Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Benefit Brow Bar at Ulta

 Did you know I used to be an esthetician?  Many many years ago. I went to a locally owned Aveda school, and graduated in 2005. I worked at a few spas/salons, but realized it wasn't exactly what I wanted. 
I loved waxing people. But big jobs. Like legs...the occasional back (minus the guy who's back I had to trim for 1 hour before I could even start waxing). But hated eyebrows. 
Talk about pressure. Take too much off and you've ruined someone's look. Hit the wrong angle, same thing. No thanks. I don't like to hold that much responsibility. 
 
I also hated having my own brows done, because I always get really red and irritated, and I always broke out after. Also, most places I went just threw you in a chair and kind of cleaned up under the brow, without actually giving much shape. 

So I started threading. Which was nice. It was more painful than waxing since it was taking a hair at a time. But I was getting a nice shape, and I wasn't getting the irritation. I had a place I was going regularly and they were priced right.  And then they changed their threaded. And she was never in when I stopped in. And her schedule never seemed to work with mine whe I called for an appointment. 

My brows were BAD this week. I kinda cleaned them up myself a few weeks back before we went on vacation. But that wasnt the best job. 

My mom went to Ulta a few weeks back and raved about how great it was. So I gave it a shot. I made an appointment for this past Sunday and prayed I wouldn't break out; even if I had to suffer with my trademark post waxing superhero-esq mask. 

When I got there I was greeted by my waxed and she was really bubbly and excited about her job, which adds a nice touch to any service. She asked me what I was looking for, and handed me a mask asking what I liked about my brows and what I didn't like. And then we got started. 

What sets the Benefit Brow Bar apart is their signature "brow mapping" service. She took a small Popsicle stick and measured where my brow should start, where my arch should hit, and where my tail should end. And then she took a dark brow powder and shaped my brows until she was happy with the arch and shape. And of course she got my approval prior to beginning to wax. 

I'm not sure exactly what type or brand of wax they use. But it was a nice pearly color, and wasn't too hot. Lashara (hiw perfect was my waxers name?!) applied the wax so precisely, and pulled the strip off so well that I barely felt it. And after she was done, cleaned up the remaining hairs with tweezers, she applied a wonderful cooling gel to take down the heat you start to feel after a waxing. 

Whatbhappened next is something that I have never experienced after a brow treatment. Not only did she outline and fill in my brows (they aren't sparse, but lightly colored) SHE PUT CONCEALER AND POWDER over the redness, so not only did I not look like a masked superhero, the makeup I had applied prior to my appointment didn't look messed and sloppy!!  

I didn't even get a sales pitch. She showed me why she used, incase I was interested in any products, and only asked if I wanted to book a future appointment. Which I did. 

At $21, it's a pricey brow wax. But when you take into consideration the personalization of the service and the time they take with you, it's worth every penny!

Have you ever used the Benefit Brow Bar? What was your experience?

Kat