Considering the ongoing Y2K resurgence and everyone’s collective obsession with 90s vintage fashion, is it any wonder skinny brows are back?

Ever since Rihanna wore her eyebrows pencil-line-thin for British Vogue in 2018, people have been talking about skinny brows, and thanks to the cyclical nature of the trend cycle, they’ve become increasingly popular again in the real world too.

Leading brow and beauty expert Hollie Parkes tells Stylist: “The 90s nostalgia trend has been circling for a few years. We’re seeing it everywhere, from the runway to TikTok. Think icons like Pamela Anderson and you get the idea.

“But in 2024, the trend is by no means a complete repeat of the 90s; it’s a tighter, lifted brow. Arches are returning with tapered tails that are proportionate and really flatter the face. I’m also seeing lots of iterations that are softer with free-flowing fronts, keeping a natural element.”

Do thin brows suit certain people more than others?

“Absolutely,” says Parkes. “It’s a science – brows create balance and proportion. But we can nod to a slimmer, arched brow within the realms of someone’s natural hair growth, which makes it wearable.”

What should people keep in mind if they’re considering getting in on the thin brows trend?

“It’s always important to consider the damage and permanency of taking hair away,” says Parkes, “but thinning doesn’t need to rely solely on hair removal. We can use precision tinting and hair thinning techniques with trimming, instead. This trend is about a much softer, sculpted version of the skinny brow. It’s more about refining the arch and tightening the overall finish with clean brow lines to make a shape that is proportionate to your features and works with your natural hair growth, rather than just taking a pair of tweezers and thinning things out.

“You can experiment with the trend at home using a strong brow wax like Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze Wax to lift and set the hairs, then focus your favourite brow colour along the centreline of the brow for a slimmer look. It’s also important to use a brow serum, especially when being experimental with form, to make sure brows remain healthy and encourage regrowth. My go-to is Olaplex Browbond.”

Thin brow inspo

Image: Getty