High Brow - The Art and Science of Brow and Lash Grooming

As an on-the go mom, I don’t fuss much about putting on make-up or styling my hair. From the moment I get out of bed in the morning, this momma is already multi-tasking.   Get the children ready for school. Make sure everyone eats a hearty breakfast . Wait, did they take their vitamins? Where are my nude stillettos? These are just some of the things I have to cross out from my to-do list even before I make it to the bathroom to bathe and get ready for my day. This is not to say that we busy moms should take our looks for granted. The challenge is to find smart beauty fixes that will fit our lifestyles.
I’ve never been a fan of plucking or having my brows shaved by an overzealous beautician.   My pleasant experience at Browhaus, however, has made me a brow grooming convert. “Browhaus offers brow and lash grooming services. We use the Blueprint System which is a precise process designed to create the perfect brow. Every facial shape (round, oval, heart-shaped or square) is taken into consideration. Even the client’s eye shape and setting as well as unique concerns like a prominent nose, chin or lip are factored in the equation,” says managing director Tab Abad-Estacion. “Applicants undergo two to three months of rigid training before we employ them as brow architects. To be able to do the Brow Resurrection, which is the salon’s signature service, years of experience is needed. Only then do we send candidates to Singapore for additional training skills and tests which will qualify them to be called Brow Masters,” she adds.

SHAPE,COLOR AND REVEAL!
After looking at the menu of services at Browhaus Greenbelt , I decided to try the upper lip threading (P200) , the Browgraphy: Shaping and Color Tweak (P1,298) and the Lashgraphy Color (P1,150). Each store has a design theme and the particular branch I went to had green submarine-like cubicles. Edz, the brow architect, patiently explained how she’ll go about giving me the perfect arch.   I warned her that I had very low tolerance for pain. “Ma’am please feel free to stop me at anytime. I assure you that the result will be worth it. Tiis ganda po,” she said jokingly. I had to laugh at her suffer-for-beauty philosophy.
The level of pain was tolerable. During the upper lip threading, I was asked to stick my tongue to the side of my mouth to raise that area so the facial hair could be threaded more effectively. My skin immediately turned reddish and a bit puffy minutes after the threading was done. A mix of mint and licorice balm called Ice Cream was applied to soothe the skin flame.

The brow construction took less than thirty minutes. This time , the attendant asked me to wait until my brows and lashes were dyed before looking at the mirror. Earlier I learned that dyeing the brows in the same shade as the hair will not only achieve perfect brow balance but will also open up the face.

Coloring the lashes, however, is more obvious in Caucasians than in Asians. Lashgraphy makes the lashes appear richer and thicker. I couldn’t wait to see the effect of the blue black vegetable dye I chose for my lashes!

I couldn’t be happier when it was time for the big reveal. My eyes were beautifully framed by perfectly shaped brown-hued arches. The result was so natural. My face was cleaner and clearer…and I couldn’t stop batting my eyelashes!
The next day, I received compliments from my friends who couldn’t quite pinpoint what I had done . “Do you want to know the secret? It’s “tiis ganda” at Browhaus!”
Browhaus has branches in Greenbelt 5, Serendra, Lucky Chinatown , SM Megamall and Abreeza, Davao.