The Feathered Brow Gave Me My Fullest-Looking Eyebrows Ever
With the right technique, sparse brows can transform into lush and flattering arches.
It’s safe to say that I have a thing for bold, natural brows. Between one of my favorite models (Cara Delevingne), my boyfriend (who’s got a pair of above-eye adornments to rival the dreamy Jon Kortajarena), and my pups (two miniature schnauzers with truly unruly brows), I’ve simply surrounded myself with eyebrows that are nothing short of spectacular.
The beauty world concurs: Brows have become a focal part of any makeup look, with the ability to make you look polished, awake, and rejuvenated. “A good brow is the difference between an OK makeup look and a fantastic makeup look,” explains makeup artist Katrina Klein. “They completely shape and change the face and are probably the most important part of makeup for me, after skin.”
But my personal affinity for full brows might have something to do with my own. They’ve definitely got that “fluffy” texture down (shout-out to my dad, who has brows like a wizard), but they’re somewhat sparse — particularly along the tail at the outer edges. When natural brows with softer, unmanicured edges began popping up on the runways, and the blocky “boy brow” with a less dramatic arch became popular circa 2015, I took the opportunity to embrace the style and grow my brows out. For two entire years, I abstained from brow plucking, waxing, or hair removal, aside from the obvious wayward straggler here and there.
At this point, fresh off a year of a tweezer-less quarantine, I took my ungroomed pair of eyebrows—a blank palette, if you will—to Hollywood’s foremost brow artist Kristie Streicher, who is the cofounder of Striiike and creator of a trademarked service and regimen called The Feathered Brow. As Hollywood’s original full-brow advocate, her aesthetic is considered to be in a league of its own, gracing the faces of countless celebrities. “[My signature brow] is feathered, soft, lush, lived-in, and rehabilitates thin, over-tweezed brow trends from the ’70s, ’90s, and early 2000s,” she explains. “The Feathered Brow embraces a natural, fuller shape that is groomed into sophistication.”
The shift to fuller brows
Streicher has been a fierce proponent of what she dubs the “fuller brow movement” ever since 2001, influencing her celebrity clientele and educating their makeup artists on the importance of preserving the integrity of our delicate brow follicles. All this time, she has been discreetly preaching the gospel of the good brow, influencing the beauty world behind the scenes from the top-down, adamant in her belief that, like eyelashes, “The more hair, the better.” Her efforts have absolutely paid off.
Klein confirms her influence. “My clients are always trying to achieve fuller brows, and this has definitely been a trend for some time now,” she says.
The unfortunate fact is that our brows thin as we age, and especially after the overly-plucked trends of the 1990s, brow sparsity has become a plague. Trends have since moved on from the ultra-sculpted, overly-manicured styles we saw in the earlier 2000s, with experts confirming that fuller, fluffier, more natural textures are the most sought-after styles du jour. “At Studio Sashiko, our most-requested style of brow is fluffy,” says Shaughnessy Otsuji, owner and artist at Canada’s Studio Sashiko.
The desired aesthetic these days entails a piece-y edge that permits a fuller tail. For reference, take a look at Margot Robbie’s softly manicured brows with a gently fuzzy, natural texture at the edges. To be clear, those stray strands along the edges—once removed to leave razor-thin lines in their wake—are now downright desirable. The in-demand look also calls for “sprouts”—a certain fullness at the inner-corners that always make me think of Penelope Cruz. For instance, East Coast brow artist Joey Healy’s signature GeoLift Brow is “full and fluffy” in the front with “fringy” sprouts at the inner corner.
If you are a beauty-lover after fuller, statement-making brows, The Feathered Brow is undeniably worth it. With cosmetics applied and Streicher’s expert styling, my brows reminded me of Dua Lipa—a modern-day eyebrow icon, to be sure. With patience, commitment, and Streicher’s expert advice, this could very well become my new brow reality.
