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Does brow lamination actually work? I decided to find out for myself

WORDS BY CAIT EMMA BURKE

A deep dive into the brow treatment of the moment.

I have two close friends who are as obsessed as I am with all things beauty. When we get together, the conversation invariably descends into raving product reviews and an in-depth discussion about new skincare trends. It ends with one of us imploring the other to purchase a pricey face mask or undergo a treatment that’s changed our lives. We’re not hyperbolic at all, obviously.

So when they both started sporting suspiciously lush, fluffy, high definition yet natural-looking brows, it took me all of thirty seconds to find out who did them and why they looked so incredible.

As it turns out, Jaymee McGowan, the owner of Melbourne-based brow studio Brow House, is the woman behind their impressive-looking eyebrows. The technique Jaymee uses is a fairly new-ish one in Australia, called brow lamination, and she was one of the first beauticians in Australia to popularise it.

My curiosity was piqued when my friends confirmed that they weren’t wearing any products at all in their brows – thanks to brow lamination, all you need to do is brush your brows in place each day with a spoolie and they stay put, no gel or soap necessary.

With several beach holidays looming (which means no makeup and certainly no time to fill in and gel my brows each day), I reached out to Jaymee so I could experience brow lamination for myself.

What is it?

 

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Brow lamination is essentially a straightening treatment for your eyebrow hairs. It breaks the bonds of the hairs which allows them to be manipulated into a new shape and makes them appear much fuller and fluffier.

“I first saw brow lamination on Instagram, I think from a salon in the UK in September 2019. I can remember texting my partner instantly something along the lines of ‘I’ve just stumbled across a treatment that’s going to change the game’. I knew I needed to learn and offer this service as soon as possible,” Jaymee tells me.

She started offering it as a service in her salon in late 2019, becoming one of the first salons in Melbourne to offer the treatment. The results of brow lamination – and Jaymee’s client’s reactions – speak for themselves.

“People are going crazy for lamination because they are finally getting their dream brows. First time clients often squeal in delight when they see their new brows for the first time as they never believed they could look that way,” she says.

Why’s it so popular?

Brow lamination is seriously popular – so much so, that Jaymee informed me she is solidly booked out for several months straight. “Brow Lamination took off from the second I advertised it. It is so popular and has not slowed down – if anything it’s becoming more in demand the more people start to learn about it. My business is predominately brow lamination, typically booked out two to three months in advance,” she reveals.

The low key nature of the treatment and the minimal upkeep required to keep them looking great for up to six weeks plays a large part in its popularity, as does the treatment’s ability to turn sparse brows into full, natural-looking ones.

My experience

 

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Her studio in Richmond is intimate and inviting, and Jaymee herself is lovely and clearly incredibly well-versed in the world of eyebrows (she possesses a very lovely pair of brows, which is to be expected from someone spending this much time with them).

I told her I wanted natural but full brows – nothing overly block-like or intensely bushy – and showed her a few examples of photos I liked on the Brow House Instagram. The procedure itself was relatively painless and very straightforward.

Firstly a cream was applied to help lift the hairs up, then they were brushed up into a uniform vertical direction. A heated neutraliser was then applied to seal the brows into place, followed by a nourishing oil. I also had a tint and a wax, because my brows hadn’t been tended to by a professional since the beginning of lockdown, but if you would rather just straight lamination, you can opt for that.

The whole procedure took around 35 to 40 minutes, and once it was over I looked at my brows and was absolutely bamboozled by how amazingly full they looked. I have fairly run of the mill brows – they’ve never been anything impressive, but they do the job – but post brow lamination, they looked the best I imagine they’ll ever look.

I didn’t know this type of fullness could be achieved for me without some serious brow gel and pencil application, and I’ve absolutely loved being able to skip that step of my routine each day.

Something that’s important to remember is that post lamination, it’s essential you don’t wet your brows for 24 hours as you need to let them properly ‘set’, so to speak. After the first 24 hours, you’ll need to apply castor oil to the hairs every day or two, which ensures they don’t dry out and prevents damage.

After that, all you need to do is brush your brows into your desired shape each morning and that’s where they’ll stay – seriously, they set better from brow lamination than when I use an actual heavy-duty brow product.

Would I do it again?

A thousand times yes. My brows have never looked better, I’ve saved time and money on expensive brow products, I’ve felt more confident than ever going makeup-free over summer and more than anything, I’m obsessed with the fullness and shape brow lamination has given me.

If your interest has been piqued, the only thing standing in your way might be getting an appointment with Jaymee anytime soon. But if my results are anything to go by, she’s well worth the wait.

browhousemelbourne.setmore.com

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