All the gain, without the pain
Ah, eyebrows. One of the remaining parts of our face that the world has the pleasure of admiring, especially in this post-apocalyptic, mask-on world (when will this end?). Having them look their best isn’t necessarily a walk in the park. My first brush with it was at Jean Yip when I was 15. The pain was nothing compared to the walk of shame – I left with a pair of overplucked brows that had an absolutely horrendous high arch. Perhaps it made too much of an impact on my life. Today, I’m all for natural beauty – making use of what I’ve already been blessed, or cursed, with. Apart from the occasional perming of my eyelashes, I shape my brows. That said, the latter’s left mostly untouched, no thanks to the above incident.
More than a decade later, I’m lying on the recliner, waiting for Tammie Then, my brow architect, to bring me through Browhaus’ Brow Lamination ($120). While not a new concept per se, the local company only rolled out this service in the second half of last year after perfecting its methods.
“More people are more familiar with eyebrow embroidery compared to lamination”, says Then, “and most choose to go for embroidery, especially because it lasts for up to two years.” The media has also sold 3D (and 9D) brow embroidery story with great success. So why would someone choose brow lamination then, especially when it lasts for up to four weeks?
Well, it depends on the look you’re after, really. Brow lamination focusses on using only the strands of hair that you already have. Which is great news for those with bushy brows, even if colour wise, said brows lie on the lighter end of the spectrum. On the flipside, those with sparse brows won’t make great candidates (you’re better off with Browhaus’ Brow Resurrection instead). Brow lamination is also non-invasive. There’s also no downtime, and it takes just 50 minutes to complete.
Cream is first generously slathered on to straighten – or soften – the strands, before your therapist combs the strands upwards. And here’s another thing to note: like its name suggests your brows will be stuck flat to your browbone and face. Like wet cellophane on a window.
Prior to making that appointment, Then encourages clients to set their trimmers and tweezers aside for a couple of weeks. I hear you, it’s definitely tempting to remove that lone strand that stands out from its counterparts in a bad way. Like a ripe pimple begging to be popped, nothing gives us more satisfaction than removing an eyesore. But trust me on this. With lamination, you never know when said eyesore makes for a great filler.
“If you’ve already plucked your brows the day before, that removes the number of strands we can manipulate, shape and work with,” she explains. Okay, point taken. Leave your brows alone and let the experts decide. You can thank them later.
During the softening of the hairs, I feel a slight tingly sensation, but it isn’t the least bit uncomfortable. Eight minutes later, the cream is removed and I take a look in the mirror.
I look like Sun Wukong, with my brows combed to the high heavens. “Don’t worry, this is just the first step,” reassures Then, noting the look of shock on my face, “Now that your brows are softer, I can comb and style them into shape, before setting them in place with a neutralising solution.”
She adjusts a couple of dogged strands in the process, removing only the incorrigibles; no loss, really. To achieve an even fuller look, my brows are tinted dark brown (an additional $40). The treatment ends with the application of an undercoat lash and brow conditioner, and rules are as follows: apply the conditioner once in the evening to moisturise and nourish the brows and avoid contact with water for the next 24 hours.
From afar, it’s impossible to tell that my eyebrows have been plastered to the brow bone, until you look in the mirror. But upclose, they look overly neat and flat, much like the hairdo of a boy who discovered hair gel the morning of yearbook phototaking. And this bears repeating. Your brows do take getting used to. So give it time.
The great news is, you’ll get over it quickly. By the next morning, I’m loving the new ‘do, especially with the slow fade at the tail end, which gives off a less intense vibe. There’s also something about the featheriness of it that make your eyes pop. You can, of course draw your brows if you want – I didn’t. And call it a placebo effect, but I’m feeling a lot more confident.
Those around me too notice something different, they just can’t tell what has been done. So kudos to Then and Browhaus for perfecting such a treatment.
That said, despite me having followed the rules – and even applying the conditioner twice daily, my brows start to look wiry by day 10. They no longer stay in position and instead start to coil. But in this case, I am the problem; my brows grow at an astronomical rate, and there’s nothing anyone can do. Not even Browhaus. And because of this, it seems like quite a steep cost to bear for something that barely lasts two weeks.
But you know what? You can’t put a price on having full brows, looking great, or being confident for that matter. I’m just waiting for the full month to pass before I head back for a second round of lamination. I’ll skip the tinting though; it didn’t add much to my cause.
