My Visit To The Benefit Brow Bar

I recently made my very first visit to a Benefit Brow Bar. Having never visited one before I had no idea what to expect. I approached the Benefit Brow Bar in at Myer with caution as I wanted to suss things out before I committed to the experience.

The first thing I noticed was that there was a hive of activity around the Brow Bar. There seemed to be people everywhere both on seats and looking at products. I thought this was a positive sign but continued to lurk in the background trying to take as much in as possible.

Finally I was busted by a Benefit Staff Member who asked if there was anything they could help me with. I explained I wanted a brow shape and before I knew it my bum was on a hot pink seat and I was holding a hot pink mirror in my hand.

The first part of the process at a Benefit Brow Bar is to sign in. You sign your name in a book which puts you in order of waiting line. In my case there was no waiting time at all and I was taken straight to a Brow Station. The next step is to discuss whether you want your brows waxed or shaped using tweezers. They will also offer you a tinting service. A general brow shape using wax costs $25 or $30 for a shape using tweezers with no wax. Your service also includes a full mini makeover at the conclusion of your service.

The first thing I noticed was how clean everything looked at all the stations. There were bottles of alcohol and hand sanitiser everywhere. All sets of tweezers were all removed from sterile bags and every brow pencil was sharpened again after use on a client. This was all very important to me. The staff were also beautifully presented in their black and hot pink outfits.

In total about 15 to 20 minutes was spent waxing and shaping my brows. My consultant was extremely friendly and made me feel instantly at ease with her. She talked to me like a best girlfriend all the way through my brow shape. She did a great job of my brows and they were immaculately groomed at the end of my consultation. I was extremely happy with the brow shape provided.

However I sensed from the time I entered the Benefit Brow Bar that I was going to have Benefit products pushed onto me throughout the entire service. My hunch was spot on. Being very familiar with the Benefit brand and owning quite a lot of their products didn't seem to help me much because despite owning most products my consultant tried to sell me everything that I didn't have regardless of whether it suited me or not!

In the end it became quite uncomfortable. Every product she suggested she proceeded to collect from the stock cupboard and put in a pile for me to purchase at the end. I was sitting there thinking to myself ''how the heck am I going to get out of buying this stuff''! I ended up buying over $300 worth of product from the Benefit Brow Bar, some things I really love but others I certainly didn't need or even want for that matter.

My Mum also decided to get her Brows shaped and tinted so I had to wait around for her. To my horror despite having just had my brows done and purchasing $300 in products I had the very same girl that shaped my brows as well as two other Benefit girls trying to get me to buy more products. It even got down to them trying to bribe me with Gifts With Purchase if I purchased more items. It made me very uncomfortable in the end.

Overall I was really happy with the level of technical service given to me at the Benefit Brow Bar. These girls certainly know what they are doing when it comes to shaping brows. The entire team is incredibly friendly (there were about 11 girls working there on this day probably as it was so close to Christmas). I love that you don't need to book, you simply turn up and wait your turn which is so convenient. A little tip I was given was to avoid turning up between 5 and 6.30pm because that's when a lot of people finish work and it gets ridiculously busy.

However I must admit that I was turned off by the pushy sales assistants. They really put the hard sell on me as far as products were concerned and trying to get out of buying their suggested products that I didn't want was rather embarrassing and uncomfortable.

Benefit Brow Bars also offer services such as Body Waxing and False Lash Application.

Note: I am not sponsored by Benefit Brow Bars and all opinions are my own.

I'm Back With A Haul!

Hey everyone. Sorry for the long absence and lack of posting. I have been interstate on a little Christmas Shopping expedition and as it is the silly season things have been rather busy with Christmas parties to attend and shopping to be done. I have also been a little unwell and have had quite a bit of trouble with my Diabetes. Thankfully now I seem to be making some headway with that and appear to be on the right track.

I had a blast whilst I was away. I did some great shopping and caught up with some gorgeous friends and family. I ate at some amazing places also.

Unfortunately I can't show you any major purchases until after Christmas because my major purchases were bought for me as gifts and I have been asked not to reveal them until after December 25th. Rest assured I won't keep you in the dark and will be showing you my gorgeous gifts after Christmas! Yay for designer handbags I say!

I purchased a couple of things, little Christmas Gifts for myself whilst I was away that you might be interested in. What am I talking about, of course you'll be interested this is a blog for complete beauty junkies like me after all.

What is it that makes taking a look at other peoples hauls that makes us so happy? Is it living vicariously through others or more just getting a thrill that someone else is as mental as you are about pretty beauty products?

Without further ado here is my little haul of beauty loot from my recent trip:

Benefit So Hooked On Carmella Fragrance (30ml for $59.95) - This is my third bottle of this fragrance. I absolutely love it. As my regular readers will know I am a sucker for anything sweet smelling or gourmand. This fragrance has a gorgeous vanilla oriental type scent. The packaging is darling and looks like a little cocktail shaker (as do all the Benefit Crescent Row fragrances). This makes such a cute gift that I picked a couple up for friends!

Benefit They're Real Mascara ($38) - I haven't used this yet but I am so excited to give it a try as I have heard such amazing things about it. I will definitely review it after I give it a try!

Benefit Glam Therefore I am Palette ($69) - This is a Limited Edition set for the Holidays. This palette took my eye and I ended up buying it for the cuteness factor. I love the little mini sized Girl Meets Pearl and Bad Gal Mascara. Also a purchasing point was the limited edition face powder/highlighter combo. I love Benefit's Life On The A-List Gloss and who doesn't want another four eye shadows to add to their ten million others? Whether I end up using this will be a question to be determined in the coming weeks! I always buy things like this and put them away and forget to use them.

Benefits Ticket To Glossy Town Mini Lip Gloss Set ($49) - Another of Benefit's Limited Edition offerings for the holidays this set contains six of Benefit's best selling lip gloss shades.

Benefit Instant Brow Pencil in Light ($38) - Nothing special about this just a dark blonde brow pencil with a brush on the end to work through the product.

L'Occitane Almond Apple Cleansing Oil ($39.95 for 200ml) - This cleansing oil has been discontinued to my absolute horror! It is my favourite cleansing oil! I was horrified when I learned it had been discontinued but thankfully a L'Occitane store I visited had a supply stashed away and I was able to get hold of one.

Benefit Powderflage - This is a powder light reflecting concealer from Benefit. I was given this as a Gift With Purchase.

Soap and Glory Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser ($36.95) - This is a deep pore cleanser that is deeply purifying. It contains essential oils and comes with a muslin cloth.

Mor Marshmallow Perfume ($69.95) and Scented Candle ($20) - Mor's Marshmallow range has been a long time favourite of mine. If you like musk you will love this scent. I was lucky enough to find the candles in a factory outlet store so purchased some for my Mum also.

Too Faced Glamour To Go Dream Edition Palette ($32.95) - I get these limited edition palettes from Too Faced every year. Initially I purchased this for a friend but I decided I liked it enough to go and get myself one also. They are awesome little palettes that contain eight eye shadows, a bronzer, blush and lip gloss. They are perfect for travel and the packaging is gorgeous!

Natural Company Duck On A Rope ($14.95) - Is this not the cutest little thing you have ever seen? It is scented with Sicilian Grapefruit and smells amazing. I got these for my God Daughters but couldn't resist one for myself. How cute is this going to look hanging in my shower?

Jelly Belly Travel Candles in a Tin ($12.50 each) - If you didn't know that the Jelly Belly gourmet jelly bean company also make candles to match their jellybeans you do now. These candles smell exactly the same as the flavours of the jellybeans. I got 2 x Blueberry, 1 x Bubblegum and 1 x Crushed Pineapple. The best thing about these candles is that they are calorie free.

M.A.C Creme Color Base in Pink Shock ($36) - This colour is avaialble from M.A.C Pro only. It is an amazing bright pink shade. I will use it on my cheeks and lips.

Illamasqua Powder Blush in Nymph ($42) - This is a gorgeous bubblegum bright pink. The Illamasqua packaging is just gorgeous and their products are highly pigmented. I purchased quite a few things from Illamasqua but you will have to wait until after Christmas to see them!

Jo Malone Rosewater and Vanilla Cologne Intense ($230 for 100ml)- This is my second favourite Jo Malone scent. I am absolutely obsessed with Jo Malone fragrances. Come to think of it I must do a post on all my Jo Malone Products. Jo Malone products are not cheap. However they are so unique and special that I can always justify the spend. This is my second bottle of Jo Malone Rosewater and Vanilla. It is very soft and feminine not sickly sweet at all. It lasts a lot longer than the regular line of Jo Malone Scents because it is from the intense range which come in a black bottle as opposed to clear and are more concentrated.

I hope you enjoyed my little Pre-Christmas haul. I am looking forward to sharing my Christmas Haul with all of you!

Note: I am not sponsored by any of the above mentioned brands. All products were purchased by me and all opinions are my own.

Christmas Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations Fluffystuff73 who has won the Pink Powderpuff's Christmas Giveaway! Please e-mail me your address at banjoandmolly@hotmail.com and I will get your package express posted to you next week in plenty of time for Christmas.

For those of you who didn't win, don't stress as I am going to be doing other epic giveaway in the new year! Perhaps even more fabulous than this one!

Cheers

Kxo