i recently received a question from a reader who’s about to go international – ooh la la! 

Dear Ms. SMC,

As I head out of the country it is unclear what sort of resourcing I will find in the brow waxing field once I arrive in Switzerland. Any product suggestions to help me keep the brows in check if I have to do it on my own?

~M

one of the worst parts about moving is having to find all new professionals to trust with your home, health and – most importantly – beauty.  it’s challenging enough stateside, but add a foreign element, and it’s downright frightening.

fortunately, this one’s an easy fix.  what you want is a brow kit from celebrated brow guru (yes, such a thing exists) anastasia beverly hills.  i’ve tried it, and i can tell you it’s as close to foolproof as DIY brow maintenance gets.  simply pick the right stencil for your brow shape, hold it over the brow, fill in the lines with brow powder, and tweeze anything outside the lines.  clean off the excess powder, use brow gel to put everything in its place, and add the highlighting pencil to make your arch look even more fabulous (my favorite part of the kit, by far – it’s fantastic!).  voila – perfect brows. 

all of the equipment you’ll need for the steps above is included in the sephora-exclusive brow kit from anastasia – it’ll feel like an investment at $75, but if you manage to skip 4-5 brow waxes, it pays for itself.  to be honest, i’d buy most of the products in the kit separately anyway, even if someone else was doing my waxing for me.  plus, i have to admit there’s some appeal to not leaving your brow shape completely to chance (or to the whim of your aesthetician).

i did find that i’m more partial to their stick-on stencils than i am to the sturdier, plastic stencils that come in the kit.  it can be a little tricky to hold the stencil still while you’re applying the powder, until you get the hang of things.

i hope that helps ease the transition, M – send us a postcard from switzerland (or better yet, a nice big piece of chocolate)!