Once upon a time, most of us didn't give our brows a second thought.
Sure, we plucked them into tadpole shaped oblivion that left most of us looking permanently surprised, but brow pencils, gels, pomades, HD, threading, waxing and microblading weren't on our radar.
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In fact, they weren't even part of our vocabulary.
But in the past couple of years, the brow industry has burst onto the beauty scene with wild abandon and brow product sales are booming.
Which on paper makes it sound as if achieving perfectly shaped arches is easy peasy. The reality is slightly different unfortunately, with what has become known as the 'Instagram brow' ravaging face framers across the country, like a heavy handed plague.
I myself have been one of its victims. My brows thankfully withstood years of teenage plucking abuse and although the shape returned to its semi-former glory, for a couple of years I fell victim to the tendency to over-fill and tint my brows to make them appear bigger, bolder and more symmetrical.
In isolation they looked fab but on my actual face, well they looked bonkers, kind of like a mixture between Noel Gallagher and the angry baby from The Simpsons.
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Parthow many brow tints
Plus, in order to have them looking more natural and fuller, I had to fill in the gaps on the daily which is a pain when you're not really the kind of gal who wears makeup in the gym or when she's scurrying to the shop in leggings, hair scraped back into a hun bun, praying she doesn't see anyone she knows at the weekend.
So when I heard about a brand new brow technique that could promise semi-permanent delicate hair like strokes to fill in said gaps I was intrigued, and booked a consultation with Aisling Powell, one of the few PhiBrow artists in Dublin who is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the best.
The PhiBrow technique is essentially a series of tiny hair-like strokes, created in and around your natural brow shape by a miniscule cerated blade that has been dipped in a custom blended dye to match your natural hair colour.
It's basically a bit like getting a tattoo but the placement of the fake hairs is done manually without a tattoo gun, allowing for ultimate accuracy and precision.
And what makes the PhiBrows technique so great is that your perfect brow shape is mapped out using the golden ratio technique. You can discuss what kind of shape you want to achieve and every single client can achieve exactly the kind of brow they're after. Even if you don't have any or many hairs, you can still achieve the brows you want as the strokes look so natural and real.
It sound pretty gruesome and while it's not completely painless, it's definitely no more painful than laser hair removal or getting your ears pierced, and because it's semi-permanent, no painful and time consuming waxing, threading or plucking for up to 18 months.
Aisling painstakingly mapped out my brow shape so we could both decide where she would place the hair strokes and although I was worried that going a tiny bit thicker than usual wouldn't look as natural as planned, I didn't need to worry.
The first appointment takes up to three hours and that's when Aisling did all the groundwork. For the first couple of days, you can't allow the incisions to scab so I looked pretty deranged walking around with brows weighed down with ointment. My top tip? Take a Friday off work and don't make plans over the weekend.
But about a week later, all the gunk could be removed and my brows had never looked better - like they were naturally full and had never been butchered by a tweezers in the early Noughties.
The follow-up appointment which takes places 4-5 weeks after, tops up any area where the dye has faded or more strokes need to be applied. It basically seals the deal and ensures you get the most longevity out of your brows.
My final verdict? Do it! Aisling's handiwork is one of the best beauty treatments I've ever had. Like laser hair removal, it makes your life easier, which is sometimes the biggest luxury of all when you're time poor but don't want to let your personal grooming standards slip completely (read: lazy).
And like any good investment, that feeling doesn't fade after a couple of weeks - you actually start to appreciate your new and improved brows more as time passes.
PhiBrows by Empower by Aisling cost €480 but are available to evoke.ie readers for the special discounted price of €399. Visit www.empowerbyaisling.com to book
