Beauty
2025 Is The Year Of Effortless, Natural-Looking Brows
The bleached look is on its way out.
Brows can make or break a look — something generations before Gen Z have learned the hard way. The ’90s offered cautionary tales of overplucking, while Millennials reminisce (and cringe) about overly penciled, blocky arches. After decades of extremes, where do brows go from here?
“A lot of TikTokers are experimenting,” says celebrity brow stylist Meri Desevic. “But we could end up with the problem we had in the ’90s: the skinny brow.”
Thankfully, Gen Z’s eyebrow experimentation seems to have taken a softer turn. After a year of extreme styles — think glued-down soap brows and razor-thin Pamela Anderson arches — 2025 is seeing a more balanced approach.
“The biggest shift I’ve seen this year is toward natural brows, and I mean truly natural,” says Michele Holmes, founder of Rye Beauty and a go-to expert in brow shaping. “Almost everyone’s asking for a softer, more effortless style. Even my skinny-brow clients want their brows to look natural, not overly filled in. It’s less about drawing the shape on and more about enhancing what’s already there.”
Ahead, the pros pluck out their favorite brow trends of the year — including everything from “facelift” arches to browlicks.
1Fluffy Browlicks
Feathery brows are back — but only in moderation. “Glued-on brow lamination is out,” says Holmes. “There’s a movement to more of a fluffy aesthetic where the brow hair is set in more of a natural, lifted pattern that flows with bone structure.” Arches should be fluffy and feathery after the trimming process, à la Brooke Shields’ iconic brows in the ’80s — cowlick and all.
How to maintain the look: Apply European Wax Center’s Eyebrow Building Serum every night before bed for fuller, fluffier arches.
2Lightened, Not Bleached
The impracticality of bleached brows has slowed down the trend’s momentum, but on the flip side, brows aren’t going any darker. “We’re moving away from ultra-dark, blocky brows toward tones that truly complement skin undertones and hair color,” says brow expert Joey Healy. “Think ashier neutrals, taupes, and soft brunettes rather than flat, inky shades.”
How to maintain the look: Apply a coat of e.l.f. Cosmetics’ Clear Brow & Lash Mascara on top of your newly dyed arches to make the color pop and hold the hairs in place.
33D Brows
“Nano brows are in,” according to Holmes. Consider this a natural-looking alternative to microblading, with a finer needle and more precise strokes that enhance the texture of your natural brow hair. It’s a semi-permanent procedure that highlights a wider sentiment that brows are as much about texture as they are about shape. People don’t want the shellacked, blocky look of 2016 — hair should look like hair.
How to maintain the look: Apply Versed’s Easy Brow Tinted Gel for hold and a touch of pigment that results in thicker-looking arches.
4The Facelift Effect
Straight brows — lifted slightly at the tail for a subtle snatched effect — have had a grip on the zeitgeist lately, thanks, in part, to Manon from Katseye, Ariana Greenblatt, and Ice Spice. TikTok users replicate the look by shaving the tail of their eyebrows off and extending it straight out with a pencil. The effect? A faux fox-eye facelift.
How to maintain the look: Use Victoria Beckham Beauty’s BabyBlade Eyebrow Pencil to extend the tail with a few strokes that will last from day to night.
5Skinny(ish) & Structured
Every brow stylist’s worst nightmare is the overplucked trend. Thankfully, today’s look isn’t quite as skinny as it was in the ’90s. “After years of extremes — from over-lamination to razor-sharp arches and pencil-thin throwbacks — we’re seeing brows return to a softer place,” says Healy. “Shapes are more natural, with subtle lift and fullness through the center.” Think Linda Evangelista — structured, but not skinny.
How to maintain the look: Pluck any stray hairs with Tweezerman’s Ultra Precision Point Tweezer to maintain the best shape for you.
