Rihanna is the cover star for British Vogue’s September issue, the first major fashion special to go to print under new editor Edward Enninful, who joined the title in August 2017.
While fans of the title have praised the cover for its colourful and eye-catching aesthetic, many are confused by Rihanna’s pin-thin eyebrows, which hark back to a classic - and long-forgotten - 90s beauty trend as seen on the likes of Gwen Stefani and Drew Barrymore.
On the cover and throughout the inside shoot, the singer’s eyebrows appear to have been pencilled on, causing many to question whether the nostalgic art of slim eyebrows is making a comeback, given Vogue’s reputation as the fashion bible.
Styled by Enninful and acclaimed celebrity makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench, who used Fenty Beauty for the look, the credentials for Rihanna’s cover would suggest that thin eyebrows are set to be “the thing” for autumn, particularly given that the September issues of fashion titles are viewed as the most influential within the industry.
However, don’t start sharpening your eyebrow pencils just yet, as brow experts tell The Independent that the look most certainly won’t be making a comeback - cue sighs of relief from bushy-browed women everywhere.
“It’s by no means a sign that we all need to shave our brows off and pencil them in,” says makeup artist and presenter Lisa Potter-Dixon in reference to the cover.
“Yes, Vogue and Rihanna are both giants in the trend-setting game, but this is one trend that doesn’t need to reappear,” she says.
“Stick with your groomed, full brow. It’s much more complimentary. And what looks incredible on the front cover of Vogue, doesn’t always look incredible in everyday life.”
Cosmetic expert and self-proclaimed ‘browologist’ Samantha Trace agrees, telling The Independent that the unconventional brows sported by Rihanna on the cover should be viewed as more of a striking homage to a long-gone trend rather than an attempt to reincarnate the look.
“It's been a long time since we've seen a set of pencil-thin eyebrows on a magazine cover. But I don't think Rihanna will be bringing this over-plucked trend back as we're still just getting over that fashion faux pas.”
Instead, Trace suggests that the look is a teaser for a line of Fenty Brow products, the beauty label that Rihanna launched to great acclaim in September 2017.
“There's no denying that Rihanna always pushes the boundaries and can pull off this high-fashion look, but I don't think she has shaved her eyebrows to achieve it.
“She probably glued them down and used a concealer to completely cover them before they were drawn with a pencil, so put the tweezers down, this trend won't be returning.”
