I wax pretty much any area that sprouts unwanted and unruly hair. I started with the brows, and have slowly moved downward over the years.
For one, it’s fast. Two, the re-growth stays away longer, and three, the volume of hair slowly dissipates over time.
But just like any cosmetic service, there are those who do it well, and there are those who provide a form of unskilled and unprofessional torture and wish to be paid for it. Anyone who has ever waxed, has at least one cautionary tale (ok, horror story) to share. (Mine involves waxing directly
after a facial microdermabrasion treatment—which the esthetician failed to tell me was a big NO NO— leaving my face burnt and scabby for weeks. And let’s not forget the time the wax wasn’t warm enough when applied to my bikini line, making the subsequent (and painful!) pull of the strip an impossibility. Tears were most definitely involved there.)
Sitting down for my first Benefit brow arch ($23) during grand opening festivities last week was as much an exercise in education, as it was fun. For example, I was informed it is ok to wax the top of the brows (I have always been told otherwise), and all brows should be custom-shaped in relation to the spacing and distance of your eyes, not dictated by fad.
After being told I had wonderfully coloured and thick brows (yes, that is apparently a positive), I held still as they were waxed and tweezed into perfection. (Refer to the ‘before and after’ photo, with one side complete, and
one side begging to be released from the brow hall of shame.)
Then came the finishing touches: the brushing, filling in, and setting of my arch so no unruly fly-away could escape.
The result? A mini-face lift. A guarantee that I’ll be sitting bar-side again next month.
Some tested and recommended Benefit brow maintenance necessities: