I’m Really Much More Talented with My Mouth Than That. Or, How I Got My Eyebrows Threaded.

Eyes. That’s the first thing I notice about someone. Their eyes. I think every woman is beautiful when she has eyes that just sparkle and they tell her story. When I talk with a woman, I stare into her eyes. The term “eye contact” goes deeper for me in conversation and I can be very intense with the eye contact I give. But it’s only because I’m mesmerized by the subtle flecks and color nuances that make up the realm of that woman’s life.

I also smile with my eyes.

Now, I’m not a beauty queen by any standard. I wear minimal makeup and I was never really taught how to groom or apply that makeup. I just somehow learned that along the way. I actually feel naked if I leave the house without at least eyeliner on these days. I just feel that it wakes my eyes up and makes them “pop.”

Even if a woman doesn’t wear a stitch of makeup, there is one thing that I find that can detract from the beauty of her eyes. Her eyebrows. I guess I was taught by girlfriends in high school about plucking. I did the absolute minimum to just barely shape my eyes and keep me from looking like a bushman. I’m very fortunate in that I have light hair (mostly blonde) and if I miss a few in the plucking that it isn’t a huge deal (unless I’m out in bright sunlight looking in the rearview mirror in my car. Whoa!).

Anyways, a few years ago, I actually got my eyebrows waxed for the first time at my hair salon. Oh. My. God. Why didn’t I do this sooner? I loved the look. I loved the shape. I loved the way it framed my eyes. It doesn’t matter who has done them when I’ve gone in, they always seem to do a great job. I think every woman should try it. I’ve even started bringing my oldest in just to start shaping her brows. They’re starting slowly with her, but she’s liking the look that it is bringing to her face.

So, yesterday, at my hair therapy appointment at the fabulous Bei Capelli in Scarborough, Maine, I tried something different. I had my eyebrows threaded. It’s a technique where they use a piece of string that looks like dental floss to pull the hairs off your face. There’s a twist around some fingers and some of it wraps around their neck. And, like a funky move in Cat’s Cradle, they manage to precisely pull out those pesky brow hairs (or lip or chin hairs).

Envisioning my entire brow being pulled off and left with nothing but skin where I forever have to draw a clown brow on, I was a little hesitant. But, I know the women who work there and I chose to have confidence in the ability of our sex. There is more of a pampering involved in the treatment, too. A warm towel softens the hairs, then a fine powder is applied that actually helps them see what needs to be removed. The first thing you’ll notice is a zip-zip sound. Sort of like walking down the school halls as a kid in wide wale cords. I don’t think the threading hurts like the waxing (which I’m not sure it really hurts, it’s just the build up and waiting to feel a sudden yank of hairs coming out of your delicate skin.)

See, it looks a bit like the game Cat's Cradle?

The one thing that I wasn’t expecting was that threading is interactive. I had to actually use one or two hands to help pull the skin around my eyes taught for proper brow hair removal. It was fine. No problem. The fun part came when I had to make the skin taught around my upper lip. Now, I’ve never had any waxing or anything done in that area (remember the blonde thing I mentioned?), so this was interesting. But, I’m thinking a woman with a ‘stache isn’t high up on my list of who I’d date. So, why be that woman?

Lakahna, my fabulous stylist, told me to put my tongue over in my cheek so she could work on my upper lip. I looked at her and laughed. Yea, right. “Like you have a lollipop in your cheek,” she said. I moved my tongue. Nothing happened. She modeled again exactly what I was supposed to do. It wasn’t happening. She modeled it again and looked at me like I had three heads. I laughed so hard I was almost crying. So, here’s where I need to explain that I wasn’t born with the ability to curl my tongue. My oldest can curl hers even two and three folds. Yea, no. Not me. My tongue is very talented and coordinated when it’s outside my mouth, but that is a post for another day. Inside my mouth, it does the basic whatever-it-needs-to-do things. Seriously, I’m surprised that I just don’t bite it more with my lack of coordination. After asking for a mirror, I figured out what I needed to do.

The fabulous, Lakahna, at Bei Capelli. Plus, her name is just fun to say.

Took modeling and the mirror again by Lakahna to do the other side, but I was getting it down. Then came the part where I had to curl my top lip in and make it all taut. Lakahna modeled that for me. Oh God, help me. I would describe that as the equivalent of Angry Librarian or Angry Teacher face. I don’t make that face. Ever. My lips don’t know how to do much more than smile. Really. We don’t make those faces in my world of fluffy bunnies and happy rainbows. More modeling and more looking in the mirror and I got it down. Phew!

I have to say that I was very, very impressed with how everything came out. I keep feeling my face and am amazed at how smooth it is. Who knew I had that many hairs there before? And, I like the shape of my eyebrows. No clown-penciling for me, thank goodness. So, go out and beautify yourself. Wax your eyebrows if you haven’t and if you’d like to try something new, go for the threading. Just practice your tongue exercises on the way.

@Ybbeige

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