Sally Foran: The best shape, colour and products for eyebrows after 50

Kim O’Sullivan shares her tips on the most flattering look as we age

Never underestimate the importance of eyebrows. They have a significant effect on facial expression, balance, and definition. Even relatively modest thinning can make the face look more tired and less structured. There’s no beauty treatment that delivers quite the instant lifted effect as getting your brows done — they highlight your facial features, giving an almost facelift-like effect.

I asked brow expert Kim O’Sullivan to share her tips on the most flattering look as we age, from shaping and tinting to the products for creating natural-looking definition.

Kim O’Sullivan has been working as a brow artist for more than 20 years.

She said: “After more than 20 years working as a brow artist and over 45,000 sets of brows, one of the things I find fascinating is how much our brows can change as we age, and it isn’t simply about going grey.

“We can lose density, particularly through the tail, individual hairs can become finer or more wiry, and, as pigment production declines, hairs that were once clearly visible can become grey, white, or so pale that they almost disappear against the skin.”

For most of us, the thin eyebrow trend of the 1990s certainly didn’t help, as repeated plucking permanently damages hair follicles, resulting in them growing back more finely or taking longer to regrow. Although I was never an over-plucker, the night before my wedding, I used my husband’s nasal hair trimmer to virtually shave them off. Luckily they grew back.

Alongside over-plucking, tinting, bleaching, repeated cleansing, lamination, UV exposure, and rubbing can make eyebrows look thinner due to broken hairs.

The hair growth cycle can also be disrupted by restrictive dieting, illness, low nutrient intake, rapid weight loss, and certain medications.

Finally, during menopause, a decline in oestrogen can result in slower hair growth, finer eyebrow hairs, reduced hair density, patchy brows, and loss of the eyebrow tail.

But before assuming your brows have disappeared altogether, O’Sullivan recommends looking more closely at what is actually there.

“Before you decide you’ve lost your brows, reveal the brow you actually have. It’s amazing how often someone sits in my brow chair convinced they have hardly any brow left. I brush through a tinted brow mascara and suddenly all these tiny fair or grey hairs become visible. There is often far more brow there than they realised.”

How to make thin brows look fuller

Brow makeup

Pencils, powders, and tinted brow mascaras can create the illusion of fuller brows. Use light, hair-like strokes and a shade that complements your natural brow colour. Focus on defining your shape rather than filling them in and avoid harsh, dark shades.

O’Sullivan says: “A tinted brow mascara shouldn’t simply cover the problem. As we age and density begins to change, every brow hair becomes precious. I want a product I’m using every day to add colour and definition but also to care for and condition those hairs. That thinking was really important when developing our Hero Tinted Brow Mascara — it tints, tones, and treats.”

Colour choice is just as important. “If your hair has become grey or salt-and-pepper but your brows remain dark, don’t automatically match the darkest brow hair. A softer taupe, ash, or cool neutral can create much more harmony with the face. And don’t feel every grey hair needs to disappear — allowing some variation in tone keeps the brow dimensional and incredibly natural.”

When it comes to filling in sparse areas, O’Sullivan’s approach is simple: “My golden rule is optimise first, fill second. Once you’ve revealed the hairs you actually have, look at where the genuine gaps are. This is where I love a brow pen. Brow Boost has a three-pronged tip that creates incredibly fine, hair-like strokes, so rather than colouring in the brow, you’re replacing the illusion of individual hairs exactly where they’re missing. Use an incredibly light pressure — the lighter the touch, the more believable the result.”

And don’t be too quick to reach for the tweezers. “Don’t automatically pluck a grey or wiry hair. If density is precious, that hair is precious too. Try grooming it into place and toning it before removing it and creating a gap you then have to fill with makeup.”

Her final piece of advice is: “Step away from the mirror. We tend to examine our brows from inches away and keep adding product because we can see every tiny imperfection. Look at the whole face instead. Very often, you’ve done enough.”

Microblading

This offers a natural-looking way to restore definition and, unlike traditional eyebrow tattoos, it uses ultra fine strokes designed to resemble individual eyebrow hairs. I got PhiBrows five years ago and, even though they’ve faded, I still have the outline, so I know where to draw my brows in — they’ve been an absolute game-changer.

Brow treatments

Brow threading creates a clean, manicured brow look. I prefer it to waxing as it’s much gentler on the delicate eye area, with less trauma and stretching of the eyelids, which can lead to pre-mature ageing.

Brow tinting enhances the colour and definition of your natural brows. I rarely get it as somehow I emerge with unnatural-looking black brows, so I prefer to use a brow mascara.

Brow lamination softens and repositions your natural brow hairs to create fuller, smoother, and more uniform eyebrows. I recently got it done in Benefits brow bar and absolutely loved my results.

Brow shape

Shape is so important as the wrong shape can make us look tired or angry. Square-shaped faces should style brows in gentle arcs to add softness. Round faces need angles to highlight the cheekbones and jawline. Long faces suit brows that extend past the eye, and heart-shaped faces should choose a natural look. Using concealer around the edges will also give them a more defined shape.

O’Sullivan says: “As we age, I don’t believe our brows necessarily need more makeup — they need more intelligent makeup. Reveal what you have, care for it, replace only what’s missing, and keep the colour believable.

“That’s probably the biggest lesson I’ve learned — the most beautiful brow isn’t the most perfect brow. It’s the one you can’t quite tell has been done.”

This offers a natural-looking way to restore definition and, unlike traditional eyebrow tattoos, it uses ultra fine strokes designed to resemble individual eyebrow hairs. I got PhiBrows five years ago and, even though they’ve faded, I still have the outline, so I know where to draw my brows in — they’ve been an absolute game-changer.

Brow treatments

Brow threading creates a clean, manicured brow look. I prefer it to waxing as it’s much gentler on the delicate eye area, with less trauma and stretching of the eyelids, which can lead to pre-mature ageing.

Brow tinting enhances the colour and definition of your natural brows. I rarely get it as somehow I emerge with unnatural-looking black brows, so I prefer to use a brow mascara.

Brow lamination softens and repositions your natural brow hairs to create fuller, smoother, and more uniform eyebrows. I recently got it done in Benefits brow bar and absolutely loved my results.

Brow shape

Shape is so important as the wrong shape can make us look tired or angry. Square-shaped faces should style brows in gentle arcs to add softness. Round faces need angles to highlight the cheekbones and jawline. Long faces suit brows that extend past the eye, and heart-shaped faces should choose a natural look. Using concealer around the edges will also give them a more defined shape.

O’Sullivan says: “As we age, I don’t believe our brows necessarily need more makeup — they need more intelligent makeup. Reveal what you have, care for it, replace only what’s missing, and keep the colour believable.

“That’s probably the biggest lesson I’ve learned — the most beautiful brow isn’t the most perfect brow. It’s the one you can’t quite tell has been done.”