Cara Delevingne is often cited as the leader of the thick brow trend. © AFP Photo / Tiziana Fabi

If fashion and beauty fads come and go in endless cycles, strong eyebrows are a good example of this. During the 1980s, Brooke Shields wore hers proudly, just as Cara Delevingne does today, inspiring teenagers everywhere to copy the look. The trend should reinforce the surge of eyebrow products, already pointed out by The NPD Group.

A growing trend

As early as last year, the craze was well underway in the UK as the Scouse Brow, the dark, thick yet overly manicured style worn by a certain type of British reality TV star. But the trend truly took off in the rest of Europe in 2014. Between January and October 2014, French women have spent about 4 million euros in eyebrows makeup products (+22% compared to the same period last year) [1].

This year, strong brows were all over magazine covers and runways, and in light of the Spring/Summer 2015 shows - from the rainbow brows at Badgley Mischka to the abundant brow piercings at Rodarte - the trend shows no sign of stopping. Clearly, thin and subtle brows are out, at least for now.

Dedicated makeup items

Like any major beauty fad, strong eyebrows have been good for makeup brands’ business. Total sales of brow products rose 31% in the US, 52% in the UK and about 20% in France in the first five months of 2014 (compared to the same period in 2013), The NPD Group reports.

While most cosmetics makers have always had a few brow pencils in their catalogs, the selection is now more impressive than ever. Eyebrow kits and palettes are the new must-have items, and new services are popping up everywhere to train clients on how to shape and perfect their arch (Benefit’s Brow Bar, for example).

For even more proof that big brows are all the rage, one simply has to type "Cara Delevingne brows" into Google. In addition to multiple blogs and social network posts paying tribute to Burberry’s favorite supermodel, makeup fans will find a host of tutorials on how to achieve her look.