Today, I had my first facial ever in my whole life.  (Biore strips do not count!)  Marla was my technician.  I was a little bit stressed when I went in to see her, but she immediately put me at ease.  That is, until she innocently said "Why don't we do your brows while you're in here?"  A glycolic treatment, sure!  Tinting, well, anything, I'm game.  When I thought of waxing, though, fear stabbed my heart.  (Ok, maybe I'm being a touch dramatic, but how many of you generally look forward to having hair ripped out by the roots.? Yeah, I thought so.)  But, in the name of bringing the unvarnished truth to the Head to Toe Blog, I said, "Yes!  Of course I would LOVE to have my brows waxed."

The origin of my fear

I think it came to pass sometime a few years ago when I was reading an article in Vogue magazine about the Brazilian bikini wax.  Until that point, I never thought about waxing.  I'm not particularly hirsute, so I never had a unibrow.  And, I don't wear very revealing swimsuits, so I was ok "down there."  But the thought of a Brazilian?  Scared the pants off me!  So, I pretty much put waxing out of my mind until, well, today.

When I was little, I think I used to pull on my eyebrows, so they were shaped a little funky, but not so funky that I ever felt motivated to do anything about it.  Now that they have been waxed, an entire new world has opened up to me.  I can't go back.  Luckily, the experience was not at all scary, nor was it painful.  Here's how the waxing went.

Speak Softly and Carry a Big Pot of Wax

I lie down in the chair which is so comfortable, I could stay there for about three days.  Marla puts a calming, hot towel around my face.  Bliss.  I think I can go to sleep now.  Then we decide to wax.  Marla starts chatting about good books to read and Facebook, things she knows will put me at ease.  Every so nonchalantly (I think, because my eyes are closed and I can't see anything), she paints a little bit of wax on the area she is going to shape.  Then, with just a slight press of her fingers around my brow, all the while discussing what an enormous time suck Facebook is, but how it is oh-so-fun, she removes the wax quickly, and part of my brow with it. 

I was completely prepared to howl in pain, but there WAS NO PAIN.  It felt more like a quick pinch, or like taking a band-aid off, but quicker, because Marla's a pro.  She repeated this a few times, and Voila, my brows were new!  She held up a mirror, and it was like getting a FACE LIFT!  I feel like a vastly more attractive version of myself. 

After-effects of Brow Shaping

Throughout the rest of my facial, I could definitely tell that my brows were different, kind of like the way you feel after a haircut.  You are used to feeling your hair there, and then it isn't hitting your shoulders the same way, or brushing up against your cheek.  In terms of the brows, I can just feel "air" there where there used to be hair.  

I drove home, grinning all the way, and my husband was home from a meeting.  He said I was "glowing" and he couldn't stop smiling.  (I guess he likes it that I'm taking a new interest in grooming.  I can't imagine why. . . ) I definitely feel more confident, and I never really considered that that would be the outcome of such a simple service. 

Final verdict:  If you feel like your brows are the equivalent of a snaggletooth, or you just want a confidence booster, an eyebrow shape is a little, inexpensive miracle!

More on the facial tomorrow. . .