I Tried Geolift Brows, the Latest Fluffy-Eyebrow Trend
As we enter a new decade (pretending 2020 never happened, WBU), it only makes sense that we have a new brow shape to go with it. The 2000s were all about a skinny brow, while boy brows defined the 2010s, but according to celebrity brow artist Joey Healy, the 2020s are all about what he's calling “geolift brows.”
Healy describes Geolift brows as an evolution of the boy brow. It's still focused on fullness, but with an emphasis on structure, geometry, and lift (hence the name “geolift”). “The geolift keeps your brows full, fluffy, and fringy, but in select parts,” Healy tells Glamour. “Those front pieces, the ‘sprouts,’ we want those to be like feathery wisps, an arch that is rather clean underneath, and a tail that’s in fact crisp and tapered, that's not so broad and wide.”
He says that while in the past eyebrow trends have often been inspired by films or cultural figures (think Brooke Shields or Cara Delevingne), this trend was inspired in part by the pandemic. “It's been a year of covering up the lower half of our face, and it's really just put the importance on the brows,” says Healy. “It's also that has shown us that we need to create a little lift and geometry in the face as well. While before, we were focused on the left and right sides of the face, now I'm focused on the north and south hemispheres of the face. If the whole bottom is completely obsolete, then what's happening on top is more important. When all the geometry is gone, we need to build more with the brow.”
Although it takes a little more work to maintain, the geolift opens up your face more than a totally untouched brow, which can feel heavy and emphasize any asymmetry you have. And while it focuses on fluff, even if you have minimal brows, it's easy to get the look of a geolift, since you'll have that structure built in. Healy notes that it's also flattering regardless of gender, which he thinks is going to be a larger trend in the next several years.
I'm always down to learn some new eyebrow tips, so I had Healy walk me through a step-by-step via Zoom of how to get geolift brows at home.
How to Get Full, Fluffy Geolift Brows
Step 1: Shape.
Making sure your brows are shaped properly is the most important part of getting fluffy, brushed-up brows, since it really relies on that structure. Healy strongly recommends working with a professional you trust to get your brows situated, but if it's out of budget or you don't feel safe going to the salon right now, there are a few tricks to get the perfect shape at home.
Start by mapping out where your brows should start and end. For the start of the sprouts, take your tweezers, pinch the ends together, and lay it against the bridge of your nose. That edge is where the first sprout should, well, sprout. Healy says he will trim anything that crosses over that Tweezer line, but if you're not confident with your snipping, just make sure the area between your brows is clean (it's much better to have them too close together than too far apart). Then hold your tweezers horizontally to make sure your brows are level—sometimes one is more fluffy than the other. If that's the case, trim a few hairs at a downward angle.
Since you want the fluffiness in the front, use a light hand when it comes to the sprouts. Just try to get them level, and then put the tweezers and trimmers down—if the fronts look symmetrical, you have way more leeway with the arch and tails.
For the lifted look, where your brows end is key. “The tail is on a downward angle; longer means lower,” says Healy. “So the longer the tail is, it’s just going to drag your brow down; it’s like the opposite of lift. So the minute you taper that tail and bring it up, you get more lift.” Lay your tweezers from your nostril to the outer corner of your eye, and where it lands is where things should start to taper off. Tweeze any obvious strays past this point.
Your arch should be about two thirds of the way out, not directly in the center. Once you find where it is, tweeze any obvious strays below it, and get it as clean as you feel comfortable with. I personally hate tweezing my brows and don't mind a bit of a messier look, so I got rid of only the long ones, but what you do here is really up to you. Healy says to stick to tweezing only, as waxing or threading will look too crisp and unnatural. There should be a clear shape but still a bit of a natural, effortless feel.
Joey Healy Elite Sculpting Tweezers
$35.00, Joey Healy
Revlon Slant-Tip Micro-Fine Tweezers
$8.00, Revlon
Step 2: Fill.
The bulk of the work is in the shaping, so unless you have sparser brows, filling in should be a breeze. Healy prefers powders to pencils since they have a lighter feel, and swears by an angled brush for application. After swirling your brush in the powder, start with either your arches or the tails—you don't want to start in the front since your first stroke will deposit the most product.
To get that lift, you want to define the peak where your arch and your tails meet. Use the angle of your brush to find that tiny triangle, and use tiny strokes up and down to outline it. Then brush your hairs down and fill in the arch and tails, before brushing them back up to blend. Make sure you're filling in any gaps on the tails so they feel complete without going outside the lines. Brush it through with a spoolie to soften. You want to focus the color on the outer two thirds, so finish off by taking whatever is on your brush and doing a few short strokes in the front to add some faux fluff.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo
$23.00, Anastasia Beverly Hills
Joey Healy Luxe Brow Powder
$28.00, Joey Healy
Step 3: Highlight.
I always think of brow highlighter as a special-occasion thing, but after chatting with Healy, I will be making it a part of my daily routine. Take a matte highlighter like Healy's High Rise, and dab it just under your arch and tails, being sure to blend. It's subtle, but it will really give you that “pop” and the lift that makes geolift brows so special. “This allows you to leave those few stray hairs under the arch, but still get lift,” says Healy. “People always say they want thick, full brows but with an arch, and this allows you to get that.”
Joey Healy High Rise Highlighter
$30.00, Joey Healy
Benefit Cosmetics High Brow Eyebrow Highlighting Pencil
$22.00, Benefit Cosmetics
Step 4: Set.
If you want, go in with a clear brow gel to set all the work you just did. Just take your spoolie, and brush up and over to get the fullness, while brushing your sprouts at the front directly up. Done!
Nyx Professional Makeup The Brow Glue
$8.00, NYX Professional Makeup
CoverGirl Easy Breezy Clear Brow Setting Gel
$10.00, CoverGirl
All in all, I'm super into my final results. I hate tweezing at home, so I would go to a pro like Healy for an in-depth shaping, but I think I managed okay by just grabbing the most errant hairs and tapering the ends. Basically I'm left with an enhanced version of my natural brows that's a little crisper and adds some nice shape to my round face. I found the highlighter made a huge difference and gave me that really snatched look, so I'll definitely be using that daily. Looks like I'm leaving my boy brows behind for good.
Bella Cacciatore is the beauty associate at Glamour. Follow her on Instagram @bellacacciatore_.
Originally Appeared on Glamour
