Miley Cyrus & Jenna Ortega Usher In Soft-Block Eyebrows For Spring

After watching Miley Cyrus’ new music video for “Something Beautiful” about a dozen times in a row, I went over to her makeup artist James Kaliardos’ Instagram page to study her makeup. Not only does the impeccable eye makeup not budge, nor her porcelain-doll skin, but her lightened brow caught my attention. It’s not a bleached brow; it’s colored to match perfectly to the lightest highlight in her tame. Cut to a few days later, when Jenna Ortega hit up CinemaCon (which I didn’t realize was such a thing, sorry -Con lovers) with more of this ‘70s disco-lite glam featuring what we’re calling soft-block eyebrows. It’s a happy medium between a full bleach job and letting them be that softens the face in a wispy, feathered way while maintaining their shape.

In context, both of their creative brow choices make sense. Miley’s “one-of-a-kind pop opera” is sonically and visually indebted to the likes of David Bowie, Cher, Blondie, and other ‘70s phenoms; ditto Ortega’s Versace get-up, which looks like it was plucked from Bianca Jagger’s closet. While the inspiration is retro, the context they both bring it in is modern: Miley’s custom fashion and ultra-glossy lip make it now, and Ortega’s lined lip has the same 21st-century effect.

The choice to intentionally lighten the brow is a refreshing new take on eyebrows, which have gone every which way recently: Some are embracing the bush, others are laminating until they’re plasticky, and a few are still bleaching and blocking. If you don’t want to risk losing all your precious brow hairs with bleach, tell your hair colorist to dial it down and aim for the lightest tone in your natural hair. It’s a gentle way to achieve the alien look that doesn’t scream full club-kid, and we will no doubt see more of this as spring gets warmer.