A case of ‘browmance’

By now we all know how crucial eyebrows are to the overall beauty and symmetry of our face — so crucial, in fact, that whole salon chains have been built around brow grooming and upkeep.

If you’re tired of constantly plucking, tweezing and drawing in your eyebrows but don’t want to commit to something as permanent as tattooing, which can only be removed via laser, brow and lash salon Browhaus offers the perfect in-between solution.

Managing director Roberta Abad introduces me to the concept of Brow Resurrection 2.4, or BR, as they like to call it — a treatment in which perfect arches are “embroidered” on using the latest technology. Sort of like a tattoo, but semi-permanent, gentler and more natural looking, and the results last for two years.

“We use longer, more detailed and finer strokes that really look like natural hair,” she says. “This patented technique is exclusive to Browhaus and involved five years of dedicated R&D to be perfect.”

According to marketing manager Monique Jamlang, only a handful of Browhaus technicians are qualified to perform the treatment. They are sent to Singapore especially for training and have to meet rigorous standards of competency and attitude, so you’re assured of being in safe hands if you do decide to resurrect your brows.

Since I’m a coward when it comes to pain, my first question is if it’s painful. “The overall sensation is almost like a slight tickle; it feels just like eyebrow tweezing,” Jamlang reassures me. “This may vary according to an individual’s pain threshold. Out of 10 customers, nine could feel nothing at all!” For those hypersensitive to pain, they also provide an eyebrow stabilizer to help manage any discomfort.

One of the salon’s brow architects who’s had the procedure done shows off her arches, and I have to admit the results look perfectly natural … and perfectly groomed. They tailor your brow color to your wishes, so if a customer requests something really light and natural ,Browhaus will comply, but the results may not last as long as darker, more defined brows — about six to eight months vs. one to two years.

While BR 2.4 sounds really tempting (I imagine not having to pick up tweezers and a brow pencil for two years), I’m not quite ready to commit just yet, so I opt for another service Browhaus is famous for: Brow Construction. They lead me to one of their treatment rooms, which resembles a ship’s cabin with its rounded door and porthole, and sit me in a chair that reclines all the way back like a Business Class seat. Between two methods of grooming I choose classic threading over modern tweezing, and it’s remarkably painless — almost soothing — under the skilled hands of my brow architect. She threads quickly and trims any stray hairs according to my bone structure, including nose shape and angle of the eyes.  Then, wielding a palette of brow powders, she matches one to my hair color and fills in any sparse areas.

I arise from the chair with perfectly defined arches framing my face, and an appetite to do more. Browhaus also offers lash services like curling and extensions, and party packages for special occasions and bridal showers. Maybe I’ll hold a day of beauty here with my girlfriends.  I can’t think of anything more “highbrow” than that.

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Browhaus Brow Salon is located on the fourth floor of Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati, tel. 501-3998; and the second floor of The Piazza at Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Tauig, 901-0597.