Diary of a Bridal Beauty Guinea Pig – Part 1 – Eyebrow Waxing

Every bride-to-be wants to look her very best for her big day and we all know that a little special pampering goes a long way to making you look and feel amazing. So, I set out to try all the very latest in bridal beauty treatments, from eyebrow waxing to spray tanning – all in the name of Confetti!

Image courtesy of Pam Wrigley

Beauty therapist, Caroline Anthony of Aloe Body in Portishead, Bristol, kindly agreed to give me a thorough bridal beauty makeover so I can tell you honestly what each treatment is like in terms of how it feels and what the results look like.

I begin with bluey-white skin, uneven nails and overgrown eyebrows and am hoping to emerge a tanned, manicured beauty (tall order but ever the optimist!)

The Eyebrow Wax

I was, until last year, as waxing virgin. I’m quite a coward when it comes to beauty treatments (I no longer use my epilady as it just hurts too much!) Last summer I finally plucked (if you’ll forgive the pun!) up the courage to have my eyebrows waxed for the first time. I have pale skin and bushy dark eyebrows so it was a very necessary procedure I had been managing myself for years but always felt I should really have done professionally.

Unfortunately last summer I went to a lady who really did not do a good job and painfully turned my slightly arched eyebrows into shapes not seen since the 1940s. I looked like a cross between my nan and a ventriloquist dummy. It was not a good look! She also broke the cardinal rule of waxing, I have since found out, as she went over the same area more than once, in fact over and over again until my poor bruised eyebrows remained red and swollen for the next 48hrs after. Since that experience I have steered well clear of that sadistic lady and of waxing in general, until now.

Caroline reassures me that she is very gentle when it comes to waxing and that she never goes over the same area twice so I won’t end up with bruised eyebrows like last time. She also tells me that it won’t hurt! I’m so cynical; I think she’s just being nice now.

I lie down on the white leather salon bed and she paints on the warm wax, asking me if the temperature is ok for me; it is. She checks with me how much of my shape I want to keep and how much eyebrow I would like to lose. She then smoothes the strips over the wax and I flinch in anticipation. She very nicely suggests I shouldn’t flinch and that it won’t hurt. She’s right and I’m surprised – it honestly doesn’t hurt and I am very pleased (and admittedly relieved!) with the results. My eyebrows just look neat and tidy and a better version of their natural selves.

The Verdict: Quick, easy, painless and with brilliant results. Well worth doing.

Eyebrow waxing lasts about 15 minutes and costs £5.50 at Aloe Body in Bristol. Prices vary across salons and areas.

My next treatment booked is a microdermabrasion facial. I’m scared…

Read more great Confetti Health & Beauty advice here!