WHY RIHANNA’S NEW LOOK GETS A NO FROM ME
Writer HANNAH BRITT, 28, tried out the Vogue cover trend with mixed results “OH my God,” yelped my colleague as I turned to face her. “You look dreadful,” laughed another as I ventured across the office to make a cup of tea. “I don’t mind it... you look like an alien,” said a third. It’s safe to say my new look was not going down well. I have worn the same brow look my whole life – bushy, full and brushed up – but having seen Rihanna rocking dark with a defined arch. Taylor wore her hair away from her face in tight curls, making her brows stand out even more. The 1960s saw the return of the thin brow. Actress Sophia Loren was famed for shaving off her eyebrows and painting them back on again. They were less stark than the brows of the 1930s, and had a subtle arch. British model Twiggy also had slim, arched brows, which made her huge lashes look even more exaggerated. The trend for slim brows continued into the 1970s. Actress Liza Minnelli wore her eyebrows in a dark, pencil-thin arch when she starred in the popular 1972 blockbuster Cabaret. With the 1980s came the trend for big, permed hair, and big eyebrows to match. Actress Brooke Shields left her eyebrows naturally bushy, with minimal grooming. They were slightly filled in to enhance their shape and the naturally longer hairs towards the bridge of the nose were uncut. Supermodel Cindy Crawford also had thick brows which were groomed into a low curve. Once again the 1990s saw the return of the thin brow. One of the key icons of the trend was supermodel of the moment Kate Moss, who wore her eyebrows in a thinly-plucked line with a slight arch, and left them in her natural fair shade so they were barely visible. Pamela Anderson also had thin eyebrows, which were pencilled on in a high curve. After the highlyplucked styles of the 1990s, the Noughties saw slightly fuller brows in a pencilled arch, which extended towards the sides of the face. Angelina Jolie had a pencilled-on brow which was long at the ends, as did fellow actress Eva Mendes. In recent years, eyebrows have been thicker and fuller than ever, with a trend for bushy brows and even highly decorated ones. Model Cara Delevingne was one of the first to popularise the trend, with naturally large, dark brows in stark contrast to her fair hair. razor-thin brows on the cover of Vogue, I was determined to give them a try.
So armed with concealer, a black liquid eyeliner and Fenty Beauty Mattemoiselle Plush Matte Lipstick in Griselda (£16, harveynichols.com) – the same shade Rihanna wears on the cover – I blotted out my brows and drew a thin curved line in their place.
But you see I am not a supercool pop star. No, I am a bang-average 28-year-old from London. And without star power, my razor brows were more in-the-bin than in Vogue.
I lasted about 20 minutes in my new look before the stares and sniggers became too much.
Riri may look great, but I think I’ll leave this one to her.