Airbrush Eyebrows Are The Next Big Trend Sweeping TikTok

Eyebrow trends come and go almost as quickly as TikTok makeup aesthetics. From the pencil-thin arches made famous in the '90s to the brushed-up, fluffy, and semi-unkempt look of today, there’s no shortage of styles to sport, no matter your preference. And just like there is a brow shape to suit every face, there’s also a treatment at your disposal that can transform them into whatever look your heart desires. The latest trend creating quite a viral stir is airbrush eyebrows.

Since the painless, needle-free, spray-on technique landed on FYPs seemingly out of nowhere, the treatment has made quite a buzzy name for itself. According to Melanie Marris, a celebrity brow stylist and the founder of Brow Code, the popularity of airbrush makeup, which has been around for years, led to a unique shift inspiring brow artists to get creative with the technique. "By dabbling with airbrush machines and pairing brow makeup and tint, this new trend came out of Europe only a few months ago and is now making its way into the U.S.,” she shares.

Ahead, TZR unpacks everything there is to know about what some are calling the brow-enhancing treatment of 2024, and how it measures up to tried-and-true semi-permanent services like microblading and microshading.

What Are Airbrush Eyebrows?

Airbrush eyebrows are a quick tinting treatment that leaves the brows looking more defined and even-toned. LÉVANS BEAUTY Founder Robin Evans says that this is a relatively new technique in which a makeup airbrushing spray gun (expect ones made just for this purpose to be released soon) disperses a brow tint solution precisely onto the brows while staining the skin.

Amy Lalani, founder of Minx Brows, a manufacturer of permanent makeup and microblading supplies, shares that the airbrush brow technique creates a natural gradient color effect. Since the tints used are buildable, Marris adds that a customized eyebrow color and intensity can easily be made. There are also DIY at-home versions of professional airbrush eyebrow treatments, like the Luminess Brow, Root & Highlights Kit, although the results aren't nearly as long-lasting.

How Airbrush Eyebrows Work

Before performing an airbrush eyebrow session, Marris recommends doing a patch test with the tints that will be used 48 to 72 hours beforehand to check for allergies and sensitivities. Once you're clear, the brows need to be cleansed to remove lingering oils and sebum, which she says guarantees better dye adhesion. "It's also important that the airbrush machine is prepped and cleaned before each treatment to ensure clean airflow and an even distribution of the dye," Marris adds.

Next, the eyebrows are brushed and mapped out for an accurate application. Lalani recommends using a stencil guide to help create the brow shape outline, which can vary in thickness. "A combination of the golden ratio and the client's facial features are used to design the brow shape," she says. Your semi-permanent makeup artist or brow technician may also use white eyeliner to identify further the areas within the treatment zone. Marris first shapes the brows using mapping tools and then applies borders to the brows to control the stain application and prevent any unintended product spread. "This step also allows for customization of the brow shape and style," she says.

Then, the brow transformation magic starts. The airbrush tint is sprayed onto the skin using a handheld, small, digitally-powered airbrush pen or gun with plastic cups to prevent the tint from oxidizing. The stain is slowly applied, starting at the eyebrows' tail and ending at the front. Marris stresses the importance of continually moving the airbrush device evenly for the most thorough color saturation. "I'll apply two to three layers of the airbrush stain and allow one to two minutes for each layer to set in between," she adds.

With the stain complete, your brow artist will remove the borders and any excess dye. “The tint processes for a short period, allowing the color to dye the brow hairs and stain the skin,” Lalani says. Then, any residual tint is cleaned off the skin, and the eyebrows are brushed into place, revealing the final effect.

The Benefits Of Airbrush Eyebrows

If you want a fast (you'll only need to block out about 30 to 45 minutes for the service), commitment-free way to spruce up your brows, or you want to test drive what a more permanent brow treatment may look like, airbrush eyebrows are the way to go. Lalani says that although it’s similar to traditional brow tinting services, airbrushing gives a soft, gradient look, ultimately looking much more natural than standard applications. You can also easily change the look of the brows, adding more saturation or coloration and tweaking their shape and thickness as desired.

Since the stains and dyes used for airbrush eyebrows are a customized mix of shades, no brow color is off-limits. Marris says the Brow Code Stain Hybrid Dye range offers up to 755 color variations with bespoke shades that can be completely personalized.

With microblading, microshading, and other semi-permanent tattooing procedures, the brows can look blotchy or fake if too much pigment, the wrong colors, or a subpar application technique. Marris says that the airbrushing offers a unique level of accuracy and efficiency compared to other options. "It is also easy to adjust or completely change them at your next session." You can even combine airbrush brows with popular brow texture treatments like brow lamination.

Who Should Get Airbrushed Brows?

Anyone with even the slightest amount of eyebrow hair that wants to boost fullness or add color and depth can get this treatment. Airbrush eyebrows are also beneficial for achieving perfectly symmetrical, darker, bolder eyebrows with more hair coverage and crisp lines since the stain and dyes give the illusion of more hair. "For those who prefer not to have needles used to enhance their eyebrows (used in many brow treatments), this is a great option, and also a better one, because it offers flexibility and the results fade in less than two months," Evans says.

The Results

The nice thing about airbrush eyebrows is that there's no downtime, healing process, or need for touch-ups in the coming weeks. You'll immediately see improvement in the shape of the brows and the addition of a wash of soft, natural-looking, powdery color across the arches. On average, expect the pigment that’s stained your skin to last five to 10 days, while the pigment on your actual brows will last four to six weeks because the tint tends to adhere to hair longer. "The results of airbrushing last longer than eyebrow tinting, so if you want that stain on the skin to be darker and last longer, airbrushing is the way to go," Evans shares.

Marris says that as the stain begins to oxidize, the color will start to soften. However, oily skin types may see shortened results since the skin's natural oil levels can prematurely lift away some of the placed colors.

How To Care For Airbrushed Eyebrows

Immediately after airbrushing the eyebrows, you'll want to keep the area dry for at least 24 hours and stay away from water and high-moisture, sweat-inducing environments, like saunas, swimming pools, steam rooms, and high-intensity workouts at all costs. Ideally, it's best to do the treatment when you can go bare-faced for a few days so that the color sticks to the hair and skin. It's also important to avoid the sun for the first few days, too, since it can lighten the pigments and cause a bleaching effect on the brows.

To prevent the tint from fading too fast, steer clear of exfoliators, scrubs, retinol, and acid-based skin care products on and around the brow color. Evans also recommends avoiding face and cleansing oils, which can break down the color. Ten days after the treatment, you can use brow oil to help keep the hair and skin moisturized.

The Bottom Line

For a fast fix in the tint, definition, and shape departments that will last for weeks on end, give airbrush eyebrows a try. Evan says it is a good way to test what your brows may look like with a more permanent solution like microblading, ombré, or powder brows. "It's dark and precise, so it mimics the effects of these permanent treatments," she adds.