So a few of you have noticed that in my more recent videos and FOTD’s I had been sporting some newly preened brows and fluttery lashes and I thought it was time to tell you about the amazing pampering session I had over at Benefit in one of their many boutiques a few weeks ago now. I have always been a massive fan of Benefit, in fact if you have a sneaky look at my ‘About’ page, I chronicle my first ever high end makeup purchase when I was 16, which was in fact Benefit’s Bad Gal Mascara! Their Hoola Bronzer and Coralista Blush are also items that I will always have in my collection. Aside from their makeup counters which populate the halls of many department stores, Benefit have expanded into ‘Boutiques’ which are starting to crop up all over the country (although mainly in London atm! They are basically a one-stop-shop for all your beauty needs – fake tanning, waxing, brow shaping, lash extensions, makeovers – they do it all! It’s like a Benefit counter and a salon all rolled in to one. You also may have noticed their ‘Brow Bars’ which are now situated in most counters across the UK. So as a ‘larger browed lady’ I was very excited when I was invited for a super-special pampering session at their Fouberts Place Boutique in London with their Senior Brow & Body Grooming Expert Darren Seale…

To be quite honest, the whole experience made me feel like a Princess Darren was an absolute BABE, who put me at ease right away. I have never had anyone ever go near my eyebrows, for a fear of being left with one measly hair, but this guy has worked for some of the biggest brands at the business so I was reassured I was in safe hands. He began by waxing my eyebrows; I was expecting some serious pain, but as someone who has experienced waxing in the nether regions (OUCH), I can report that it was not the same story for the brows. Pain-free, quick and in minutes, after using a combination of waxing and tweezing to get  a bit of shape into my brows, I was done! I couldn’t believe how different I looked! I have always struggled with my eyebrows (I did a huge post about it awhile ago), and should have got them reshaped ages ago – I was so chuffed with the results! I will definitely be booking myself in again for my monthly wax at at £13.50 a time it’s not going to break the bank After my brow transformation, I was treated to some Semi-Permanent Eyelash Extensions *girlie squeal*! I am a huge lash fan – the bigger the better! Benefit Boutiques do offer the full 2 hour, Semi-Permanent Individual Lash service, but if you are a bit more squeezed for time then the Semi-Permanent Cluster Lash service may be better for you. It took about 15 mins for both eyes to be finished, and Darren applied around 10 clusters of eyelashes to each eye, to give a fluttery look without having to be in the beauticians chair for too long. These are Semi-Permanent, and mine latest around 7 days before they started to fall out, but can last up to 10 – so are perfect for a holiday or if long lashes are top of your Christmas list As with all lash extensions you do have to be careful, and not use any products containing oil around the eye area, but the upkeep is worth it! This what they looked like on Day 3….

I fell completely in love with having lash extensions – my makeup literally took 5 minutes to do! A dash of foundation, concealer, bronzer and I was done! It is pretty annoying having to be uber careful with rubbing and makeup removers around the eye area, but you get quite used it it and it was a very sad day when they started to fall out. I left writing this post until they had all fallen out just to see that there was no damage done to my own lashes – which I can confirm is the case. At £29.50 the Cluster Lash service is something that I would definitely consider for a special occasion. All in all it was a very successful trip – a Benefit Boutique convert was born! I will definitely be revisiting soon for a Brow Wax with Darren and am considering the lash extensions for a Xmas/New Year treat For a full list of Benefit Boutiques, check here. What do you think? Have you ladies visited a Benefit Boutique or Brow Bar before?

Much Love,
Vivianna x