The Brow and Lash Treatments We Get Done for Low-Maintenance Mornings
August 12 | 5 minute read
Words by Madeleine Boles de Boer
But it's not just compliments that a well-timed brow (or lash) appointment can elicit. The time saved by a freshly groomed arch makes it a high-return investment. It's the beauty equivalent of ‘work smarter, not harder’.
So, in the interest of efficiency (and a good sleep in), we shoulder-tapped the four owners of MECCA HQ's best lashes and brows to give them a face-framing transformation – MECCA-style. Lamination, sculpting, lifting and tinting were all on the agenda, courtesy of our talented technicians at MECCA Bourke Street. As for the results? Well, you be the judge!
Emi Tries a Brow Sculpt
Combining expert shaping and tinting, a brow sculpt is the easiest way to get your brows to behave, adding structure and colour to your arches. When your brows are the perfect shape and colour, all that's left to do in the morning is fill any gaps with a pencil or coat them with a little gel for structure.
With some of the best brows at MECCA HQ, Integrated Planner Emi gave her MECCA Specialist a tall order: to improve those already incredible arches. Was she up for the challenge? Absolutely.
While the MECCA Brow Sculpt results speak for themselves (just look at that shape! The precision! The symmetry!), Emi said the experience itself was one of the best parts: "I usually wax my own brows at home as I've been traumatised by having it professionally done before. The eyebrow technician did such an amazing job! I felt like she really listened to me and made sure that before she started, she was clear on how I liked my eyebrows done.”
After having her brows waxed, tweezed and tinted to perfection, Emi will be making her appointments a regular thing.
Anna Tries a Lash Lift
If the idea of applying false lashes sends you into a cold sweat, allow me to introduce you to the lash lift: a semi-permanent treatment that lifts and curls your lashes from the root (essentially a teeny tiny perm). It gives your eyes instant wow factor for up to six weeks, no fiddly tools required.
Graduate Anna was a lash lift newbie, so she was pleased to have her technician talk her through the entire process before sitting back, closing her eyes and letting her get to work. Taking up to an hour, the result was worth the wait.
"I was SO shocked my lashes had that much natural length!" Anna said, adding that her MECCA Lash Lift exceeded her expectations: "I can't tell you how impressed I was. It was such an easy process, and the result has been amazing." Now she can skip mascara and not bat an eyelid, instead letting her treatment do the heavy lifting for the foreseeable future.
Ellyse Tries a Brow Lamination
While it might sound like sticking (read: laminating!) your eyebrow hairs into place, the brow lamination process is a little more sophisticated than that. Brow lamination involves applying a gentle solution that relaxes the hairs, making them smoother, straighter and easier to style. At MECCA, it's also followed by a tint for a salon-fresh look.
After a few less-than-fabulous brow laminations in the past, Technology Product Owner Ellyse was ready to give it another go, and she was instantly put at ease by her technician’s step-by-step explanation of the treatment and regular check-ins throughout.
If your brows feel (and look) like they have a mind of their own, this is the treatment for you. For Ellyse, it was a one-step wonder to more streamlined mornings: "It has made getting ready in the morning so much easier and faster. I usually use a tinted brow gel during the day to hold them in place but haven't had to do this since my treatment. It has also made me feel way more confident and polished on no-makeup days too. It's such a game-changer!"
Durdashi Tries a DIY Makeover
No MECCA? No worries! While not all stores offer brow and lash services (yet), they do have plenty of products to get your brows and lashes looking freshly groomed, no appointment required.
Integrated Planner Durdashi took a few of these products for a spin and the results did not disappoint. She described her existing routine as “pretty low-key” – brushing up her brow hairs followed by a quick swipe of ILIA Limitless Lash mascara.
After filling in the sparser areas of her brows with the Westman Atelier Bonne Brow Defining Pencil and fluffing the hairs upwards (and keeping them there) with the Urban Decay Slick Day Strong-Hold Clear Brow Gel, she said her brows “have never looked better!”
“The Westman brow pencil had great colour and payoff, was easy to use, and the spoolie on the end is handy. And the brow gel wasn't sticky at all! It felt comfortable, lasted all day, and the comb applicator is a nice touch,” Durdashi added.
Her lashes were sufficiently glammed with the transformative powers of the Kevyn Aucoin Eyelash Curler (a tool already in her personal kit) paired with the Victoria Beckham Beauty Vast Lash Mascara – a winning combination that was a welcome surprise. She told us: “The mascara gave me serious length, and since I have really straight lashes, pairing it with the curler meant they looked long, curly and full all at once. The curl also lasted all day, which never usually happens!”
