Celebrities have spent years refining their brows with tweezers, pencils, and tints, but at Monday night’s Met Gala, many A-list attendees – including Kylie Jenner, Lena Dunham, Madonna and Emma Chamberlain – ditched their natural dark arches in favour of a striking bleached look.

Eyebrows have long been a defining beauty feature, with trends shifting from ultra-thin lines to bold, sculpted shapes, and this year’s Met red carpet signalled that the edgy, barely-there appeal of bleached brows is the latest “cool girl” aesthetic.

We consulted some beauty experts to find out if bleached brows are merely a fleeting fad, or something that is here to stay. They also shared some helpful tips on how to achieve this lightened effect at home.

Is the bleached brow trend new?

Brow expert Laura Kay, founder of Laura Kay London, says that although she has seen bleached brows come and go, the trend tends to stay on the red carpet.

“I feel like celebrities use it to make a statement, to look different and to be more ‘wow’ with their eye make-up at big events,” says Kay. “I think it gets attention and gets people talking about it. However, for an everyday trend, I don’t think it’s going to become a popular thing.”

Beauty guru and presenter William Grande, aka Snatched by Will, agrees and adds: “I think it’s more of a red-carpet thing, but I think it’s definitely cool if you want your make-up to look more editorial and high fashioney.”

Grande thinks that this trend is more likely to be popular with a younger audience.

“Kylie is a trend-setter and all the Gen-Z girlies love to copy her beauty looks, so now Kylie has done it, they are all going to be bleaching their brows,” predicts Grande.

What type of make up compliments bleached brows?

Kay has noticed that bleached brows are often accompanied by one of two make up looks.

“Celebs are either doing bleached brows with bleached hair and hardly any make up, or they do full-on glam with dark hair, a muted lip and dark eyes, like Kylie,” says Kay. “I think Kylie’s brows and make up at the Met this year really made her cheekbones pop.

“Losing that definition in her brows also created a massive contrast with her hair.”

Grande thinks that bleached brows also help shift people’s attention towards the eyes.“I think people notice your eyes much more when you bleach your brows, because you’re just looking at the eye make-up which makes your eyes really pop,” says Grande.

To achieve Kylie’s make-up look, Kay recommends using glowy and nude products.

“Stick with bronzes, nudes and more high shine products, rather than matte, to create a more youthful and glowy look,” advises Kay.

“I would recommend using a lightweight foundation that has got a luminous look to it, a really thick volumising mascara and a bronze, coppery eyeliner to create that definition.”

Emma Chamberlain’s double brow and hair bleach was also very eye-catching at the Met Gala this year.

“I loved Emma Chamberlain’s Met look, she looked unreal,” says Grande. “Anyone can bleach their brows, but I do think that it looks particularly sick when it matches bleached hair.”

How to create this look:

If you want to dabble in this trend and only want invisible brows for a specific event or day, then using concealer could help you achieve this.

“You can achieve the same look by brushing a light concealer through your brows by using a spoolie brush,” suggests Grande.

However, if you are keen for a more permanent solution, Kay recommends consulting a professional.

“I would always recommend going to a professional because it’s very easy to singe your own brows,” warns Kay. “You might over-process hair with bleach at home which could make your brow hair fall out.

“You might also burn your skin with the bleach if you leave the product on too long.”

Doing your research is key.

“Find a professional that does it all the time, and not someone who is just experimenting,” advises Kay. “Look at their previous work and do your research so you know what risks are involved.”

The brow expert adds that toner is sometimes necessary.

“A lot of people use purple shampoos and toner to get rid of the yellow, orangey tinge,” says Kay. “The end colour really does depends on the darkness of your natural brow hair and how long it is processed for.”

Bleached brows are also hard to maintain.

“If you bleach any hair and have naturally dark hair, dark roots will start to come through and it can look quite leopardy overtime,” explains Kay. “Therefore, bleached brows can be very high maintenance.”

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