How to add fluff to your brows

What are 'soap-brows'?

The complete antithesis of the pencil-thin plucking that we were all doing in the 90s and early 00s, full and fluffy eyebrows are well and truly on trend. Part of the ‘natural’ make-up movement, stars such as Cara Delevigne, Keira Knightley and Jennifer Connelly have all had their bushy brows admired by the fashion and beauty community, with many going to great lengths to achieve a similar carefree look. But as social media has more recently discovered, there is a hack; a regular domestic bar of soap.

Companies such as West Barn Co and Technic offer specialised handbag friendly soap-brow taming kits, but the look can be just as easily achieved with a regular bar of soap and a spooli-applicator—the kind you find in any pharmacy or make-up counter.

What are the benefits?

A trick long-used by professional make-up and drag artists, soap can be preferable to traditional eyebrow gel thanks to its affordability, accessibility and staying power. It’s all down to glycerine—coating the strands and then drying, it will keep stubborn strays in place and allow you to groom them in your intended direction, fluffing up and out as preferred. Fill in any gaps with a pencil, neaten the edges, and you’ll be well on your way to an editorial look. Just remember to choose an unfragranced, transparent bar (such as Pears) and patch test before you slick down.

Does it actually work?

In a pinch, it’s pretty impressive what can be achieved with such a simple product. But for repeated use, the soap brow trend is likely to be exactly that—a quick-hack technique that will likely irritate the skin if left on for too long. If you’re planning to experiment, consider moisturising first, and apply the soap in thin layers before setting with your usual make-up setting spray. While not entirely foolproof, this should help to prevent any dreaded soap-in-eyes sting.

The other real catch of soap brows is that it will only really work if your eyebrows are already quite full. For those with sparser coverage, pencil application or a professional salon lamination will likely create a much more natural effect, without the fear of any flakiness or awkward drying times. It may not be as purse-friendly as a bar of soap, but it’ll certainly save you any suds.

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