Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Arches

I used to have fabulous eyebrows. I know because people used to tell me so. It seems a funny thing to compliment someone on unless they really are fabulous. I can brag because, like I said, I used to have them. I no longer do.

I'm not sure quite when it happened. Sometime during college. Maybe it was when I let a friend wax them for me. I remember being unhappy although I'm not sure she was the one who rid them of their fabulousness or not.



In reminiscence of days long gone, I have been putting up with quite a bit of shag above my eyes to remedy what I feel is slightly thin and uneven brows. Conveniently, this has corresponded with my busy schedule which after a long day, I can rarely bring myself to endure the torture session of plucking I have to endure on an almost daily basis since the ripe old age of, like 8.



Anyway, I finally saved up enough stray follicles I felt this would be a good time to go in for an eye brow tune up, or the professional brow wax. I wanted a friend of mine who also happens to be a professional to do it but I just couldn't wait anymore. I didn't want horrible Christmas pictures, you know, to remember my unibrow for years to come.



It seems all women I know go in for regular waxing sessions and think this is the only way. The esthetician has asked me before, "How often do you have to come in?" I always think, "Are you kidding me?" If I paid every time I needed my eyebrows done I would be in the poor house. --At least I would have nice eyebrows?



Despite my highest hopes, almost every time I go to the "professional" who I assume is someone who goes to school all for the purpose of learning the wonders of perfect brow waxing, I come away mildly unhappy. Today I was displeased.



All my saving up...and without really asking, she assumed I wanted the "natural look" which to her must mean, "take out any of her feminine arch and give her a straight line (mind you, she took away the connector so it wasn't quite the Bert from Sesame Street, but pretty darn close). She assured me this would help me maintain it more "since I am so busy and don't have time to come in much." (Since I was planning on that anyway?)

So here they are in all of their Sesame Street glory! I thought about not putting up this horrid picture, but I thought it may make my point more, like those weight loss pictures where they wear a ratty T-shirt, stick out their gut, and don't wear any makeup. Now I just need a beautiful picture of Angelina Jolie's brows to show you what a huge mess she made of me. But I don't have any of those and I'm ready for bed.

(PS do I really have uneven, lazy eyes? hilarious..please tell me I just haven't sleptwhile on call.)

Anyway, if you are still with me, I even had to ask if she purposefully left some of my unibrow (you can still seem some remnants on my right eye) or if she was going to get rid of those.

Here is where I think I went wrong. I got home early from work today. Early means, before 5-ish, which didn't feel too early since I spent the night at the hospital twice already this week, slept about 12 hours in 3 days, and woke up at 5 am this morning to see patients. Anyway, I am turning this into a novel so back to the story.

My mistake: I called the salon by my house, "I know the weather is horrible and wondered if you had any cancellations for this evening." I was told to come right away. Ok. I had just crawled out of the shower and was in my warm sweats. I am not afraid to go out in public looking like a complete scrub so I got in my car and raced down there.

Once I arrived I felt I had made a mistake. I felt out of place in this pretty uppity salon. And as you all know, first impressions are the most important. Immediately, she pegged me as the all natural girl, who never does her eyebrows and never had any semblence of fabulousness to boot. And off she went.

I know I am being a bit of a drama queen (isn't that what blogs are for, though, really?) but I was so bothered. Bothered I paid money to someone who didn't care at all for what I wanted (to return to my beautiful, not too thin, nicely curved arches) and made assumptions about what kind of brow I should have based on my post-call, tired, sweat panted self. It will take months or even years of shaggy brows to get back where I was (I know, because I still can't get back there).

New Year's Resolution: arches here I come

6 comments:

nathan n rachel said...

I think your eyebrows look fine. By the way...I don't get my eyebrows waxed. I HATE plucking too!!!!

Amber said...

I'm sorry to hear it didn't go as you had hoped. For what it's worth, I think they still look good! :-) Maybe when you get your brows back to where they can be shaped again, you could take a picture of yourself when you liked your arches.

P.S. We all have our trials and frustrations, so don't think I would ever be bothered by a post like this. You've always been a good friend and a big support to me in my situation and I'm so grateful for that! :-)

brenna said...

I have always been self-conscious of my brows. My recent waxing the lady did something similar. I told her to just clean them up again and she took them almost completely off. To top it off, she did one higher than the other :P Oh eyebrows!

Rachel said...

the salon by your house...meaning twin image? I've been there. i have to say amen to your sentiments. i went when eamon was like 2 weeks old for a cut and they tried to give me a mom cut!!! but your eyebrows look fine! your always more critical of yourself than others, so we all think you look way better than you think you do!

Teed Family said...

Erin, As I have learned from experience.... go back and ask her to gove you arches! All salons have the same rule and that is if you don't like it come back and we will fix it for free. I have also learned that if you do not want the same person to do it then just nicely ask for someone else or the manager. Go get those arches!

Suz said...

I think all salons will do it the "general" way unless you do them regularly so the person gets to know what you like.

I also think that it is getting harder to find people that understand good customer service. I too often feel like, when getting hair done, etc, that it is an assembly line and they just want to get me done and get my money and dont realize how much better their business would be if they invested a few extra minutes in me to make me want to come back.
I finally paid for a manicure because I wanted to try fabulous french nails. I can do my own but can never quite get my right hand right...ha ha, what a pun...I am right handed.

I was so disappointed that I paid someone to do something I can do better, even if I cant get my right hand perfect.

Then there was the time I specifically asked for an experienced hair dresser and they assured me the girl they assigned me to was. Lie! While getting my hair whacked, the conversation ended up being about how this was her first week out of beauty school. I never went back to that salon again.