Water cooler conversation at Glossier HQ runs the gamut. If I had my way, all we would ever chat up about is what happened on Southern Charm this week (I really do think Chelsea is making the right decision by choosing Austen over Shep...), but I am just one lowly reality TV addict in a sea of interesting and cultured people. Instead, we've got Slack channels dedicated to business news (#bidness), art (#art), and celebrity gossip (#taylorswift), all of which pop off daily with thoughtful link sharing and conversation.
One thing we don't talk about on Slack is facial hair. And I don't know why not! Every time it comes up in person, usually around my desk, usually after I bring up waxing or laser hair removal, ladies can't stop talking about how much they love grooming their way to hairless faces. Honestly, I would get so much more done if people stopped talking to me about it, but what can I say? That's my burden as a beauty editor bound to the code of bringing you content you'll enjoy. And I've been led to believe, by the fervor of the women in my office, that you'll very much enjoy talking about your mustaches, your nose hair, and your brows—and how you make them look the way you want them to look. Out of politeness, Glossier employees will share first; then it's your turn in the comment section. Happy tweezing!
Waxing
"I like to wax my upper lip myself, by using the same hot wax that I use for my bikini. I found that cold wax strips don't work on hairs but literally rip my skin off. The bikini wax is milder, but still gets the tiny little hairs. I also always use Glossier Super Pure right after—I found that on me it helps reduce the redness and the little irritation bumps I usually get afterwards." —Pauline Maynard-Denery, VP of Product Marketing
Threading
"I get my eyebrows threaded. I would love to say it doesn't hurt, but I find the whole thing really painful. The person doing it has you hold down your eyelid and brow very tautly while they remove the hair using two threads. Once they are done and I open my eyes, a gush of tears comes out. That being said, pain is worth the gain. The hair doesn't grow back too fast and I think my whole face just looks lifted and better!" —Jessica Sheft-Ason, Senior Product Manager
"I get my whole entire face threaded about once every two months, usually on a Thursday or Friday because I need a three day recovery time. My face becomes super sensitive and I can break out really easily if I'm not careful, so I don't wear any makeup for the three days afterward. I also avoid using any oils or heavy moisturizers." —Laura Yeh, Designer
"My brows are thick and lengthy–if left alone, they will get wild and feathered at both ends. My mother, who was sensibly against overtrimming or plucking my brows, taught teenage me that threading could be a lifelong friend. I can go on about my love for its results and affordability, but it really is the most precise method of hair removal. During my monthly visit to the threading salon for my brows, I also like to have my upper lip threaded. I recently attempted to use an epilator on my upper lip, but found that it didn't feel great on my already sensitive skin and something about having that whirring noise so close was unnerving. I would stick with the threading, or in a pinch, have an understanding roommate pull your facial wax strips off for you." —Amulya Uppala, Marketing Content Coordinator
"I lived with a mustache for the first 22 years of my life. I remember the night before the first day of 6th grade trying to use duct tape to wax it off 'cause my mom wouldn't buy me anything or take me anywhere to do something about it. It didn't really work. Eventually I kind of forgot about it and it was just a part of my face. Then I discovered threading. Now I go about once a month to forcibly remove my mustache and weird eyelid hairs (the natural shape of my eyebrows is like a sideways comma with the fat circular end covering the outer edge of my eyelid)." —Sherry Son, Back End Engineer
Bleach
"Growing up, my mom always bleached her upper lip with Jolen. I am deathly afraid of having dark upper lip hair—but I do not mind peach fuzz. I think it's cute. So I bleach too, but the Sally Hansen one is better and easier to use. And don't forget about your nose hair. Also, DO NOT try and shave it—once I got two ingrown hairs near my lip line that were trés obvious." —Eva Alt, Social Media Editor
Shaving
"For Christmas one year, my mom gave me this As Seen On TV mustache shaver. I swear by this thing. It keeps my mustache in check and I've even started to use it to shape the ends of my brows for a more clean squared-off finish and will always go in between my brows to get anything I missed with tweezers. Recently, though, it ran out of batteries, so I had to use a razor. Maybe it's just me, but it was the worst decision because I think my hair grows back faster. I've also explored professional dermaplaning which I highly recommend for anyone who really wants to clean their skin. I went to the Tribeca Medspa and it was a game changer. I even bought an at-home dermaplaning kit from Dermaflash but rarely use it because I'm afraid I'm going to do something wrong." —Brittany Ricca, Communications & Experiential Marketing Manager
"I remember the summer I was 16, one of my younger cousins looked up to my sweaty face, in the natural light and loudly pointed out that I had a mustache like my uncle. I tried waxing for a few years only for my mom to tell me that I had a 'fruit punch stain' around my upper lip. Eventually, I found this no-name, tiny, battery-operated, miracle device that I use every few weeks to keep things fresh. I think it's called an epilator? I’ve heard people use these on their entire faces to rid of dead skin." —Samantha Wilson, Community Coordinator
Laser
"I think it happened in my late 20s—the whiskers. Two or three around my jawline, under my chin. Black as night. One time, someone reached to brush the hair away—"oh, you have something..."—only to realize it was growing out of my face. I used to pluck, then I did laser. Best money I've spent in my life." —Emily Weiss, Founder & CEO
Your turn!
Photo by Tom Newton.
