Beauty destination: ON Browhouse, Britomart

You know how sometimes a place becomes so familiar to you that you forget how great it is? That is how I got with OFF Wax/Brow Bar, where I have often headed over the years for a bikini wax and a brow shape. They are a specialist waxing destination as opposed to a beauty therapy business – think no white coats, no whale music, no water features – and women all over Auckland love them all the more for their dedication to the task at hand. Experts at their three Auckland destinations tailor your waxing treatment and/or brow work specifically to you, and take into account anything you may have going on in your life – say pregnancy, stress – and treat you accordingly. They also stock a huge range of aftercare products and brow and lash kits etc, and are more than happy to show you the ropes and make sure that you’re taking care of things in the best possible way.

The creator of OFF, the preternaturally fabulous Nicky Shore (above), has recently expanded her business with the ON Browhouse brand - a beautiful inner city destination in Auckland’s Britomart specialising solely in bespoke browography services. Nicky spotted a gap in the market for long-lasting brows that didn’t involve the frightening looking cosmetic tattooing many out there were offering, and catering for clients who are in need of personalised eyebrow rejuvenation. She researched the globe for the best and most innovative ideas on brows so that ON offers a collection of techniques, hand selected from the best methods out there. From colour and tone to balance, proportion and shape, to problem solving and correction work, ON Browhouse has a proven modern solution for brows that can now last the long term.

When I popped into the loft-like beauty destination last week Nicky showed me around, including a look at the tools used to etch fine, detailed, lifelike hair strokes on clients’ brows that blend in with any existing brow hair. Browography differs from traditional tattooing in that it does not penetrate as deep in to the skin’s dermal layer, and rather than a tattoo machine, a calligraphy-like pen with fine needles is used for the softest and most natural result. Everything from ethnicity to skin type is taken into account, and building great brows really does appear to be quite the science!

A one hour consultation session is complimentary, then a two hour ‘foundation’ session and two hour final session will set you back $895 and $195 for a two hour annual refresh. Results are totally individual though, so it’s best to pop in for a thorough consult if this magical offering sounds like the thing for you.

Visit www.onbrowhouse.com for bookings, FAQs and a full before and after gallery - I guarantee that you’ll be seriously impressed!