Review: Benefit Brow Bar

Once upon a time, bimonthly professional brow shaping was part of our regular grooming routine. Then we had kids, and now we spend a few seconds tweezing in our ill-lit bathroom once in a while. It seems to be enough to keep the strays at bay, and no one has ever recoiled from our grizzly faces. So when we headed to Benefit Brow Bar in the Robson Street branch of Sephora Vancouver, we didn’t think it would make much difference. We were wrong

Though our eyebrows are super dark, we opted for the Brow Wax and Tint ($36) because we have, to our horror, developed a few grey hairs up there, and booked online. The Arch Expert first applied dye—it needed just a few seconds to take—and then cleansed it away. Next, she explained how she would create our new brows. We had been doing a reasonable job at taking care of strays, but there was room for improvement. She used her waxing wizardry not just only tidy up the brows so we appeared more groomed, but also to move the arches slightly, so our eyes looked more wide open. There was minimal pain, though some redness afterwards, which she comforted with aloe vera and concealed with makeup. A quick application of Benefit’s Gimme Brow Volumizing Fiber Gel ($32, at Sephora) tamed strays and concealed the bare patch we have on account of walking into a glass door while wearing sunglasses.

Two weeks on, we’ve managed to maintain the shape, and the colour hasn’t faded. We’ll definitely be carving time out of our lives for another sesh of this (literally) eye-opening experience. Book your appointment and find your nearest Sephora Benefit Brow Bar at https://sephora.benefitbrowbars.com or, if you’re in Toronto, call into the store at Yonge Street or book at https://uptownyonge.benefitboutiques.com. —Aileen Lalor