From strings to sable options: how eyebrows have changed from the 1920s to the present day

As soon as they were not drawn: with a thin line, a house, an arc and a drop.

1920-ies

Silent cinema dictated fashion. Black and white films of those years were poorly receptive to light, and the actors had to whiten their faces a lot, and then paint lips, eyes and eyebrows on them. In addition, rich facial expressions were the main indicator of good acting, and eyebrows played an almost decisive role in it. Dramatic thin drawn eyebrows, lowered down, conveyed the whole tragedy of the plot. The spectators copied the makeup of their idols and painted Pierrot’s sad face with a black pencil.

1930-ies

With the advent of sound in cinema, Hollywood has become a star factory. During these years, the style of street glamor and more aristocratic makeup began to form. Gone are the pale faces, bow lips and brightly drawn eyebrows. Cinematography dictated sophistication, which also moved to the shape of the eyebrows. They were supposed to look like a very thin arc. For this, natural eyebrows were not simply plucked, but shaved off. After that, an ideal thread was drawn with a pencil, which was smeared with petroleum jelly for shine.   

1940-ies

The general militarization in connection with the Second World War has left a huge footprint on fashion. The makeup has become more natural, and the main emphasis has fallen on bright red lips. The eyebrows were still plucked a lot, but they made them look more natural. For shine and gloss, petroleum jelly was still used.  

1950-ies

In the second half of the last century, the era of glossy magazines began. The post-war world of fashion dictated to a woman that she must look perfect all the time. Models with bright makeup and “juicy” looks looked at the readers from illustrated magazines. A face was considered beautiful if it looked healthy, which meant that the cheeks had to be pink, the lips were plump, and the eyebrows were wide. The eyebrows were given a natural shape, plucking excess hairs only at the top and bottom, and the black pencil was replaced with brown.

1960-ies

All the fashion of the 60s is focused on young people, which means that the eyes should be big, like a child’s. The eyebrows are made as natural as possible, and the eyes are dyed so intensely that it seems as if the makeup was done by a girl who does not know the sense of proportion. Arrows are becoming one of the main trends.

1970-ies

A decade marked by complete freedom of choice in fashion and make-up. A single fashion trend ceased to prevail, each girl expressed herself as she wanted. The hippie style assumed natural uncombed eyebrows, the adherents of glamorous fashion left the style of the 60s. But in the USSR, girls began to pluck their eyebrows “in a thin, thin thread”, as the secretary Vera from “Office Romance” advised.

1980-ies

The era of disco and aerobics meant brightness, brilliance, and audacity. Wide eyebrows began to be shaded with fuchsia or pink neon, light green or canary yellow, electric blue or carrot red. The main principle is that the bolder the shadow, the better. The owners of thick, determined eyebrows began to annoy the envious women with thin eyebrows. By the way, it was during these years that a wide range of combs and eyebrow brushes appeared.

1990-ies

In Russia during these years, Western cosmetics appeared in the free access. The girls began to use high-quality tonal creams, good mascara and real cosmetic pencils for lips and eyebrows. The contours around the lips were drawn so that its borders were clearly visible, and the eyebrows had to be rigid in shape and with a droplet at the base. Pearlescent shadows were brought under the eyebrows.

2000-e

At the beginning of the new millennium, it became finally clear that the color of the eyebrows should be matched to your color type. The brunettes used black pencil, the blondes used light gray, and the redheads used brown. The eyebrow color had to match the shade of the hair and differ by no more than 1-2 steps from the palette. The shape of the eyebrow line began to focus on the shape of the face and was corrected with tweezers, wax or thread.  

Trend of 2021 – soapy eyebrows

Procedure lathering eyebrows has long been used by Hollywood make-up artists, but only recently has it conquered the beauty community with its simplicity and effectiveness. In budget styling, you do not need to use expensive gels, you only need soap, a brush and a thin pencil. The detergent should be the simplest one, without allergic fillers and with a pH corresponding to the acid-base balance of the skin, that is, pH 5,5.

Soap is needed to add volume to the hairs, fix them in the desired position and fill in the gaps. The eyebrows are combed and generously smeared with a soap bar along the hair growth. At the same time, the hairline becomes glossy and appears thicker. Then, with a very sharp pencil, you need to draw the hairs to fill in the gaps and create visual fluffiness on the eyebrows.