Why Are Brow Trends So Popular?: Diving Deep Into the “Instagram Brow”

Makeup trends are nothing new to the makeup community. When a new trend is discovered, a compilation of influencers get on the bandwagon and begin a collection of tutorials on that trend, but the “Instagram Brow,” was more.

According to Cosmopolitan, the super defined, unreal,  sharp eyebrow look took the stage in 2015 when makeup tutorials began to surface, but the Instagram Brow did not only affect influencers.

It created a ton of new products in the makeup community and shaped an entire community’s outlook on what the perfect brow was for quite some time.

Companies like ABH Cosmetics, NYX Cosmetics, Benefit Cosmetics and E.l.f Cosmetics released the perfect products to complete the Instagram Brow look — dipbrow pomade, eyebrow gels and pencils.

The ABH Cosmetics pomade made a big impact on the way people did their eyebrows, but there was an even bigger collection from Benefit Cosmetics. The “Ka-BROW” made its big debut in April 2016 and since has made a big impact in the makeup community.

Another product that contributed to the trend was the Glossier Boy Brow which was released in 2015. The all in one product gave consumers a way to keep their brows in place, which is an important factor in the Instagram Brow trend.

More recently, Kylie Jenner hopped on the bandwagon.  A new collection in her makeup line “KyBrow” was released on April 29 2019. This collection includes a ton of eyebrow products such as duo powder sets, pomade, eyebrow gels and pencils as well.

These products allowed consumers to fill in their eyebrows accordingly to create the perfectly painted on brow. Previously, eyebrows would be filled in with only powder, giving a more natural look, but with the “Instagram Brow” trend on the rise, consumers needed something far better.

Eyebrow trends always tend to make a big impact on the community. Whether it allows companies to come out with new products, or gives influencers a new tutorial to create, eyebrows are just in.

The makeup community is made up of many influencers and followers that tend to stay on top of every new product and trend that follows. Influencers are always willing to create new content and followers are always willing to watch.

Influencers, such as, Kayla Martinez, Laura Lee, Desi Perkins, NikkieTutorials and Anais Rivera created tutorial videos in hopes of showing their followers how to get the perfect eyebrow.

Anais Rivera, a makeup influencer on YouTube and Instagram with nearly 50,000 subscribers had a lot to say about the trend.

“It definitely did impact me a lot. I got on the trend pretty quickly...everyone had something to say about the perfect, carved out Instagram brow and how it was unrealistic! So, because of that and the fact that it became a trend people [would] gravitate more to my page,” said Rivera.

Not only do eyebrows make up a huge chunk of a person’s face, but the way they are sculpted can change everything about how a person looks.

“As an influencer, I believe that eyebrow trends are always going to be a thing. I feel like eyebrows are always a statement and a part of makeup that will finish any look. So, because eyebrows are such a statement and it shapes your eyes it’ll always make a big impact on the makeup community,” said Rivera.

Celebrities also aide in impacting trends in the beauty community. When a celebrity becomes a part of a trend, the trend becomes more popular because of the platform they have available.

Jared Bailey, Benefit Cosmetics’ Global Brow Expert said “celebrities are always aspirational when it comes to beauty trends — it’s easy for them, they have entire glam squads at their fingertips,” in an article on Bustle.

Celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Zendaya and Rihanna have all displayed their own version of the perfectly sculpted brow.

When such big influencers and celebrities are getting on a trend, it’s almost impossible for the community to ignore it.

“I believe people have such a passion for the perfect eyebrow, especially on social media, because it’s like an obsession or fantasy because the ‘perfect brow’ is hard to achieve,” said Rivera.

Even though the trend made a huge mark in the makeup community, there are new trends surfacing.

According to Byrdie, the trend may be winding down.The new eyebrow trend for 2019 is supposed to be more subtle and natural, which is a big 360 from the “Instagram Brow” trend.

“I believe trends die out and trends are like phases...of course there needs to be a new trend,” said Rivera.

But even though new trends are surfacing surrounding the eyebrow, the perfectly sculpted brow is here to stay. According to Rivera, the Instagram Brow has made too much of an impact to just disappear.

“Believe it or not, I don’t think the Instagram brow will go out of style. I do think people will stop doing it and go for the more effortless look but different kind of eyebrows shapes people’s face diffe

rently,” said Rivera. “It’s all about preference, but the Instagram Brow will always be remembered.”

Author’s Note: Photo Courtesy of Anais Rivera