We always want what we don’t have, isn’t that the way it goes? Some people allegedly hate having thick eyebrows that rival brow-queen Cara Delevingne, which is weird to me because all I’ve ever wanted in life are BBBs (big, beautiful brows, duh) to call my own. In their natural state, my brows look like something Miley and Katy have to visit a salon to have – white blonde, and from a distance appear to not exist at all. They’re ghost brows.
Unfortunately, there aren’t too many browless celebrity idols to look up to. While my friends could point to the classics like Brooke Shields and Jennifer Connelly, as well as present-day power brows like Cara and the Kardashian collective, I had the likes of Whoopi Goldberg. (I’m not counting the pencil-thin arches popular in the late 1990s, as even the faintest of lines were more than I could ever hope for). Even as I got older and my hair turned darker blonde – my eyebrows stayed tremendously pale – not in a cool Lara Stone on-the-runway sort of way, but more like Charlize Theron in Monster.
I will admit, ghost brows can have their perks: when people cannot see your brows, the necessity of grooming them is practically nonexistent. I went through high school and most of the college embracing the no-brow look, sometimes enhancing the alien effect with shimmery highlighters or glitter liner. (Coincidentally, I was single during this time as well.)
For me, 2021 has been a major milestone year in terms of personal development, in part because I achieved financial independence and have worked toward fulfilling my professional goals but mostly because I finally, at long last, figured out my eyebrow situation. Up until very recently, my beauty regimen consisted of applying various powders, hot waxes, and expensive brow mascaras to my face. As anyone who struggles with their own ghost brows knows, this is way too high-maintenance for such short-lasting returns. And before you, full-browed people say I’m just being lazy, know that all three of the above pictures were taken after I amped up my arches to the best of my cosmetic ability. So yeah, I needed to take a chance — and the change was that I decided to take (semi) permanent measures to Delevingne-ify my brows.
To complete my quest, I booked an appointment at the Benefit Brow Bar in Soho for a shaping and brow tinting. The dye used is custom-blended for your skin tone and desired intensity — mixed up and applied in a way that allows you to channel your inner Groucho Marx for the several minutes it takes for the dye to set. When my brow guru Kim first revealed the tint, it was a beautiful natural color — but, as I quite creepily whispered to her, I wanted them “daaaarrrker.” The process is super simple; in fact, I am contemplating trying my own hand (erm, brow) at maintenance next month.
Short of having actual eyebrow transplant surgery, this is the best way to get big, beautiful brows with minimal continued maintenance. It’s actually remarkable how much of an effect eyebrows have on shaping your face and changing your features. I feel like my face has taken a bolder look, while some of my harsher features have been framed in a softer way. Quite honestly, this mini-makeover has transformed how I engage with people as well — who knew thick dark lines on my face were what was missing when I needed that extra boost of confidence? All in all, I love finally being able to live out my Delevingne-ish fantasies. Rest in peace, ghost brows.
Any fellow pale-browed ladies out there with similar stories to tell? What’s the most high-maintenance thing you’ve done in the name of beauty?