...never stays in Vegas. JEANNE TAI spills the beans on a flashy blockbuster brow collection that was unveiled in Sin City.
...never stays in Vegas. JEANNE TAI spills the beans on a flashy blockbuster brow collection that was unveiled in Sin City.
Above: David Blaine looks like he needs brow help! Below: Me, with crazy sunnies atop my head, funning it.
DAY 1: A HUSH-HUSH AFFAIR
I am dying. Not from the prospect of a 24-hour flight to Las Vegas, but from the smog of secrecy that shrouds American brand Benefit’s press junket. At Changi Airport, we journalists are given strict instructions on what we can post on social media: nothing. No Instagram photos, no mention of the products, not even a whisper of the product names on Facebook. We aren’t even given an itinerary, lest some journalist blabs and the news spreads faster than a Taylor Swift album leak. So I cling desperately to the only morsel of information I have, like a Vegas showgirl to her sequinned brassiere: It’s a brow collection. It’s going to be big. It’s going to be bold. Kind of like Vegas.
DAY 2: YEAR OF THE BROW
The party Benefit throws to welcome journalists is a pink-drenched bash with sexy dancers, a jazz band and a free flow of cocktails. Magician David Blaine even makes an appearance, treating us to an exclusive performance! The combination of booze, Blaine and an open bar leaves some journalists flushed and giggly, but there’s one constant in all the tipsy wefies taken: perfect eyebrows. Which shouldn’t come as a surprise really, since the bar for brows has been raised progressively over the years.
As early as 2013, model Cara Delevingne started a craze for a bold, bushy pair. Shortly after, South Korean stars made thick and straight the style of choice in East Asia and beyond. Then there’s Kim Kardashian, whose arches are so famously on fleek, they put McDonald’s golden ones to shame. “The demand for brow products is exploding,” shares Julie Bell, executive vice-president of global marketing at Benefit.
“Girls are using them as part of their daily routine, which didn’t happen before.” Could it be that we’ve reached a point where a beautiful set of brows is a non-negotiable part of grooming, much like waxing the bikini line or touching up the roots is? As if in answer to my unvoiced question, Julie declares: “I won’t even go to the curb to get my newspapers if I don’t have my brows on!”
Pretty in pink at a poolside lunch hosted by Benefit.
DAY 3: MORNING: THE BIG REVEAL
Today, Benefit finally unveils the collection. There are nine products, three of which are existing items that boast new colours or design tweaks. These include Gimme Brow ($42, right), a brow volumising gel, and Brow Zings ($56), an eyebrow shaping kit. The remaining six are new, and include Goof Proof Brow Pencil ($42), Browvo! Conditioning Primer ($49) and Ka-Brow! ($42). Designed for brow noobs, the first gives moderate colour payoff , letting you build up to your ideal shade, while the second is both a primer and a brow conditioner, thanks to a formula packed with keratin and soya proteins. Fans of the Instagram brow will love the last, a cream-gel that gives bold, dramatic arches. By mid-day, some overexcited journalists have leaked the news on social media. So much for “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas...”
AFTERNOON: BROW POLICE
I spend the rest of the afternoon chatting with Benefit spokespersons. When I ask what inspired the brand’s holistic brow collection, Maggie Ford Danielson, daughter of brand cofounder Jean Ford and global beauty authority at Benefit, replies: “There weren’t a lot of brow products out there. Every brand had one or two brow products – a pencil here and there, or a powder – but they weren’t necessarily innovative.” So an in-house special task force was formed, and it worked on developing the collection for three whole years. “Brows are here to stay,” declares Maggie, who adds that asking a woman to stop grooming her brows is like asking her to “stop using mascara”. By the end of the day, I’ve become a bit of a brow police. While lounging at the hotel’s pool, I eyeball everyone’s arches, assessing shape, definition and colour. I overhear another journalist say: “You know how people make eye contact? I now make brow contact.” She took the words out of my mouth!
MY FAVES FROM THE COLLECTION
1. Precisely, My Brow Pencil, $42.
This ultra-fine pencil, which I like for its good colour payoff and the thin, precise strokes it creates, has become my everyday staple. In six hues.
2. 3D Browtones, $42.
Think of this as a tool for creating highlights for your brows. It adds colour, contrast and a subtle pearlescent sheen, and can be worn alone or over other brow products. Unlike the brand’s Gimme Brow, a coloured volumising gel, this has a mini wand that dispenses colour only onto the brow hairs, not the skin, so you get less unwanted smudges. In two colours.
3. High Brow Glow, $39.
I use this highlighting pencil above and below my arches to “lift” them, and to conceal stray hairs. I like the creamy and blendable colour, and unlike the existing High Brow pencil, which is a light pink, this champagne shade works better on darker skin.
