When I was a freshman in high school, I was IN LOVE with a boy in my geometry class. And one day he took it upon himself to inform me that I had a unibrow.
WHAT?
First of all, who even DOES that? I mean, did I point out that he was short? NO.
(I mean, it was fairly obvious when we stood up at the end of class. Two years younger and I still had at least four inches on the guy. But I was certainly not rude enough to SAY anything about that fact!)
Anyway, I immediately procured a pair of tweezers and went to town on what was, yes, one united brow.
I haven’t stopped plucking since.
More than once, I have overplucked. Every time, I swear I’ll change. I tell myself to put down the tweezers. But then? Something awful like this happens: a friend says – out of nowhere – “Mary, you have the best eyebrows!”
WHAT?
Well, I can’t let them bush up now, can I?
Once I even took tiny scissors to my unruly brows. And promptly cut a HOLE in my eyebrow. I had to use a combination of clever brow combing and two different brow pencils for MONTHS.
But did that stop me? NO.
You might think I’m crazy, but I pluck my eyebrows Every. Single. Day. I really detest going out in public without lipstick, but I will do it. Go out without plucking, though? No can do.
I’m reading a book right now about Queen Elizabeth’s court and how the women painted their faces white, died their hair red and plucked their eyebrows completely off. I’m not particularly enjoying it, largely because I have 21st century perspective and want to shake the characters. “Quit torturing yourself with lead paint and painful plucking just to make a crazy Queen happy!”
Huh. Wait a minute.
Nah. My eyebrow plucking is nothing like that. Right? Right.
Do you have any beauty rituals that you can’t quit? (And have you ever overplucked your eyebrows?)
OH yes – I have overplucked…then compensated with weird brow “comb-overs” and strange pencil marks. My brows are non-symmetrical and it drives me batty!
I NEVER leave the house without lipstick! But I rarely wear mascara. In my youth I had bad acne and now I’m so grateful for clear skin that I pamper it by cleansing, masking and moisturizing rituals. My neighbor and friend is a dermatologist and she feeds my addiction with random sample tubes and new procedures – loads of fun!
A dermatologist friend to feed your habit? Sweet! And your “brow combover” cracked me up!!
I am currently waiting on one of my eyebrows to grow back in!! I plucked them both too far from the center, and I want them to grow closer together again. However, there is a hole in my left eyebrow that will just NOT fill in. So I’m waiting…and waiting…and waiting… and yes, it’s been months. Fortunately, despite my light brown (my husband argues it’s blonde) hair, I have black (yes black) eyebrows. So I just use my black eyeliner first on my eyebrow, then on my eyes. It’s working splendidly so far.
I feel your pain, sister! But I’m glad to hear that the eyeliner’s working. I hope they grow in quickly anyway!
this post made me giggle!! thanks for sharing it.
:-)
I’m a horrible plucker…I never know what to do so I just go get them waxed. About once every 2 years:(
Every two YEARS?! Well, who am I to judge? If that works for you…! :)
I used to pluck everyday!! However, about 5yrs ago we built a home (which by the way we don’t live in anymore) and did not put closet doors with mirrors on them, you know the ones…anyway the bathroom counters were to wide for me to get really close and personal with my eyebrows and I am not one of those with a separate make-up mirror…so I only plucked what I could see…of course now I am in a house where the mirrors are much closer and let me tell ya…it is scary what has happened, but I kinda am enjoying the simplicity of not fussing over them and trying hard to let it go lest I go back to being “obsessed”!!
Ahhhh, that simplicity must be nice. Whatever you do, don’t turn back! :)
Ugh, I need to pluck more. I am a wimpy baby. I cry when I pluck my eyebrows. I get them waxed occasionally and promise to pluck them after they are “done” to save money… but really walk around with a fury forehead instead. :) I am a bit obsessive about showering. I can skip makeup, throw my hair in a wet pony tail, etc… but I can’t go a day without a shower or two. :)
A shower or two? I need to shower – and wash my hair – every day, too. But I like to draw the line at one. ;)
I treat myself to an eyebrow wax once every 2 weeks. That’s one of the signs of aging that I started noticing several years ago, my eyebrows going crazy! I have these fine little tiny white hairs that refused to be plucked when I try to get’em with the tweezers. Now someone else does it for me and I love it. It takes her 5 minutes tops and I’m so relaxed every time that I almost fall asleep!
Hm. Aging. Boo. :) That reminds me of the very thick, very white hair that I found the other night. It was so white, I swear it was shining! ;)
I’ve totally overplucked. And I’ve also gone waaaaay to long between plucky. And had a friend get in my face once and say “Sarah, you’ve got to pluck your eyebrows, they are awful”. Well, thank you dear friend.
I’ve gotten into the habit of always needed concealer for my eyes. They seem really dark to me {doesn’t help that my skin is so light} and I hate leaving the house without them lightened up with makeup. I will, but only if I have to {and don’t run the chance of bumping into someone I know}.
That is a good – and BRAVE – friend!
Haha, I can so empathize. (Especially the part about being so affected by what people say, good or bad.:) But should we start an intervention for you? ;)
I’m surprised Sally never has! I feel like she’s shaken her head at me so many times where my silly eyebrow obsession is concerned!
You pluck every day? But, how is there anything to pluck each day? I have decent brows and I don’t go for the skinny, sculpted look so I am not a dedicated plucker.
I can go out without eyeliner and mascara but I’d prefer not to. I absolutely must have lip balm with me at all times. You know, just in case.
I’m a hairy person, what can I say? (A hairy, obsessive person…)
One century it’s no eyebrows, some decades it’s thick ones (think Audrey Hepburn), and maybe one day it’ll be the unibrow.
In the past, when people have asked where I get my brows done, I’ve had the pleasure of telling them it’s my only feature that’s perfect right out of the box. Unfortunately, it really is the only one.
Hey, now – one lovely feature is better than none! ;)