Extensions Gave Me the Eyebrows of My Dreams

POPSUGAR Photography | Elysia Berman
POPSUGAR Photography | Elysia Berman

Polished eyebrows can completely transform the look of your face, which is why they are an important part of any beauty regimen. Gone are the days of overtweezing and frequent waxes: the bold brow trend is here to stay — with treatments favoring a flair for the dramatic. These days simple tools like brow pencils, powder, and wax are being replaced by transplants, wigs, and extensions. That's right: eyebrow extensions are now a thing, and as someone with brows that are on the sparse side, I couldn't wait to give them a try.

When I arrived at my brow extensions appointment with Courtney Buhler, the founder of SugarLash, I was ready to be transformed — and have a step eliminated from my AM routine. Defining my brows with my Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz each morning is a given, and the thought of leaving the house without applying my go-to product felt odd. However, the excitement for the final result outweighed any other feelings by a mile.

Buhler explained she became interested in brow extensions after working with a woman who was undergoing chemotherapy and experiencing hair loss. Brow extensions are also ideal for women suffering from alopecia who want natural brows for a special occasion, like a wedding.

Elysia Berman

After taking a quick look at my brows, Buhler warned me we would be doing lots of trimming, and I quickly learned that trimming my brows would give them an instantly fuller look. I think at some point, when I was determined my brows could grow to Cara Delevingne proportions with sheer will, I read the opposite. Usually a regular at-home trimmer and professional waxing addict, I've started to ignore the stray hairs in favor of a bushier look (if you could even call it that).

Elysia Berman

Next, Buhler measured and marked up my brows, making sure everything aligned properly. My natural brow shape complements my face quite nicely — as every aesthetician I've ever met loves to inform me — but Buhler promised she could take them to the next level, like Megan Fox level. As you can see in my before photo, my brows are more curved and less angular. When Buhler asked if I was open to a tint, my immediate response was, "Why, of course." She informed me it would just make it look like I already applied powder, creating an extra illusion of fullness.

Elysia Berman

As Buhler explaied the steps of the treatment, she emphasized how important exfoliation is. Exfoliation is not my strong suit, and my eyebrows regularly (and annoyingly) flake, so I welcomed the scrubbing.

As I was lying on the table, busy absorbing the constant flow of tips from Buhler and envisioning my brand-new brows, I let my imagination run wild. I pictured lifting my head to find my brows looking more like Olga's from "Hey Arnold" and less Cara Delevingne, which to be honest, doesn't sound like a bad outcome. Buhler says she was just increasing my volume around 25 percent and to expect my "new brows" to look very much like my own brows but better. Natural but enhanced. I passed on the offer to pump them up to Delevingne proportions and experienced instant pangs of regret after leaving. Like, severe pangs. Nonetheless, behold. Eyebrow extensions are glorious and life changing.

The entire procedure only took around 45 minutes and the brow hairs, I discovered as they fell off, really did resemble my real brow hairs. They camouflaged themselves well. Because I have eyebrows, the majority of the hairs added were glued to already existing hairs, and just a few were glued directly to the skin. I was told the faux hairs glued to my real hairs would last around a week and the hairs applied to the skin anywhere from one to three days. The tint lasted around a week as well, leaving me feeling like Cinderella at midnight once my seven days were up.

To make the treatment last as long as possible, I was given a special cleanser to gently pat onto my brows, but I kept my skin-care routine normal otherwise. Oil breaks down the glue bonds, which is part of the reason why the extensions only last around a week. Obviously, instructions not to pick or itch were given, and I am proud to say I followed the rules this time.