Growing up, I never liked having naturally thick, bold brows. Thin brows were in, so I did everything in my power to shrink mine (or at least make them appear half their size with the help of caked-on concealer). So when big-brow It girls like Cara Delevingne, Lily Collins, and Zendaya broke on to the scene, I welcomed back my brows with open arms and finally laid off the concealer. But then I was faced with my next challenge: learning how to wear them. That’s when I was introduced to the magic of soap brows—an old Hollywood trick to sculpting and fluffing your brows to their fullest potential without opting for brow lamination, caking on eyebrow wax, or relying entirely on a pencil and spoolie.
I tapped celebrity makeup artist Katie Mellinger to give us the scoop on the trend. “Soap brows refers to a technique of creating a brow shape using a glycerin-based soap to sculpt the brow shape, usually in an upward motion, to give a laminated look,” she says. If you have any visible spots or patchiness in the brows, Mellinger recommends filling them in with pencil or a shadow before reaching for the soap.
Once the soap is on, there’ll be no way to fill in those pesky spots. A spoolie is then lightly misted with water or a setting spray (dampening it but not soaking it so your glycerin-based soap won’t sud). The spoolie is then scraped lightly back and forth in the soap to build up a paste. “When applying to your brow, start at the base and comb upward in the desired shape,” she says. “For a laminated look, this is generally about 23 degrees outward for the inner part of your brow (or toward the outer corner of your hairline) and 45 degrees (or toward the top of your ear) for the outer part of your brow.”
If you’re ready to finally give soap brows a try, follow these steps below that Mellinger swears by to help achieve them. All you’ll need is a clear, glycerin-based soap, wax, or gel and an easy-to-use spoolie to whip your brows into shape in minutes—no brow-lamination appointment required. The trick is to pay special attention to coating all hairs, making sure none go without a layer of soap paste for a smooth finish.
Step 1. If you’re creating them using soap rather than a wax or gel, opt for a clear, glycerin-based soap. This will ensure there is no color or white cast transferred to the brow.
Step 2. Avoid getting the spoolie too wet. “You don’t want to make the paste too slippery or sudsy, or it won’t stay in place,” explains Mellinger.
Step 3. Don’t dig into the soap too much with your spoolie, as it will make the paste too thick. A paste that is too thick and dry won’t stick well.
Step 4. After you’ve achieved your ideal shape, try carefully smoothing it out with your finger for an extra-laminated look.
Mellinger also happens to keep a few products in her kit at all times to create the perfect soap brow look, starting with West Barn Co’s Soap Brows Extra Strong and Prep Mist. “This is my favorite for my kit, as it’s small and comes in a tin—very kit friendly.” For an affordable option, Melligner uses a disposable spoolie with Pears’ classic Pure Gentle Soap. Is soap not your thing? No problem. The makeup artist also uses the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze to give a sleek, laminated effect to even the unruliest of brows (mine included).
Like any makeup look, practice makes perfect! Soap brows are a simple way to level up any makeup look by adding some extra dimension, fullness, and shape where your face needs it the most. I like to think of it as an easy, five-second face-lift using the simplest tools you can imagine. Read on to discover the beauty editor– and makeup artist–approved soap-brow products I’ve been loving lately. Fair warning: Once you get hooked on these, there’s a good chance you’ll never want to go back to your old eyebrow routine.
