The truth about brow lamination

Grazia reports on the latest treatment for fuller, perfectly groomed brows – with not a micro-blading needle in sight

THE SPIEL: The last decade has seen eyebrows become one of beauty’s biggest obsessions. From Kim Kardashian’s super-groomed arches to Cara Delevingne’s brow-stravaganzas. As a result, those of us born before the 1990s have come to regret over-plucking our brows to spindly lines back when it was fashionable (thanks for nothing, Kate Moss), only for them to never fully grow back. And many new treatments have sprung up to meet this demand, from micro-blading, where the brows are tattooed on, to HD brows, where the hairs are tinted and waxed to Insta-perfection.

The latest is brow lamination, which might bring to mind wipe-clean menus in cheap restaurants, but is actually way less weird than it sounds. The process involves lifting each eyebrow hair at the root and setting it using, basically, a perming solution (again, less scary than it sounds). Then the hairs are tinted and brushed into place, to create the illusion of fuller brows.

‘It is all about bushier brows,’ nods brow maestro Shimol Kanuga, who has worked with everyone from Sadie Frost to Maisie Williams. ‘Brow lamination is going to take over 2020. Beauty academies have monthslong waiting lists to train brow technicians in the technique.’

THE REALITY: My brows are quite sparse in places, which I fill in with brow pencil every day. So I have often been tempted by treatments that promise to remove this tedious task from my morning routine, but am put off by the artificial painted-on look of microblading.

I chat through my brow concerns with Shimol at Bangs salon in east London, explaining that I don’t like the exaggerated arch of microblading – I just want a really natural treatment to fill in my gappy brows, and restore them to their pre-plucked glory.

The process takes around 30 minutes and, for extra efficiency, Shimol combines it with an LVL (length, volume, lift) treatment on my lashes. Brow lamination actually has a lot in common with LVL, which uses a similar solution to lift and fix the individual hairs in place. Reclined on a treatment table, the process is painless and even quite relaxing.

A series of products are applied to my brows, including a styling lotion and ‘fixing adhesive’ (which I realise sounds like Pritt Stick but, fear not, the result is soft and natural, not at all rigid and glue-like). Shimol manipulates the individual brow hairs to cleverly conceal any gaps – alternatively, your technician might simply brush them up for that super-groomed look.

Then a brow lamination serum is used, which contains keratin to hydrate and nourish the brow hair.

I did have a slight stinging sensation towards the end when the tint was applied. And, for a few days afterwards, my brows were a bit flaky (I know, gross), perhaps because I didn’t fully follow the aftercare advice. ‘You need to keep your brows dry and away from heat and steam for 24 hours,’ says Shimol firmly. ‘That means no washing your hair or exercising. I also advise brushing your brows daily with a clean spoolie and applying a serum or oil to keep the hair hydrated as the chemicals can dry them out.’

It’s worth it. The result is brows that appear fuller without any make-up and the effect lasts for up to eight weeks.

THE VERDICT: My favourite thing about this treatment is how versatile it is. If you love a brushed-up brow (very now) then you can wake up like that every morning. But if, like me, you prefer a more natural look, simply smooth down the newly-plump hairs with a spoolie and your brows will look great, but no one will be able to put their finger on why. Having spent years drawing in the gaps in my brows, I could finally ditch the pencil. Also, the fact that a brow tint is included makes my brows look altogether more groomed. It wasn’t a dramatic change, but that’s exactly what I was after. Shaving five minutes off the morning routine? Worth every penny.