Brow trends come thick and fast just like fashion, the way we shape and style our brows can be directly linked to pop culture. From the over plucked 90s to the bushy 2020’s there’s a style for every era and with so much at our disposal now the possibilities for brow styling are endless!
Here’s the most popular eyebrow trends to watch out for this year!ย
All about the Lamination
Arguably, the most popular treatment in recent years is Brow lamination, favoured by celebrities and fashionistas! The treatment itself is a straight forward process where the brows are brushed and set using fixing product into the desired style, creating fuller more even brows. Often combined with tinting the treatment allows for the therapist to increase the visual volume of the brows which makes it a great treatment for clients looking to grow out their brows for a more natural style.
Our Brow Lamination, Shaping & Tintingย Training Courseย is designed toย help you give your clients a uniform, full eyebrow shape. ย This is the ultimate solution for eyebrows that do not have symmetry where the hairs follow a different pattern, with lamination (also known as lifting) we can realign the brows in such a way to give them the desired shape they want.โ This treatment solves the messy brow issue, creates volume and fullness, while giving you a sleek well-kept brow shape for up to 2 months. Treatments are typically between ยฃ30-ยฃ50 when combined with a brow tint and shape. A very lucrative service to offer to your clients!
Highly Defined Brows
Promoted by celebrities, this treatment aims to create natural-looking brow shape, defined colour and give the illusion of fuller, thicker brows, making these brows a must-have treatment. This high-precision procedure transforms eyebrows into a naturally arched shape, dramatically enhancing and defining facial features. Perfectly-groomed brows are one of the most popular treatments within the salon. Performed by a skilled brow artist the treatment includes techniques to create the desired brow shape and appearance, including waxing, tinting and threading.
Our Highly Defined Brows Training Course is a generic treatment course designed to teach you one of the most popular beauty treatments currently offered within the industry. You will learn a range of brow-grooming procedures, including waxing, threading and tinting of the brows, to allow you to competently offer this in-demand treatment from home and/or mobile, creating a natural-looking arches and a defined brow shape for your clients. These treatments typically earn you between ยฃ25-ยฃ40! Clients return every 3-6 weeks to maintain their precise brow shape, keeping your appointment book filled!
Henna Browsย
Similar to brow tinting Henna colours the natural brow. Henna is a natural alternative to other chemical dyes and is plant based making it an appealing option for colouring the brow and creating a more expressive brow. Henna also creates a better skin stain which gives a denser, fuller brow. Although a safe way to colour the hair and skin it is vital to perform a patch test when using Henna to check for skin reaction.
On our Henna course you will learn a range of brow-grooming procedures, including hot waxing, and application of henna of the brows, to allow you to competently offer this in-demand treatment from home and/or mobile, creating a natural-looking arches and a defined brow shape for your clients. Earn up to ยฃ35 an hour providing these lucrative brow treatments!
Want to up your Brow Skills & start earning up to ยฃ40 an hour? Explore our ABT Accredited Courses:
Lash Lift is certainly one of our most popular courses and highly lucrative earning you around ยฃ30-ยฃ45 per treatment. Many clients are moving away from the continued maintenance cost of lash extensions seeking a more natural option as the minimalism trend comes into make up and skincare this year. Lots of students complete our Accredited Courses to learn Lash Lift Skills but one tricky aspect to master is selecting the correct lash shield size and how to correctly fit the lash shield as it certainly takes time and practise to do this with confidence. Our blog covers best practice on selecting the correct size shield plus top tips for a successful lash shield application…
Lash lifting shields are usually created from flexible silicone shields created with a special shape to sit comfortably on the upper eye lid purposely for lash lift treatments. Lash lift treatments work a llittle like the lash perming treatments of the past, except rather than creating curly, fluffy lashes; the aim is to instead lift lashes to create the illusion of greater lash length with a soft curl upwards for a youthful, open-eyed look.
Lash shields are usually available in various sizes from small, medium up to large with some brands offering sizes in-between to give a more tailored fit for your clients.
Selecting the correct lash shield size is essential to achieving the perfect lifted result your clients desire. Too large a shield and the lashes may not lift, too small and the lashes may become too deeply curled or the ends of lashes may be distorted in shape with a kink. Usually the smaller the shield size, to greater the lift and the more dramatic the result. That said, achieving the result is down to ensuring the clientโs natural lashes sit correcty on the lash shield working with their natural lash length to help determine the most suitable shield size.
When sizing up the shield, it helps to first apply an under eye pad and secure lower lashes down out the way. Then measure the shield up against the natural lashes before you get to applying adhesive.
Hold the clean shield against the upper lashes and look at how far up the natural lashes will sit on the shield. Youโre ideally aiming for the natural lashes to reach all the way across the shield to the top of the shield but you donโt want lashes poking off the end.
If lashes are too long for the shield, go up a size. If lashes are only sitting halfway up the shield, go down a shield size. As a general rule of thumb, most clients will use either a small or medium shield as most clients have natural lashes around 8-11mm in maximum length. Most clientโs also want the most dramatic of results which are usually yielded by a smaller shield size, although you should discuss this fully with your client to ensure you understand their expectations of treatment.
It certainly takes time and practice to perfect applying the lash shields. You want to get them as close to the lash line (it might almost feel like youโre on top of the lashes but with the adhesive when you pull them up youโll get used to seeing the gentle pull lifting them up and over the shield so lashes wonโt be trapped). It can take up to 10-20 sets before you feel totally confident with the application of the shields, feeling all fingers and thumbs at first.
A good tip is to curl your hands and gently nudge your client at the temples using your gathered knuckles each time you โgo onโ to work on your clients eyes so they donโt jump everytime you come on and off as they will have their eyes closed throughout and it can help application of the shields if they are a little nervous.
Often clients are nervous on their first treatment also and youโll find it much easier to apply on their follow up treatments as they start to feel more relaxed as they get familiar with the treatment process. It is worth practising application of shields just on friends and family (without necessarily then doing the full treatment), just to get the hang of it.
Common issues when lash liftingโฆ
The lashes have a kink of the ends of the lashes
You have used too small a lash shield. Next time size up to the next shield size or if you want a tighter lift still, donโt apply the product all the way to the ends of the lashes although this wonโt allow the lashes to curl back inwards to give a more natural lash shape, so bear that in mind for those clients with larger, more prominent eyes where the ends of lashes are more naturally more apparent and on show.
The lashes have gone frizzy or too deeply curled
This could suggest the lashes are overprocessed. This can occur when not all of the lash lift product has been removed so essentially the lashes continue to process lifting somewhat beyond the initial treatment (usually up until the client fully washes their face or until all product has processed). it can also occur when the development time was too long either in error or for the clientโs lashes due to poor lash condition or having a previous lash lift/perm treatment too recently. It can also occur if you use too small a shield giving too tight a curl for the result the client expressed they desired. Some clientโs want a more natural looking lift (more like a J curl if you think in terms of false lash shapes) so may be better with a medium or large shield depending on their natural lash length. Size up to the next lash shield size next time.
The lashes havenโt lifted
This can occur for several reasons. It may be that if you removed eye make up before the treatment, that lashes were too wet and so the product could not work correctly to break down the bonds holding the natural lash shape. It may be that you removed the products too soon stopping them from processing correctly or it may be that the lash shield size selected was too large, size down next time.
The lash shield lifts up at the corners
You may need to trim the lash shield at the outer corner side to achieve a better fit for your client. You might also like to consider use of a small amount of micro-pore tape to help hold the shield down better but ensuring none of the lashes are trapped in the tape, of course!
The shield is slipping
You might like to consider using a small strip of micro-pore tape along the lash line on the upper lid as the shield adheres much better to the tape rather than skin for some clients. It is makes it much easier to clean up following treatment as you donโt need to worry about removing lash adhesive from the clientโs upper eye lid skin, it will come away simply when you remove the small strip of tape. You can also use two small strips of micro-pore tape applied vertically to help โliftโ and hold any looser skin on the eye lid such as for mature clients making it much easier to get the shield positioned on the lash line.
The client doesnโt like the result
Communication is the key both before and after the treatment. Most disatisfaction comes from clientโs not understanding the realistic treatment outcome for their own lashes so always take time to have a thorough consultation and to visually and manually assess your clientโs natural lashes prior to treatment. You must manage a clientโs expectations of the treatment and how long results will last. Ensure they are well versed in the correct homecare before they leave you to avoid lash mishaps after treatment or short longevity to the results.
If the lift is too strong, unfortunately clients just have to wait for this to drop naturally although allowing lashes to get wet earlier than the recommended so for the client to take a shower after the treatment. This may help restore the original keratin bonds of the lash hairs to reverse or reduce the treatment result, although this is not guaranteed. Lash results that are too strong are usually due to issues of overprocessing of lashes or too small a lash shield used, all things you can note on their record card and ensure you consider for any future treatment.
Use of lash serums or castor oil are great to help nourish the lashes, maintain results, help restore natural keratin bonds s the result drops more naturally and improve the lash condition ahead of any future treatments also.
First published 7th January 2021. Updated 3rd August 2023.
With so many lash treatment options now pinging up in the beauty sector, it’s hard to keep up with what the differences are. But having a good understanding will ensure you can give the best advice to your clients and maximise your treatment sales…
The six main lash enhancement treatments are…
Classic Lash Extensions
Russian Volume Lash Extensions
Hybrid Lashes
Lash Lift & Tinting
Strip or Flare Lashes
Express (Party) Lashes
Classic Lash Extensions:
Most clients are now familiar with these โ simply put youโll be applying one false lash to one natural lash to extend the lash length and give greater lash definition.
Russian Volume Lash Extensions:
Many clients confuse the effects of these with strip lashes or even classics. Youโll be applying anything from 2-6 false lashes to one natural lash, applied by picking these up to form a fan of lashes. Give natural lashes more volume (thickness) and length for a more dramatic lash look.
Hybrid Lashes:
A way of combining both the classic and Russian volume techniques to achieve a dramatic but structured and defined look to the lashes. You will set up a framework to work within which to extend the natural lashes by applying the classic individual extension technique to every 3-4 natural lashes along the lash line. You then apply fans of Russian volume lashes between these individual lashes to boost volume.
Lash Lift & Tinting:
Working on the natural lashes only, with no false lashes applied. A way of lifting and opening the eye area by straightening and lifting the natural lashes to give the appearance of greater natural length. Tinting darkens the lashes from root to tip giving further enhancement in the appearance of lash length. Also gives superb definition but without the commitment of having to maintain false lashes i.e. infills. Also great for those unsuitable for lash extensions e.g. those allergic to lash adhesive, who swim regularly etc.
Strip or flare lashes:
Temporary lashes applied using a temporary lash adhesive (different to that used for lash extensions). Typically last from 1-7 days and are easy to remove. Applied either as small bunches of false lashes attached to a bulb (flare) or as a full or part strip of false lashes. Great for those who want to enhance the benefits of a make up treatment for example, for special occasions and canโt or donโt want to commit to long term care or cost of lash extensions. Another good option also for those with more sensitive eyes.
Express or โpartyโ lashes
Often confused with Russian volume lashes, these give a quick but effective lash extension treatment but are applied using pre-made lash fans rather than using individual lashes applied as a fan which the lash tech must form. Speeds up the treatment allowing you to charge less and fit in more clients, shorter time on the treatment bed needed for clients and no infills (simply remove and apply a new full set each time). Great for those who want a dramatic lash look without the cost of a premium lash service such as Russian volume or hybrid lashes.
The Beauty Academy are excited to offer training options within all of these in-demand lash treatments ranging from accredited fast track 1 day courses up to recognised online courses allowing you to learn from home, online at your own pace. Discover our courses TODAY and begin earning up to ยฃ50 an hour!
With so many new brow treatments launching, it is easy to fall behind in knowing the differences and how best to market your brow services to clients. Our blog this week focuses on whether to highly define or laminate brows…
What are Highly Defined Brows?
Highly defined brows is a treatment involving multiple steps to ensure the optimum brow reshaping and redefining. Starting with a thorough consultation and brow measuring, brows are darkened using brow tinting. Brows are then reshaped using a combination of brow trimming, waxing, threading and use of tweezers. Finally brows are finished using mineral brow make up products to give the perfect finish. Typically highly defined brows leaves brows thinner, with a greater arch and more defined shape and also darker to ensure they really frame the eyes.
What are Laminated Brows?
Laminated brows is all about restoring brows which have previously been poorly reshaped, over plucked or simply where the client wants a fuller, more natural brow look. Brows are brushed into shape by encouraging the existing brow hairs to sit upwards to create a fuller look. Products very similar to those used for lash lift, are then applied to the brow hairs to lift and then set the brow hairs into line and shape to help restore a fuller, natural appearance to the brows. Brows can also be tinted as part of the process to give more definition. The treatment encourages clients to make use of brow products such as castor oil following treatment to encourage the brows to naturally begin enhanced regrowth, particularly where overplucked previously to give more improved appearance over time.
Our quick table below outlines which treatment is best for which clients or desired resultsโฆ
Highly Defined Brows
Removes unwanted, stray hairs to give a better shape and greater definition
Involves use of brow waxing, threading, trimming and tweezers
Brows are tinted to give a darker, more defined look
Usually brows appear thinner, reshaped with an improved arch
Clients are encouraged to have regular treatments to maintain defined look
OR
Brow Lamination
Involves working with the existing brow hairs, taking away only minimal stray hairs
Involves use of techniques to brush hairs up then lift and set in place with products similar to those for lash lifting
Brows are tinted to give a darker but more natural look
Usually brows appear fuller, reshaped to give a restored, more youthful natural look
Clients are encouraged to use brow oils beyond treatment to stimulate regrowth of hairs
Not trained to offer both of these incredible, lucrative brow services yet? Take a look at our fast track courses and start earning up to ยฃ45 per treatmentโฆ
We have lots of students ask us about courses such as Eyelash Extensions, Highly Defined Brows and Lash Lift & Tinting. They are confused as they have seen courses offered by beauty suppliers, branded courses and online courses and they don’t know where to start in regards to what the key differences are. First let’s cover what the term trademark is as this is essential to understanding brand-specific courses…
What is a trademark?
A trademark is a way for a brand, company, producer or other legal entity to identify themselves and the products or services they produce, provide or source. It is a way for someone to recognise one entity (or brand from another) and for consumers to identify the origin of a product or service.ย Trademarks can be registered by the trademark owner and licensed in regards to specific types of usage. By registering a trademark, it can prevent use of the relevant name, logo, phrase or other ‘mark’ to be used without authorised licence from the trademark holder. Such unauthorised use can be considered trademark infringement and can open the person using such up to legal proceedings including prosecution or claims for damages. Brand specific training courses are those offered by such registered trademark owners and they often allow you to then go on to provide treatments using their products, to buy (or resell) their products and to use their logos/brand names within your own advertising.
The Beauty Academy Courses
All courses offered within our training centres are non-brand specific courses which teach you the fundamental knowledge and practical skills to deliver lash extension, lash lift or brow shaping and defining treatments. We teach the generic skills of these classic and in-demand beauty treatments. You achieve our in-house diploma certificate which is accredited by ABT and allows you to gain insurance to begin offering your treatments to clients. The beauty of our courses are that they are professional courses covering the core knowledge and skills for these treatments, they are accredited but they are much more affordable (starting from only ยฃ99) than many of the brand specific courses. They do not tie you in to any specific brand or supplier before youโre fully familiar and practised with the treatment. Many students find they complete brand specific training (which often require you to purchase their costly branded kits to attend the course) but once they begin offering their treatments on a regular basis and start speaking with clients, they find they prefer working with a different brand or clients are asking about other brand names. Often this requirement to purchase kits means half of the kit contents is also used up on the training day(s) themselves also leaving little product to go on to practice with. At The Beauty Academy, we provide all products and tools required to attend our courses at the centre on the day(s) at no additional cost. The only exception to this is where a patch test is required for which we keep the cost minimal.
Branded Courses
There are many brand names for specific treatments such as lash lift, lash extensions, and highly defined brows treatments. We donโt need to list them since you will have heard of most of them along the way when searching for a training course. These courses are usually significantly more expensive but this additional cost is attributed to the fact that you will be able to advertise using their brand names, as a brand specific trained therapist. This may be advantageous for salons who benefit from large shop front window displays using the recognisable brand logos and who can command much higher treatment prices to reclaim the cost; but the additional cost is not usually viable for mobile therapists, those just starting out in beauty (and so who donโt know what brand they prefer yet) or necessary for those who are already very established therapists with an existing client base.
The pros of a non-brand specific course such as The Beauty Academy courses:
Much lower initial course cost (from only ยฃ99 for courses with The Beauty Academy)
The Beauty Academy face to face courses are all accredited with ABT & online courses recognised by Radius insurance
No starter kits are required to attend our training day(s) unlike most brand specific courses
No commitment to any specific brand, get qualified, get experienced & then decide whatโs right for you once you understand the treatment and your clientโs needs
Great, quick and affordable way to learn something new, try out a new treatment service & see if itโs for you and your client base.
The cons of a non-brand specific course:
You canโt use any trademark protected brand names to describe or advertise your treatment services, however you can use a wide range of treatment related non-brand specific terms. If you later wish to utilise brand names, a simple conversion course can assist with this (see more about this below).
You might not be able to purchase branded products directly from the brand themselves, however you will be insured to use any brand of products to deliver your treatments. Similar professional (and cost effective) products can be purchased from large beauty wholesalers like Beauty Express.
OR
The pros of a brand specific course:
You can advertise your treatments using their brand name / trade mark / brand logos
In some areas you may be able to charge a small premium on โbrandedโ treatments but often applicable only to salons or established therapists. Generally treatment price ranges are reasonably fixed by treatment type and area regardless of brand of products used as you must remain competitive to attract new, and maintain regular clients.
The cons of a brand specific course:
Much higher course cost with branded training providers (usually from around ยฃ399 per 1 day course)
Often requires commitment to purchase an expensive brand specific kit to attend the course (as they want to โtie you inโ to their brand)
Much of the kit is used on the training day itself & when starting out, rarely are students optimally economical with product so makes initial practice costly also
You may begin offering branded treatments with little knowledge of your clientโs needs or preferences. You may then find yourself tied to that specific brand with additional cost to retrain within an alternative brand to buy different products or indeed be insured to use other brands as many brand specific courses are not accredited.
Conversion Courses
Remember that once you have completed a generic, accredited training course such as those offered by The Beauty Academy and are insured within those treatments, you will be able to purchase professional products from most leading beauty wholesalers including Beauty Express (just not always direct from the specific product brand). You always have the option to complete a shorter โconversionโ course with most leading branded course providers from only ยฃ99 (depending on the brand), if you later wish to become brand specific and to use their brand name as part of your advertising. These courses also help you refresh and occasionally advance your skills once you have had some time within the industry providing treatments and once youโve gained insight into the available brands and identified the one best for your budget and clientโs needs through experience of the industry. Most quality branded providers offer these courses to attract your business to purchasing their products, build their community of brand qualified therapists and raise their brand profile.
Generic Terms for Advertising Treatments
Many successful salons and independent therapists have huge success in promoting and offering their treatment services including lash extensions, lash lift and brow treatments charging the โgoing rateโ for their location and type of offering e.g. mobile, home based or in-salon. Anyone can describe and advertise using generic terms to promote your services (or indeed be creative with the naming of your treatments to stand out from the crowd). Just take care not to infringe upon existing registered trademarks and brand names unless you are brand trained or otherwise authorised by the brand to do so. Doing so can open you personally as a therapist or indeed your salon/business up to legal action from the trademark owner or brand which is bad for business and could be expensive. Generic terms for treatments as follows, are great ways to promote your services:
Eyelash Extensions โ Classic Lashes, Semi-Permanent Eyelash Extensions, Volume Lashes, Russian Volume Lashes, Celebrity Lashes, Volumised Lashes, Eyelash Extensions, Lash Extensions, American Lashes, American Volume Lashes, Lash Enhancement etc.
Brow Treatments โ Highly Defined Brows, Defined Brows, Ultimate Brows, Enhanced Brows, Brow Shape & Tint, Brow Redefining etc.
If you have any questions about brand names, your course or certification or how best to advertise your treatment services, please donโt hesitate to contact our Support team at [email protected] and they will be happy to help!
