REVIEW | Benefit Brow Bar

Whenever I'm going on holiday, I always come up with a to-do list that I stick to religiously. Admittedly, this list is normally composed of clothes to purchase and beauty regimes to undertake... and these items tend to come before the more adult tasks like exchanging currency and purchasing insurance - but it works, okay? One of the tasks on the list, and probably the most important to me, after purchasing insurance, of course, is getting my eyebrows waxed and tinted.

It seems like a task that shouldn't really have that high an importance, but myself and my eyebrows have a love/hate relationship that dates back to an incident when I was around 14 years old and got a bit too carried away with a pair of tweezers. Six years later, and I just can't do them myself! I also like being able to sit by the pool without a full face of make-up, so the ability to tint them is also a god-send for me.

Knowing I was heading away, I booked myself in to the Benefit brow bar at House of Fraser in Glasgow (I've been to a few now, and it's definitely my favourite location!). Normally I'd have phoned up or called in, but I noticed that there was a new online booking service available - I say "new", I'm not sure how long it's been there for to be honest! Probably just an oversight on my behalf! It was so, so much easier than having to search for the number and extension code; plus, not only does it offer a list of available times, but it also allows you to choose who you want to do your waxing! I wasn't fussed about that, so I opted for it to choose at random.

Due to my student financial status, I hadn't been able to call in for a couple of months, so my brows were in desperate need of being attended to (I actually didn't realise how bad they'd got until I took the photos!); this was the state they were in beforehand, without make-up:

                    

I never leave the house without drawing in my eyebrows, though, so this is what they normally look like; I didn't get this photo in the same light as before, so they've ended up looking a little bit neater! Still needing maintenance though:

                

When I arrived at the bar, there was a number of people waiting to be served. I love having a look around anyway though so having to wait five minutes didn't bother me! Eventually I got called over, and the fabulous Emma set to work!

One thing I love about this particular Benefit location is the fact that the girls who work there genuinely seem like they enjoy talking to customers. They're all so, so friendly - I've never felt like they're having to make conversation just because it's their job. I also love that they offer advice on make-up techniques, but never push for you to purchase beyond what you're there for. I keep making jokes about my finances as a student, but I genuinely don't have the funds to be able to afford new products on a whim, so the fact that they're not fussed about extra sales really puts me at ease.

It's become apparent in past waxing sessions that I'm a ridiculously flinchy person... Like, the wax will only just be getting applied and I'm already squirming, it's that bad. I've had times before where whoever's been doing them has actually had to stop and give me tips on how to relax; but this time, I can honestly say that I didn't even really notice any pain just because Emma had managed to reassure me. It turned out that she'd waxed a few of my friends who were going on holiday with me in the last few days, so we ended up chatting about that for most of the time!

Knowing I was going to be in the sun in the days following, she also made sure I had advice on aftercare to ensure I didn't cause any damage to the area. I love a place that cares just as much about after you leave as they do about you while you're in their responsibility!

So, this was the finished result - bear in mind, she had only applied concealer around the areas where there was a bit of redness (also really bad for that!); the only product on my brows here is the tint she'd applied beforehand:

*To anyone who noticed - I KNOW. I'm just as annoyed that I took a photo of the one brow for this, it upset my love of patterns too*

I absolutely adore my eyebrows after getting them waxed and tinted with Benefit, and this trip was no exception. I managed about three weeks before I had to start giving them attention again, which is pretty decent for me given that I'm forever finding strays! Being able to go that little while without having to worry about dealing with them is so fab. I admit that I've seen a couple of mixed reviews from people, but I 100% think it's worth the £21.50!

Positivity

I've been considering writing this post for a good while now, and despite setting up my laptop numerous times, I just couldn't find the words to even start anything. Not for a lack of anything to actually say, but more so just because I haven't really known how to capture my thoughts and write them down recently. 

I had a pretty difficult time growing up in the way of confidence and self-esteem and whatnot, and upon leaving high school, moving away and starting university, these problems slowly started to fade. I was really happy and comfortable with myself for the first time since I'd become a teenager, and things were good. But things change, and after a series of these changes, this feeling of self-doubt started creeping back up on me. And as time went on, it grew into something that even dwarfed the way I felt all those years ago in school. 

I suppose I figured that when you hit your 20s, your problems as a teenager disappear. No more self-loathing, lack of confidence... You're an adult, and you have everything under control. So the day I found myself uncontrollably crying in the library, panicking at the thought of submitting work I wasn't ready to submit, it knocked me quite a bit. And soon it had all spiralled out of control, and it became even worse than my teenage years. I'd messed everything up; I'd made so many mistakes, and now I was left to deal with the consequences. I let myself slowly become a victim of my own hatred, and I began to hide myself away more and more.

This continued for weeks, and throughout it all, I was constantly determined to write something. I was aware that about two months had passed since my last post, and it infuriated me to no end. But every time I sat by myself, I couldn't bear it. So many thoughts ran through my head when I tried, and none of them were good. Knowing I couldn't do the one thing that I felt I had control over was killing me, and even though I was always making promises that I'd write by the end of the week or whatever, I knew deep down that it was a big ask for myself.

I wrote this post today. Two months on, I've managed to sit down, and harness all my feelings and energy and emotions and write this post. And to be honest, I don't actually know where I'm going with it... but I suppose I never really do. What I do know is that I'm on the way up. A better up this time. I'm not forcing myself to get on with it, I'm not pushing myself to get out there and make a change - I'm just being positive.

I know; it's cliche as hell, and I'd always roll my eyes when I would get told to "just think positive". But taking the time out to just stop, focus and evaluate everything from a new viewpoint really genuinely has helped. I've made some radical changes in my life - some good, some bad. Some of them, I know I'll have regrets about. Maybe that's another story for a different day; but for the most part, things are getting good again. I've just finished my first week in an internship for the summer which I've loved so far. I've also got a degree! My exam results came through on Friday and I've now got a degree with merit in BA International Business, which to be honest has really caught me out given that my coursework hand-ins and exams all fell in the same timeframe as this period - I'd already accepted the idea of doing re-sits. I've decided to stay on for another year to gain an honours in the field, which is a challenge I'm actually now excited for. My self-confidence has slowly started to return, and I've been incredibly lucky and blessed to have had this occur.

I don't even know how to end this post, given that I didn't have a clue what to actually say in the first place. I suppose my main point is, life can get rubbish. It can be really, really cruel, and sometimes it doesn't look like it'll ever let up. But there's still beauty in the world, and even the smallest of things can distract you from the dark times. It's a big place, and there's so much more out there than the issues that are coming at you from all angles - but letting them get to you and force you to stay hidden away will only stop you from experiencing it. Set small goals, push boundaries, talk to people you wouldn't have usually talked to. Wake up early and make the most of a full day, take time out to reflect on what you have and what you should be grateful for. Believe in yourself. Be positive. ♡