparently so. There have even been a few studies on this topic that suggests prominent or thick eyebrows are a sign of youth. But why?
Do lighter eyebrows make you look younger? No, in fact it's just the opposite.
Faded eyebrow color or eyebrow hair loss can make you look older because of the lack of facial contrast!
Studies suggest that high contrast of certain facial features (like eyebrows and lips) against skin tone can make one appear younger. Facial color contrast probably explains why wearing a little makeup as we get older can help us look more youthful.
When we were young, our facial features have more color contrast. Eyebrows, eyelashes, eye color, and lips are more vibrant and richer in color. Faces with higher contrast appear more youthful. 1
"Eyebrow contrast may be specifically important for age perception since facial hair becomes gray and of lesser quality with age." Porcheron A, Mauger E, Russell R., Aspects of Facial Contrast Decreases with Age and Are Cues for Age Perception
However, as we age the opposite is true. The hair on our head and eyebrows start to thin, fade or turn grey. The once vibrant color of our eyes and lips fade too.
As a results, there is less contrast between our features and skin tone, which can make us look faded, washed out, or tired. And, this is a cross-cultural perception, crossing all ethnic groups and skin color.
Regardless of how dark your skin tone or eyebrow color is, when it fades to the point where there is not much contrast between facial features and surrounding skin tone, you may be perceived older than you are. 2
Find pictures of yourself from 5, 10, 20 years ago to see what your eyebrows looked like. You’d be surprised how light, sparse or thin your brows have become. Then try some of these tips to make your eyebrows standout again.
For Thin Eyebrows:
Fill in those brows for a thicker, fuller look!
Use an eyebrow pencil, powder, balm, or even a tint (as shown above) to fill-in sparse or bald spots. This can help make your brows fuller looking. Try using a slightly darker color if your eyebrows have faded or turned gray.
But be careful here. Overdrawn, too thick, or too dark eyebrow can look fake and harsh which will only age you more.
For Eyebrow Hair Loss:
Try products that help encourage brow hair growth, like hair regrowth serums. You can find more information on topical eyebrow growth serums here on this page.
Or consider microblading (which is like a tattoo) that gives the appearance of eyebrow hairs.
If you’ve lost a significant amount of eyebrow hair, especially on the outer 1/3 of your eyebrows, consider speaking with your doctor since this type of eyebrow hair loss could be linked to low thyroid function.
Note: I tried using a popular prescription drug (originally used to treat glaucoma) to encourage the growth of fuller, thicker eyebrows. I heard it might help grow eyebrow hair, so I gave it a try. But, it's VERY expensive and I never noticed much difference.
So I switched to Liasion Eyebrow Bond because it's very affordable, and I've had great results using the Eyelash Bond. Check out my before and after eyelash pictures here. The transformation is AMAZING!
Wear Eye Makeup:
Don’t be afraid to wear a little eye makeup. To add more contrast to your facial features, try lightly lining the rims of your upper and lower eyelids.
If done correctly, this can make your eyes standout more. Click here Eyeliner Makeup for simple tips and step-by-step instructions.
So you want to know the perfect eyebrow shape to look your best?
The answer is simple: Everyone is different, and the best look is what you were born with. Try to achieve the natural eyebrow shape, thickness, and color you had when you were younger.
For example, if you never had very dark or straight eyebrows, don't try to create that look. It will appear strange and could make you look older.
Instead, bring your eyebrows back to where they were when you were younger. Looking at pictures of your younger self is a good idea for the most natural look.
As stated earlier in this post - too dark or thick eyebrows can look harsh and may age you if that's not what you were born with.
So try to achieve what you naturally had.
What's your eyebrow experience? Have you lost those thick eyebrows of yesterday? Have you found a great eyebrow makeup pencil or solution? Got any great before and after pictures? Share with us.
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References:
1. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0057985
2. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01208/full
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