Do I want my brows laminated? I’m not at all convinced, actually – not least because the mere suggestion provokes such hilarity among my colleagues. I will admit that some of the Instagram pictures are a little alarming. But Courtney, my therapist at Strip’s Islington salon explains that their newest treatment is the answer to fuller, thicker and bolder brows; exactly what I’m after. I’m assured that my brows need not to be fixed in a perma-alarmed expression, but can be brushed down to give a variety of looks. A better name for it, she suggests, would be the brow lift – the procedure is in fact very similar to the LVL Lash Lift. My arm has been twisted…
We chat through the look I do want to achieve, then I lie back on the bed and make myself comfortable – it is, I’m briefed, a relatively lengthy procedure. First, my brows are cleansed and brushed into the desired shape. Then fixed into position with glue before two different solutions are applied to first soften the hairs, manipulating them to grow in the new direction, and then alter the hair structure allowing the brows to maintain their new shape for up to six weeks. Then a nourishing treatment is applied to condition the hairs. We finish with a quick wax and tint to complete the look. It has taken an hour, but the time has passed quickly as we’ve been nattering happily about TV, and I’ve been mining Courtney for beauty tips.
I am a little alarmed when I look in the mirror, but I’m handed a brow brush and told to tame my very upright brows into my desired shape, which I do, and magically they stay put. I’m impressed, and even my doubting colleagues have to agree that the result looks great. It has definitely upped my brow game
Wax, lamination and tint costs £82. 164 Upper Street, N1 (020 7590 0055; stripwaxbar.com)