FYI: Eyebrows Have Corners Now

The full eyebrow trend shows no signs of slowing down, but lately we’ve noticed a subset of it on the red carpet. It’s a full brow with squared-off inner corners. We turned to New York City eyebrow guru Elke Von Freudenberg to find out why this is happening, who should get into it, and how to pull it off if you’re game.

Here’s the story: She calls this the “flat brow,” and it features a hint of a square shape in the inner corners of the eyes because of the angle that’s created when the hairs are brushed straight up and trimmed into a clean line. That linear feature is often echoed by a sharp diagonal line at the arch of the brow. “This is the strongest of the bold brows you can do,” Von Freudenberg says, which means it can be tricky to pull off. Still, she says, the idea is taking off thanks to celebrities like Olivia Culpo, Demi Lovato, and Kim Kardashian. Von Freudenberg says she gets about four to five requests a week for similar shapes from her clients.

We can see why—it’s a fierce style that demands attention. The effect, she says, is “a stronger, more assertive brow that looks great on a younger face with a strong bone structure.” In other words, if you have chiseled features, this is a great option. But if you’re someone with a softer, more feminine bone structure (think rounder cheeks, a pointed jaw, and a small forehead), she says this whole thing would be too overpowering and actually take away from your eyes. If that sounds like you, stick with a softer brow shape.

Olivia Culpo:

Kim Kardashian:

Demi Lovato:

Another word of warning from Von Freudenberg: “This brow can also make your expression seem harder and more emotionless because it gives a more stern appearance to your face—too extreme and people might take you the wrong way.” As a compromise, she says,”You can still achieve the look by just squaring the fronts of the brows, but leaving a slight arch or keeping the rest of the natural brow the same.”

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