While you may be familiar with eyebrow tweezing, waxing and filling, there is also a trendy way to rock killer brows— through lamination. This process— which essentially works as a perm for your brows— is not totally new, but may be finding a wider audience thanks to beauty guru videos on TikTok.
While many experts stress that heading to a professional at your favorite salon can deliver optimal results, there are still a few fun ways to replicate the effects of the treatment while in the comfort of your own home. We checked in with professional makeup artist Mary Winkenwerder, who gave tips for beginners and more experienced makeup enthusiasts as to the simplest ways to practice DIY brow lamination.
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First Off, What Is Eyebrow Lamination?
Ultimately, when one laminates their brows, they are “perming” their eyebrow hairs to provide a “fuller, more even look,” as written by Healthline, and this process can “also help keep them in place after washing off any cosmetics you may wear.” This is often seen as a more affordable alternative to eyebrow microblading, a semi-permanent iteration of cosmetic tattooing.
Winkenwerder tells us that it is indeed possible to laminate your brows at home, and that the trend is often worn as a “a solo fashion statement, as a color fashion statement, or with a costume.” While many head to a salon for laminated brows, read on for Winkenwerder’s at-home steps for beginners to the whole thing, and a guide for more intermediate makeup enthusiasts to conquer an Instagram-worthy look:
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Beginner Brow Lamination Steps:
1. Visit a Pro For a Shape & Trim
For the very first step, Winkenwerder stresses to “make sure you have your brows shaped and trimmed by a brow artist or your aesthetician.” After your brows are professionally shaped and trimmed, she says that creating a look that resembles that of the TikTok trend is “simple and fast.”
She acknowledges that “using sharp objects around your eyes in a DIY setting can be dangerous for a beginner,” so the idea behind DIY brow lamination is to “create a new fashionable brow look in little to no time.” Firstly, Winkenwerder stresses that you have expert input before taking any tools to your face (i.e. visiting a professional first for a shape and trim)
2. Choose Your Clear Brow Gel
2. Secondly, Winkenwerder advises selecting an “easily removable, short-wear brow gel you love ,and use it.” Generally, clear gel or clear mascara works “great for this situation,” she adds, and you can use clear brow gel or “step up your brow statement by using a fashion color gel or fashion color mascara.”
She suggests applying the brow gel to “clean brows in an upward sweeping motion, with the brow gel applicator brush.” If you’re feeling a little more daring, Winkenwerder notes that “you may also use a cream or gel eyeliner to achieve the trend.”
3. Allow the Gel to Set
Your last step here is to “allow the gel to set.” At this point, Winkenwerder says, “you’re done, and your brows look incredible.” At the end of your day, she stresses to “remove the brow gel or mascara product with a foaming facial cleanser or mild oil cleanser.”
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For Intermediate Makeup Enthusiasts:
Pastel/ Nude-Tone Laminated Brow Steps
Winkenwerder tells SheFinds that “completely nude face statements are a unique trend people try out occasionally.” Laminating the brows with nude tones that match your skin tone— or are slightly off— is a “bold fashion statement that is insta-worthy,” she explains.
You can create this “high fashion brow statement” using a color corrector concealer, she says, and “using white primer makes the tone of the color corrector concealer pop with bold pastel or nude color.”
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Without White Primer:
1. Apply Brow Gel and Shape
If you’re going for a nude-tone laminated look, Winkenwerder first recommends “applying brow gel to the brows and shaping them to the desired shape with a full (cylinder or barrel) applicator brush.” Next, she says to set the brows.
2. Apply Nude-Tone Corrector Concealer
Now, you are to apply the nude tone corrector concealer over the gel shaped brows with a full (cylinder or barrel) applicator brush. Your brows are now “fashionably fantastic,” she says, and “ready to go.” At the end of your day, she notes it is vital to “remove the brow statement makeup with a mild oil cleanser.”
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With White Lash Primer:
1. Apply Lash Primer to Brows and Shape
For an even more ‘gram-worthy look, Winkenwerder says to “apply white lash primer to the brows and shape them to the desired shape with a full (cylinder or barrel) applicator brush.” Then, she says, “set.”
2. Add Pastel Tone Corrector Concealer
Next, apply “the pastel tone corrector concealer over the gel shaped brows,” again with a full (cylinder or barrel) applicator brush and set. Your brows will now be “fashionably fantastic and ready to go,” she reiterates, and to make sure you aren’t clogging any pores or inadvertently causing acne to form, “remove the brow statement makeup with a mild oil cleanser” at the end of each day.
