I’m a make-up artist – the eyebrow shape that’s out of fashion & the style that takes decades off your face
OUR facial features will inevitably change as we age.
The skin will stretch and lose elasticity due to the natural loss of collagen, which can make us look more tired around our eyes.
Some of us will find we have more hooded eyes as a result of this.
And as the skin loses elasticity, it can begin to thin and crinkle.
As well as the delicate cells around our eyes, our laughter lines may become more prominent and we might experience puffiness.
There’s no denying that growing older is a privilege, but many of us wish to do it gracefully.
What many of us don’t realise is that our eyebrows can play a crucial role in how gracefully we age.
In fact, those patterns of hair can actually add decades to our face if they’re plucked too sparsely.
Thin eyebrows expose more skin around the eyes and brow area, which can highlight wrinkles, fine lines and other signs of ageing.
“Fuller, fluffier brows give a more youthful appearance over thin, sparse ones,” says Saffron Hughes, resident make-up artist at FalseEyelashes.
“That’s because hair loss is associated with ageing.
“So, a good quality styling wax is a must-have as you can use it to brush your brow hairs up and out (and keep them in place), creating the illusion of thicker brows.
“Then, you can fill in any gaps with a brow pencil by drawing light, feathery strokes.
“Straighter brows with lifted tails will make you look younger than rounded ones as the lifted tail will ‘lift’ your face.
“Consider going to a professional brow artist to achieve this.
“I don’t recommend trying this at home, brow mapping is an art!”
On the contrary, thin eyebrows can lack this framed and ‘mapped’ effect, making the face appear less defined and older.
The expert did have one budget suggestion, however.
“The Eyelure Brow Fix is a good, budget-friendly option and the fact it’s clear means you can use a pencil in any shade over the top,” she added.
It’s worth noting these brow hacks should be executed alongside a good skincare routine – particularly one that includes SPF.
The importance of sun cream in your skincare routine
Dermatologist and skincare enthusiast Andrea Suarez - known as Dr Dray - revealed why you should wear suncream.
The one thing you can do that will make the biggest difference – and this matters for all ages – is protecting your skin from the sun, Andrea stressed.
“The vast majority of external aging is due to exposure to ultraviolet radiation,” she continued, not because you’re “not using some jazzy serum or layering 90 different things on your face everyday”.
“If you’re not doing in your 20s, get on that now.”
But she said the use of sun cream alone doesn’t go far enough. Andrea urged that you also wear sun-protective clothing like broad-brimmed hats and long sleeves, on top of not staying out too long in the sun.
Doing this over your lifetime – and all year, not just during the summer or on sunny days – “will reduce the visible signs of photoageing”, Andrea said.
Those are wrinkles, muddled pigmentation and sagging skin.