Eyebrows have never been bigger. In both a figurative and a literal sense, brows have become huge in recent years.

Perhaps because the only way to go was to go large following the sad little plucked caterpillars of the Noughties, or perhaps eyebrows – like the popular hemline theory – are reflective of the economic times. Most likely, it had something to do with the meteoric rise of Cara Delevingne and her power brows.

Whatever it was, brows have become so popular that they are now firmly a beauty focus in their own right. Today, as well as brow pencils and brow powder, we have entire salons dedicated to plucking, threading and tinting.

The latest? Brow tattooing. We’re not talking the dodgy blue lines scribbled across the foreheads of Nineties goths, we’re talking a natural looking full brow, a procedure designed to make the most full and natural looking eyebrows day in, day out. The process known as microblading is skyrocketing brows into the stray hair stratosphere.

The process, which creates semi-permanent brows, thickens thinning brows or draws on new brows for those without any, is becoming so popular that there are waiting lists to get it done. But what exactly does it involve?

Stylist investigates.

Microblading: everything you need to know about the rising beauty trend