Anybody notice something particularly majestic about Queen Camilla this week? The royal’s eyebrows appeared darker and more defined than usual when she attended a garden party in Plymouth, and it’s left us speculating about her look.
While it’s possible that King Charles has simply treated his wife to a bumper bag of WunderBrow for her 78th birthday this week, one expert thinks that the Queen may have opted for a semi-permanent brow makeup treatment.
‘I can’t confirm this with total certainty, but in my expert opinion, it looks to me as if Queen Camilla may have had what’s called a digital brow tattoo,’ says semi-permanent makeup expert Karen Betts, who has more than 30 years of experience. ‘This uses a specialist tattoo machine with ultra-fine needles that implant pigment into the skin in a really precise way.’
‘A digital brow machine is a little different to the hand-held microblading method, where tiny little needles scratch the surface of the skin and you massage pigment into the scratches,’ says Karen. ‘You can have finer, detailed strokes with microblading, whereas the machine method gives a fuller overall look.’
A digital brow tends to give a darker immediate shade than microblading, adds Karen. ‘There’s more pigment on the surface initially, and Camilla’s dark eyebrow colour leads me to think this may be what she has had done. Both methods are good methods, it all depends on the skill of the artist.’
The Queen’s brows looked lighter on July 10th
Before we all get sent to the Tower, we can’t say for sure that this is a tattoo, and a look at recent photos shows that the Queen does like to groom her brows. However, Camilla’s brows did appear to be darker than usual this week. And, if that is down to a digital brow tattoo, it’s totally normal and they’ll quickly lighten.
‘A dark colour is what you’d expect from a treatment that’s been done very recently,’ Karen says. ‘It’ll quickly soften when the pigment that’s sitting on the surface is naturally exfoliated away within a week or so.’
The Queen with her dark, defined brows
For a woman of Camilla’s age, Karen’s personal preference would generally be ‘a more ash blonde colour on a first session – older women tend to suit a softer brow colour that complements their undertones and hair colour. If I was doing a brow treatment on an older client, I’d see how that looks initially, then add more depth in a follow-up session if that’s what the client wants.’
The Queen at a State Banquet earlier this month
Karen says she’d personally prefer to tweak the shape of Camilla’s brows, whether they’re the work of makeup or a machine. ‘Firstly, you have to go with what the client wants, unless it’s obviously wrong for them. This shape may be exactly what she likes, and that’s fine.’
‘However, in my view, they’re a little flat. Because she has a square face shape, I’d have drawn two different shapes on first if this was for a semi-permanent makeup treatment; one with softer, more curved shape to show the difference. As women get older, what we want is lift, so I think a curved shape would open the eyes and give a fresher look.’
On the plus side, Karen thinks that Camilla will still reap the rewards of a brow tattoo, if indeed that’s what her brow look is down to.
Defined and regal
‘A brow tattoo will give a more youthful look, because as we get older, our brows naturally become more sparse. It also gives more confidence in the morning, when you’re not waking up with a totally naked face. It would also be a great time-saver when you’re busy and need to look polished and elegant.’
‘If it’s what she’s had done, I think she will love them.’
Both microblading and a machine brow tattoo will last around 12-18 months before requiring a touch-up or being left to fade naturally. Do be aware that both techniques require expertise, so make sure you see an experienced, reputable practitioner, says Karen. A semi-permanent makeup treatment at her salons starts from £495.