Clueless About Brows? Try Benefit's Brow Mapping

Recently, my local Benefit counter at Macy’s in the Dayton mall had an event to launch their new “Their Real” mascara. I got a chance to try out the new mascara (and yes it walked him with me). But the exciting thing for me was learning about Benefit and experiencing their signature service: Brow Mapping at their Brow Bar.

I met with Jenna, the counter manager, and she walked me through the history of Benefit. For instance, although I knew of BeneTint (their signature lip and cheek stain) I had no idea that it was origionally created for a burlesque dancer so she could safely tint her lady bits. That puts a whole new spin on things, doesn’t it? I know I have a few budding Burlesque dancers reading this blog – you might want to take note!

Pre-Brow Magic

Anyway, the discussion very quickly moved from history to the present and the success Benefit is having with their Brow Bar. This service is new to the Dayton area, but other cities have had it for a while. They are working on getting it everywhere. According to Jenna, Benefit employs more aestheticians than any other company out there. They all go through the same training so that you can get the best brows possible. As she put it, good brows are the prefect frame for your face.

And thus I was introduced to Paige (who’s easily one of the most polished and gorgeous women I’ve ever had work on my brows). I’ll admit – I felt like I was cheating on my usual aesthetician with Paige. But I wanted to know how this service was different. What makes brow mapping special?

Paige applying "Guides"

The Nose Knows!
Unlike other brows services that reference the eyeball as the starting point for the eyebrow or stencils that only give you a standard shape, a Benefit aesthetician uses two points to create a line to guide where to tweeze or wax in order to custom frame your face. The common reference point on where to start the line is the nose.

• Marking the inner part of the brow – the line you draw should run straight up from the outer corner of your nose.
• Determining where to arch your brow – The top of your arch should be an angle connecting the outer edge of your nose through the outer edge of your iris. Note: You have to be looking straight ahead for this to work.
• Where the brow should end – Your brow should end where the line from your nose extends through the outer edge of your eye shape and hits the brow.

Scary Guides Filled In

After appropriately mapping my brow, Paige filled in the brow along the shape she thought would be perfect for my face according to the map. We discovered that my right eyebrow was a little too long (just a touch), and while my brow arch was really good I have been tweezing too much in between my brows. Like most people, I had been referencing the corner of my eye as the starting point. Paige filled my brow in a just a bit to show me what it would look like and I’ll admit – I like the longer brow better.

All Better!

I asked Paige how I should deal with my unruly center brow hairs as I allow those to grow out. She suggested I may have to fill in, but trimming would be my best bet. Of course, follow up with her in about 4-6 weeks.

I would recommend everyone try out the Benefit Brow Bar at least once. The cost is a little more steep than at my local salon ( around $22). But you will get to ask anything you want and get a very good educational service. Plus the entire Benefit line of cosmetics is there as well to assist you in finding the correct products to attend your brows.