Expert Eyebrow Tips for Older Women

We’ve all heard that our eyes are the windows into the soul. If so, what would that make our eyebrows? The window frames? Curtain rods? A couple of stylish valences? Decorating terms aside, our eyebrows are as important to our face as our soul-glimpsing eyes.

As we age, our brows may require a bit more upkeep. As with the hair on our head, we may notice a difference in the hair in our eyebrows over the years. The length, thickness, texture, and color of our eyebrows may change.They may become sparser, coarser, and even white and/or gray. A study by the NIH showed that even the position and height of our eyebrows change as we age. 

To figure out how to keep our brows looking shapely and stylish, we talked with Autumn Estelle, professional makeup artist and brow expert with Benefit Cosmetics.

Should Older Women Have a Specific Eyebrow Shape?

We’ve all succumbed to eyebrow fads (we’re looking at you, pencil-thin ’90s brows), but as is the case with a lot of fashion and beauty trends, we may be less inclined to try them as we age. So, is there a specific eyebrow look that is more suited to someone over 50 years old? Estelle says no.

“Your brow shape and style don’t need to be dictated by your age. Rather, [it should be by] your face shape and individual features,” she says. “Your brows are totally unique to you and are never a one-size-fits-all model. Regardless of age, styling your brows based on your individual features is important because your brows can elevate your overall appearance and help maintain a cohesive, flattering look.”

How To Find Your Best Brow Shape

Estelle recommends brow mapping, where measurements are taken of your eyes and brows to find the ideal brow shape for your face and features. “. You can achieve any style of brow that you want, but it should always be tailored to your individual face,” she says. She suggests using Benefit’s three-step Brow Mapping method:

Step 1: Start by measuring from the dimple of the nose straight up; that’s where your brow should begin. This creates a slimming effect on the bridge of your nose. 

Step 2: Find where your brow is naturally at its highest by following a diagonal line from the outside of your nose across the middle of your eye. Say hello to your arch! A little definition here can lift your whole look, which is especially helpful since eyes can become more hooded as we age. 

Step 3: To find the end of your brow, measure from the outer portion of the nose across the outer corner of the eye. Following these three measurements will help keep your brows in the right proportion with the rest of your face and features. 

Finally, sketch a few lines to connect each of these marks on the top and bottom of your brow. Hairs that fall outside those lines are the ones you should remove when tweezing; the ones that are inside the lines should stay. 

What If You’re Missing Some Hair?

Maybe you fell for the skinny brow trend and they never grew back, or you’re seeing more sparse areas as you age. You can still achieve a great brow look. “As we age, brow hair can grow back. However, it can take a bit longer to see results,” she says. She suggests helping them along by using a serum like Benefit Cosmetics Hubba Brow Enhancing Serum. 

You can also see a dermatologist and get a prescription serum such as Bimatoprost (brand name Latisse), a topical treatment usually used to lengthen and thicken eyelashes, that’s been shown to be effective for growing brow hairs, too. 

For a quicker fix, Estelle has this suggestion: “I also recommend trying out a tinted brow gel or wax. Oftentimes, the hairs are there, they’re just light in color and are hard to see.”

How To Choose the Right Eyebrow Color

“As a rule of thumb, the shade of your brow hairs should coincide with the natural color of your hair at the roots,” Estelle says. However, there are some exceptions. When you’re choosing an eyebrow product (such as a pencil or tinted gel), use the following as a guide. 

Gray/White Hair: Choose a gray color with a cool undertone to mirror your hair color for a cohesive look. It can be hard to find a gray brow product, so light brown or taupe can work great, too.  

Blonde: Choose between a warm or cool blonde shade and pick the tone that best mirrors your hair. Warm blondes have more golden undertones, while cools tend to be platinum blondes. Don’t see a blonde option at the drugstore or from your favorite Sephora-based brand? Taupe is close.

Brunette: Look for a true match or one to two shades deeper than your hair color for the most flattering look.

Dark brown and black hair: Also look for a true match or one to two shades deeper than your hair color. When in doubt, dark brown is safe. 

Red: Reach for a brow tint that matches your natural hair color, or opt for an auburn shade that meets your warm or cool undertones.

Have the Right Brow Tools

Having the appropriate products in your makeup arsenal is the first step to achieving the perfect brow look for you. “I always recommend having two brow products in your makeup bag: a product that you can use to shape the brows into place, like Benefit’s 24HR Brow Setter (a clear brow gel that provides strong hold and a lifted brow), and a product you can [use to] fill in any [sparse] areas like Benefit’s Precisely My Brow Pencil,” she says.  

Using a brow pencil is often the easiest way to fill in brows while still keeping a natural look. “The ultra-fine tip [of Precisely My Brow Pencil] creates hairlike strokes for natural-looking fullness,” she says. When filling in your brows, measure from the outer portion of the nose, across the center of the eye, and that will show you where your brow is naturally the highest. Simply take your pencil and begin making a few strokes slightly above that natural hairline. Remember to leave space in between each stroke to create the illusion of real hair. Working above that hairline will add height to the arch.”

Try Brow Lamination 

If you want an option that requires less day-to-day effort, Estelle recommends brow lamination for older women. It’s a quick process that uses chemicals to set the brows in place.  “Brow lamination transforms your brows into brows that look fuller and provides an overall lifted aesthetic to the face,” she says.

The results last for six to eight weeks, so if you’re someone who likes to be low maintenance with your brows, then brow lamination is perfect for your daily beauty routine. You might still have to fill in some sparse areas, but the lamination will take care of a lot of it. Brow lamination is ideal for nearly all types of brows, from those with fine, thin hair, to brows that are coarser and thicker, Estelle says.