**Disclaimer: The products and services in this post were kindly gifted for the purpose of review and are therefore listed as an unpaid advertisement. All opinions are my own**
Brows, most of us have them and they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. From the thin, overplucked ones I've seen growing up, to the fuller, bushy brows we are seeing today. One thing is clear, brows form the frame of our faces so taking care of them and making them look the best they can be is key. Now like me, you can choose to do this at home. However, getting them done at the salon is such a nice treat and nowadays there are so many amazing brow bars out there. So when Blink Brow Bar invited me to pop by their bar at Selfridges, Birmingham I couldn't say no! Curious to see what I got done and what services they offer? Read on and find out!
A little bit of background..
I don't know about you, but I had not heard of Blink Brow Bar before so let me give you a tiny bit of background info (I promise, it won't be too long!). Blink Brow Bar is the baby of founder Vanita Parti, and started off as a walk-in threading bar in Fenwick, London in 2004. The aim was to create a simple walk-in bar that would offer a pain-free, professional threading service with highly qualified technicians and where clients could quickly squeeze a treatment into their lunchtime. Since then, Blink Brow Bar has grown into the global brand it is today. Blink Brow Bar offers a wide range of brow and eyelash treatments and has over 30 locations across the UK and in New York City.
Although they started with offering in-store treatments, Blink Brow Bar also has a range of products that allows you to maintain your brows in between sessions. This started with the launch of their bestselling eyebrow pencil in 2005. In 2014, Vanita received an MBE for her services to the beauty industry and Blink Brow Bar has received several awards.
The Treatment
I visited Blink for a brow tint, threading and makeup application. Brow technician Simran talked me through the process and together we chose a brow tint that would work well with my hair colour and skin complexion. I went for Middle Brown. Simran carefully applied the tint and while it was developing, I was treated to a lovely head massage. What a great way to relax while you wait!
After the tint it was time to tame those hairs with a bit of threading. For those who have never had their eyebrows threaded, it doesn't really hurt but it can feel a little uncomfortable. Simran was super efficient though, my brows looked clean and defined in no time. The advantage of darker brows, is that you don't necessarily need to apply any makeup, but for the purpose of this review, I decided to have a little play with their products to see how you can maintain your brows in between appointments.
First Simran used the Ultimate Brow Arch Definer in Cinnamon (£22) to define and fill in the brows. The thing I love most about this brow pencil, is that instead of a spoolie, the Ultimate Brow Arch Definer has a little brush at the end that feels very soft and instantly blends the pencil lines. To define the brows even more and tidy up the edges, we used the Conceal And Brow Lift in Matte Light (£19). This pencil has a very precise point and is easy to apply. The other end of the pencil has a very small brush which can be used to blend. It's very easy to use and great to use around the brows.
Next Simran used the Brow Styling Gel in Cinnamon (£18). This brow gel sets hairs in place and adds a little colour. Simran used this in addition to filling the brows with a brow pencil, but if you find this adds too much colour, I would suggest using the Brow Styling Gel on its own. The same applies to the Brow Build Gel in Indian Chocolate (£20) which we used next. The difference between the Brow Styling Gel and the Brow Build Gel, is that the build gel contains little fibres to make the brow appear fuller. I would normally not use these products all at once, but for the purpose of this review I wanted to include it.
Finally Simran added a little bit of eye makeup using the Eye Wonder Colour Stick in Moonstone and Stardust (£19 each) and the Ultra Fine Liquid Eyeliner in Black (£18). The Wonder Colour Stick is a lovely creamy eyeshadow stick that is easy to use yet has a decent amount of pigmentation. The eyeliner is a great one if you are a beginner when it comes to applying liquid eyeliner. It has a matte black finish and does not leave any black marks when you take it off. The eyeliner can easily be removed with warm water which I think is a big plus. Although bear in mind that this does mean that the eyeliner is not waterproof.
My look after the full eye makeup application at Blink Brow Bar |
Final Thoughts
Overall I am very impressed with the service I received at Blink Brow Bar. Simran knew exactly what she was doing and talked me through all the different steps, explaining the products in a very clear way. Now I am by no means a brow specialist, nor do I have a huge amount of experience with getting my brows done, however I do know that my brows looked much better than after a threading session at other places I have visited in the past.
I have to admit that the makeup applied after the brow tint and threading is a little bit darker than what I would go for, however this is mostly due to the amount of products that were applied in order to get the full picture. I have since then noticed that the products themselves are very buildable and can be applied lighter.
The products Blink Brow Bar offer are easy to use and make it super easy to keep your brows looking nice in between appointments. A brow tint lasts 4 weeks and threading 4-6 weeks.
If you are thinking about getting your eyebrows tinted, please be aware that it is necessary to do a patch test at least 48 hours in advance.
A big thank you to Blink Brow Bar for having me and taking care of my brows, and I hope you have found this post useful.
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