M.S. Apothecary 

Every beauty expert will tell you that one of the quickest, cheapest and easiest ways to glam up your look is by having well shaped and well groomed eyebrows. Beautifully shaped eyebrows draw attention to your eyes, and make your facial features pop. You want people to focus on your eyes, and having a well groomed brow will do that, as it sets up a frame for your entire face. Your eyebrows alone can make you look more sophisticated and elegant.  They can change your entire look.

Now, knowing this, I have certainly spent many times having my brows shaped, and waxed and plucked, but to tell you the truth, I’ve never been happy with them. I’ve always wanted those supermodel brows, but with my sparse follicles, they were never meant to be.  My brow shapers just kept them in the non-direction that they were growing. Not that I was expecting those Brooke Shields mega bushy brows, but I wanted something with a little more oomph.  As I’ve aged, not only have I gotten less hair, but the small arches that I had were losing their arch, almost becoming comas and not lifting up my features, actually turning them down. I wasn’t happy with them.

At a beauty function that I had attended last month, I zeroed in on a woman that I met.  She had brows to die for! You couldn’t help admire them, and the way they set off her face, you couldn’t help but stare.  “Julie, I have just got to tell you that I love, LOVE your eyebrows…..where do you get them done?”  She points across the room…..”Mary did them, of course.”  Mary, being Mary Schook, the Celebrity Beauty Engineer who not only has been featured countless times in the press for her innovative anti-aging techniques and advanced beauty discoveries, but is the owner of M.S. Apothecary (www.msapothecary.com).

Not that I was overly surprised that Mary had done her brows.  Mary had been hosting many events before the holidays at her pop-up store (more on her wonderful treats in upcoming blogs).  She also had a cult-like (and I mean that in a good way!!) clientele. It was easy to see why! Figuring that I had nothing to lose, I asked Mary if it was possible to do something with my brows, expecting of course to hear that there was not much I could do.  She analyzed me, and asked whether I had plucked my brows, or if they just stopped growing.  Just stopped growing, unfortunately.  She studied me some more. “You have good brows, you just need more hair, and then we can re-train them into a different shape.  Check with your doctor to see if it is okay for you to take Biotin and we’ll see what that does for growth.”

Biotin is a coenzyme and a B vitamin, sometimes referred to as vitamin H, and is a vitamin supplement for healthy hair, nails and scalp.  I started taking 10 mg a day and I started to get more hair growth.  Granted it took a couple of weeks, but how happy was I that I would now be able to have Mary do her magic and start training my brows to grow into a more flattering shape.

It is important to remember as you age, your face changes shape.  It is important to access your brow shape every couple of years, and still see if it works for you, making you look the best that you can be.  Finding a brow master really isn’t that difficult. Find someone whose brows you admire and ask them who they use.  While the “chop shops” of waxing may be convenient, waxing a brow is not a good thing. It stretches the skin. Tweezing or threading (an upcoming blog as well) is your best bet. Talk to your brow master, let her know what you would like, are you hoping for something natural? Will it work with your face shape? While following trends may be good in some beauty routines, in the case of your brows, NOT following the trends is better.  Find what works best for your face.  If you have sparse brows like mine, the “thick and bushy” won’t work.  Likewise for those blessed with the Brooke Shields brows, tweezing them pencil thin probably isn’t going to be your best look either.

One important item to remember if you are changing and re-training your brows is to allow your brow master plenty of time.  The hair is being removed one at a time.  Tweezers, brushes, and brow razors all the tools of a brow master! They know that even if one wrong hair is accidently removed that it will change the look of the brow. Give them the time to work their magic! You will be happy that you did!

Personally, I am loving my new look. I know that it will take awhile to get them to where I want them to be.  However, working with Mary will get them on their way.  I too, am now a happy member of her cult!