Scotsman Magazine: August 2012

Frame your face with a luxury brows and lashes treatment

There’s something about summer that brings out the low maintenance woman in me. Actually, who am I kidding? I’m low maintenance all year round. But what with the limited amount of sun just begging to be soaked up, not to mention all that toe nail-painting, leg waxing and fake-tanning malarkey that generally comes into play when the sun hoves into view, anything that can save hours and effort has to be a good thing.

The eyebrows were the big make-up story of this season’s catwalks. There were strong brows at Derek Lam, Thakoon, Proenza Schouler and Altuzarra.And don’t get me started on Miranda Kerr rocking those crystallised brows at Chanel. Get them right and they frame the face perfectly and take years off you; get eyebrows wrong and you might as well adopt a floppy fringe and a big hat as your look.

But pencilling them in every day is a delicate, labour intensive operation that requires patience and a steady hand. We don’t want to end up with a Scouse brow, after all, those nasty black slugs that creep across the forehead, a look made famous by WAGs and TOWIE and any other low rent acronym you care to mention.

HD Brows (it stands for high definition) are the latest name in high-end brow bars. First, my unruly hairs are trimmed, plucked (apparently it’s an old wives’ tale that you should never pluck from above the brow), waxed and threaded into shape. Then they’re dyed, giving them definition but not a solid colour. They stand out, but they don’t take over my face.

As part of my Glamour Eyes package, my lashes are also attended to, courtesy of LVL Lash Lift (that’s length, volume and lift). Lying back, all traces of make-up are removed and a small silicone pad placed on my lids. Then a series of three serums is applied – first, a bonding gel, to seal my lashes to the pad; a lifting lotion to give the lashes a slight curl up and out; followed by a volumiser to give the impression of thicker, more luscious lashes.

While these various lotions and potions are working their magic I relax, first with a hand and arm massage, then a neck and shoulder rub.The whole shebang is then removed with a gentle cleanser and, as I open my eyes, they really do look brighter, more wide awake, my lashes appearing longer and darker. Unlike the lash perming of days gone by, they are not curled back on themselves, nor are they frizzy at the ends. All I have to do is keep them dry for the next ten hours to ensure the curl sets. Combined with the brows, it’s enough to make me look almost presentable with no make-up on at all. The results last up to six weeks, and by then you’ll be hooked on the low-maintenance look.

RUTH WALKER
Zen has three salons in Edinburgh, at 9 Bruntsfield Place (tel: 0131-447 3535), 2-3 Teviot Place (tel: 0131-226 6777) and 84 Hanover Street (tel: 0131-225 7009); www.staging.zen-lifestyle.flywheelsites.com