They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but you can, apparently judge a woman by her eyebrows.
For the shape of those two strips of hair can tell someone where you’re from even before you've opened your mouth and unleashed that accent.
Take Coleen Rooney for instance, pioneer of the “scouse” brow, a heavily defined, dark, square and thick pencilled eyebrow.
Londoners tend to favour the “south” brow – a more natural look, “less panto dame”, explains Sara Stern, beauty director at Debenhams.
Coleen Rooney sports her aptly named 'scouse' brows
Flying the flag for south brows are Keira Knightley, Lilly Collins, Cara Delevigne, Lauren Goodger, Amy Childs and Tamara Ecclestone.
Even Kate Middleton is known to rock the thick brows look, a style also favoured by the late, great, Audrey Hepburn.
According to Stern the increase in brow bars is the driving force behind regional brow trends, meaning you should theoretically be able to pinpoint where a woman is from by merely glancing at her face.
Debenhams sales figures show that the south is outselling its northern counterparts with 93% more natural colours of eyebrow pencils, however sales for eyebrow wax and darker pencils are extremely popular in Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds.
“Some regions are steering clear of the thicker brows – finding both the scouse and south brow as terrifying as the vajazzle,” continued Stern.
In-store beauty appointments show that ladies in Ireland opt for the "tadpole" eyebrow which is thick and round at the inner corners; it then goes into an immediate thin arch and ends with a very thin brow.
Debenhams sales figures reflect this, showing that Ireland sells the least amount of eyebrow products.
An eyebrow shape most commonly called “the happy eyebrow,” which borders on an almost half circle shape, is a favourite style amongst women in the Midlands, particularly so in Birmingham.
Women booking brow appointments in Wales are requesting the soft arched brow, favoured by Catherine Zeta Jones.
Scottish women are sporting the plank eyebrow, which is the straightest of the eyebrow shapes.
“Women used to pluck, thread and wax their brows within a millimetre of their lives but it’s now about making a statement,” added Stern.
Eyebrow shapes have become a hugely important part of a woman’s grooming routine. This year, those two strips of hair have become a fashion statement on catwalks, the red carpet and in cities across the UK.
