I’m a ginger. (In case you hadn’t noticed.)
But specifically I’m a strawberry-blonde, special emphasis on the blonde. That’s all fine and good, particularly for compliments on my “Pretty red hair” which is all mine – not bottle-infused. But it’s not fine and good for eyebrows and eyelashes.
Those suckers are blonde. Invisible. Might as well not have them.
For years I’ve carefully applied brow color in the morning, filling and shaping my brows. I also make sure to use mascara, knowing that if I forget to do either I’m sure to be asked if I’m feeling ill.
No, I’m not feeling ill. I just didn’t feel like putting on makeup. Thanks for asking.
It can be a pain to remember to do something every day. That’s why I thought it might be a good idea to get my brows dyed.
Scared as I was by the idea (what happens if they dye my eyebrows Madonna-black?!?), I headed to Benefit Cosmetics to have my brows professionally dyed.
- What color brows are you going for? she asked. Then she mixed several vegetable dyes together to get the color I wanted.
- Would you be willing to dye your eyelashes too? she asked. Surprising both of us, I said yes. We had the same color discussion before moving forward.
- I’m going to put Vaseline around your eyes and brows to protect from dye overage, she told me before the next step. She carefully applied the Vaseline with a cotton swab. I didn’t feel a thing.
- I’m going to put cotton pads under your eyelashes. It may feel uncomfortable, she warned. No worries. I could tell there were pads there, but it didn’t feel awful.
- Close your eyes. I’m applying the dye and you’ll have to keep your eyes closed for 10 minutes, she said. Ok. No problem.
- Some people find this burns or tingles a little. Let me know if it does. I can adjust things or lightly rub your eyelid if it’s feeling itchy. Just don’t open your eyes, she instructed. 10-4. No problems for me.
8 minutes later…
- I’m removing the dye from your brows. Great!
2 minutes after that…
- Time is up. Hold the tissues I’m going to give you under your eyes, Rosy said. Ok.
- I’m flushing your eyes with saline. Blink rapidly. We’ll do this two times, she explained.
With that, I was done. I had her shape my brows while I was there – that’s done after the dye process is complete.
And…I like it!
I liked it so much that I’ve decided to make it a regular thing. The cost (in March 2016) to get a brow wax and dye, plus eyelash wax, is $45 plus tip. Totally worth it to be able to skip part of my daily routine.
Plus when I went back, I had her go slightly darker on my brows and lashes. It still feels very natural but pops a bit more.
Now the question is – will I start dyeing my hair when the inevitable grey starts to appear?