Should your eyebrows be lighter or darker than your hair colour?

Eyebrows are an important part of our daily makeup routine. We spend a lot of time perfecting our brow shape but can often give little thought as to whether the eyebrow product we are using, is the right shade and colour. When you change your hair colour, do you change the colour of the eyebrow product? Is the product that you’re applying darker or lighter than your hair colour? Is the colour tone correct?

Credit : @Artistrybystephen

So should your eyebrows be lighter or darker than your hair? Let’s find out.
Should your eyebrows be lighter or darker than your hair?
The question as to whether your brows should be lighter or darker than your hair colour is a debate that many beauticians have had over the years and really, there is no real right or wrong answer! It comes down to a few personal preferences. To help decide, consider these factors…

Eyebrow colour - What look are you going for?
These days anything goes when it comes to hair colour. And it seems brows are being used to express personality and style more and more; with extreme contrasts between hair and brows becoming more prevalent.
But this alternative look can be unflattering and is often a step too far for most.

So how do you use your brows to create a look that’s right for you?

Bold or subtle brows?

The question is whether you prefer to stand out with a bold statement brow? If so, colour your brows a shade or two darker than your hair colour as this will make the brows ‘pop’ as they will be the darkest feature on your face.
If however you are looking for a subtle, natural look, opt instead for the same colour as your hair or perhaps one shade lighter. This will soften the overall look, making all your features blend instead of making one standing out more than another.
From experience, we’d suggest colouring your eyebrows 1 or 2 shades lighter or darker than your hair colour! Black brows on someone with very light blonde hair would certainly be a bold statement (Kim K style), as is bleached brows on someone with dark hair. Unless this is your vibe, (which for some it is – check out our blog, The Bella Hadid bleached brow look,) we’d say stick to a few shades lighter or darker, as it gives a much more authentic natural look!

Kim Kardashian

Does your age determine what colour eyebrows you should have?

Generally speaking we find younger people tend to follow the latest trends and take inspiration from their favourite celebrities (and we all know how quickly their styles can change).
As a result we find younger people seem to be more experimental with colour, often trialing more dramatic colours and contrasts between hair and brows.
Older people tend to want to achieve a more natural look and so more often than not, want to go for a subtle looking brow, avoiding anything too bold or drastic. We find sticking to 1-2 shades lighter or darker than the natural shade works better for our older clients, to help achieve a chic, sophisticated or graceful style.

Credit : NY Times_ SamanthaRapp

Cara Delevingne

Nilam’s advice on brow shades

With the above in mind when considering whether your eyebrows should be lighter or darker, I’d suggest the main rule of thumb is…
“…to have your brows similar to your hair colour! You can’t go wrong!
If you wish to go for a slightly different colour, I’d recommend only 1-2 shades darker or lighter!”

Consider the colour of your brow product as well as considering the shape of your brows in relation to your face shape, it’s important to bear in mind the application of your eyebrow product too! We all like to touch up our brows at home and often tend to use an eyebrow pencil that is slightly darker than our brows. That’s fine, however it’s important to remember to reassess the colour of your brow products as and when you change the colour of your hair. For those of you who get your brows tinted, remember not to go too dark as your brows can look a lot darker once you have filled in gaps using your brow pencil. Often eyebrow products aimed at blondes can be too dark or the wrong tone altogether. At EyebrowQueen, we offer two blonde eyebrow pencil options; the Brow Pro in Blonde and Bronde. So regardless of how many shades darker or lighter you wish your eyebrows to be from your hair colour, we’ve got your covered. Our BrowPro eyebrow pencil comes in 6 shades so you will be sure to find the right colour, whatever your hair colour! If you are considering a more ‘permanent’ colour on your brows, read ‘Semi permanent brow make-up microblading verses eyebrow tattoos!’.

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