6 Celebs Who Look Totally Different With Eyebrow Makeup

Certain makeup staples seem fundamental to a complete beauty look, including eyeliner, blush, eyeshadow, and some form of lip color. But eyebrow makeup can be just as impactful, if not more so. Speaking exclusively to Glam, esthetician Gregory Dylan, owner of Gregory Dylan Skincare in West Hollywood and Palm Springs, explains how a little eyebrow makeup can drastically enhance and even reimagine anyone's look.

"I personally think eyebrow makeup is vital and one of your most transformative tools in doing your face," says Dylan. He adds that this holds true for anything from full glam to a light, clean-girl approach: "Even when working with a minimal makeup look of gloss, bronzer, and mascara, polished brows will pull it all together and help create a chic yet impactful effect."

Just how impactful is that effect? Even when we aren't going overboard thanks to "brow blindness," which TikTok has long warned us about, eyebrows can make such a striking visual change that some celebrities look totally different with and without brow makeup. From Cynthia Erivo's drastically opposite eyebrow styles to Drew Barrymore's nuanced expressions, brow products can make all the difference.

Chappell Roan may be "Naked in Manhattan," but her face sure isn't. In fact, so many of her concert looks involve heavy, over-the-top cosmetics that you might wonder what Chappell Roan looks like makeup-free. As shown in a throwback Instagram photo posted in February 2024 to honor her 26th birthday, the "Pink Pony Club" singer has a clear and pretty complexion that's not much darker than her beloved white stage makeup. She also has sparse, ginger brows that offer a gentle, fresh-faced aesthetic sans cosmetics.

Having thin eyebrows is probably helpful for the performer, who experiments with beauty looks inspired by history, clowncore, and the drag scene, including gluing down her natural brows to draw on delicate, single-line brows reminiscent of a silent-film star. Other times, however, Roan embraces products that plump up her wispy eyebrows for a fuller style.

Both vibes seem to work for the "Good Luck, Babe!" singer, even when her brows have to compete with other vivid products. In fact, paying a little attention to her brows could potentially make or break some of Roan's avant-garde looks. As Gregory Dylan exclusively tells Glam, "Because of the brows' ability to shape and frame the face, even a well-contoured and blushed face with a great eyeshadow look will appear incomplete without defining the brows." In other words, the performer could layer all sorts of colorful beauty products and still fall flat without that all-important framing from her brows, whether she's showing off versions that are more artistic or more laid-back.

If you caught any of the seemingly endless "Wicked" press tour, you're probably aware that Elphaba actor Cynthia Erivo prefers a statement-making eyebrow look — namely, a lack of any brows at all. "I have no eyebrows. I shave them off on purpose. Whenever I'm talking to my makeup artist, I tell her that I just want to look like a pretty thumb," Erivo told W Magazine in 2024. "When everyone is doing one thing, I'm probably gonna be doing the very opposite."

This eyebrow choice wasn't specific for "Wicked" — Erivo has been rocking the brow-less style for years. But shots from earlier in Erivo's career reveal her luscious, natural eyebrows, which are just as striking as her clean-shaven look. Red-carpet snaps from 2020 show the star sporting tidy brows with a warm, brown hue and a long, sharply tapered arch. Though still understated, these manicured eyebrows create a glamorous contrast to Erivo's current bare-browed aesthetic, which leans more into otherworldly beauty.

Country legend Reba McEntire may not go fully glam (or sleep in her makeup) like Dolly Parton, but she also isn't one to shy away from a solid beauty look. In fact, it's rare to catch the "Fancy" singer without a full face of tasteful cosmetics, and we're so used to seeing her polished look that Reba McEntire is nearly unrecognizable without makeup.

However, a few throwback photos reveal her clean face, including her delicate red brows. Untouched, McEntire's eyebrows seem to be both slender and light, befitting her naturally red hair. But they have noticeably more presence in her professional appearances, suggesting the judicious use of a copper-tinged eyebrow pencil when she attends awards shows or acts as a guest judge on shows like "America's Got Talent."

For McEntire, learning to celebrate innate features like her ginger brows took an internal journey. As the "Consider Me Gone" performer told E! News in 2024, she often resented her fair looks in her youth, especially when she compared herself to her tan, dark-haired friends. "I finally figured it out: I'm not supposed to be like them — I'm just me. ... It took me a long time to accept that and realize that." Now, she prefers beauty techniques that celebrate her unique looks, such as her softly filled-in brows. "Real beauty means that you're comfortable in your own skin," explained McEntire. "And if you're confident and comfortable, you're gonna feel beautiful."

Drew Barrymore is a distinctive beauty whose cosmetic style seems intended to complement her features rather than obscure them, so it's no wonder that she sticks closely to the natural shape and curve of her eyebrows. Still, the addition of makeup makes a surprising difference, even when she's just filling in the sparser areas. For one thing, her products appear to be a shade or two warmer than the inherently ashy color of her brows, adding extra richness to both her eyebrows and overall look.

As wild as it sounds, Barrymore's friendly reputation may also be helped along by her fuller on-screen eyebrows. She's known for being an empathetic and approachable host on her daytime program, "The Drew Barrymore Show," and as esthetician Gregory Dylan exclusively points out to Glam, "Remember, the brows move in tandem with your eyes and expressions, so they also help to communicate emotion and thought during conversation. This is why defining them makes such a huge difference." In other words, more visible brows could mean better emoting — something that surely helps Barrymore connect with her guests and her audience.

That said, Barrymore gives her brows (and the rest of her face) a break when she's off the air. "I live in the beauty world, so I'm either up to my nose in pigments and samples and products or I'm in a makeup chair and working for 18 hours a day with makeup on," Barrymore told Refinery29 in 2018. "So I rebel on my time off and I just want to let my skin breathe." Fair enough — Drew Barrymore looks flawless without makeup, anyway.

Many stars look different when comparing their natural and made-up brows, but singer, dancer, and daring fashionista Willow Smith takes things a step further. Not only can we compare her brows with and without cosmetics — Willow Smith often goes makeup-free (and still looks stunning) — but we also get to see her brows presented in wildly different styles. Despite growing up in the public eye, Smith was allowed to experiment with her aesthetic from a very early age, which influenced both her look and her authentic personality. "It helped me figure out who I am," Smith told Allure in 2024. "I represent certain parts of traditional beauty, but then there are other parts that I don't represent. ... I think I straddle a very interesting position in the beauty standard world."

For example, Smith's varied repertoire includes a spectrum of barely there bleached-brow and shaved-brow looks, making it all the more noticeable when she opts for a dark, filled-in brow that emphasizes her natural features. "Groomed and finished brows help add definition, symmetry, and balance to the face and frame the eyes," Gregory Dylan exclusively explains to Glam. And if anyone has incredible peepers that deserve to become a focal point, it's Smith with her mysterious, almond-shaped eyes. Still, while we love how a well-maintained brow grounds Smith's beauty, we equally love her adventurous nature — brows or no brows, we're consistently curious to see what look she debuts next.

When we talk about larger-than-life performers, Lady Gaga is another artist who plays up her inherent stage presence with wild and unexpected looks. Often, this means equally wild makeup, such as the bleached, nearly invisible eyebrows she rocked on the "Joker: Folie à Deux" press tour. But sometimes, less is more. That may be why Gaga has also embraced some subtler beauty styles in recent years, even letting us get a peek at her unpainted features and brows.

For instance, Gaga showed off her natural, clean-faced allure in a 2021 Instagram post celebrating the two-year anniversary of her makeup brand, Haus Labs. This is just one of several times Lady Gaga went makeup-free and looked stunning. But when taking her classic beauty to the red carpet, Gaga doesn't mind playing up her dark brows for a little extra oomph.

"Proper eyebrow makeup makes all the difference in completing a look," Gregory Dylan exclusively tells Glam. "Even filling in with a simple brow pencil and then a few strokes of grooming gel are all it takes for a noticeable difference that will enhance your final result." Case in point, the slightest fill-in and upward sweep of gel transforms Lady Gaga's brows for the red carpet, taking them from sweet and natural to bona fide bombshell — evidence that even the slightest tweaks can totally change the course of our favorite stars' makeup looks.

Now, check out Lady Gaga's eyebrow transformation to see how the "Abracadabra" singer has changed her appearance over the years!