There are political dynasties (the Clintons, the Bushes); there are musical dynasties (the Jacksons, obviously); but there are also beauty dynasties. Most notably, there are the three Streicher sisters, who operate out of their LA-based salon Striiike. Ashley does hair, Jenn does makeup, and Kristie—the subject of our story today—heads up brow maintenance. For reference, she is the creator of the Feathered Brow look. You know, that natural, yet enhanced fluffy brow that the Olsens have and you've always wanted? She did that. Bow before her.
The power of the Feathered Brow is in its simplicity. In Kristie's words, the look is “almost maintenance-free. It's soft and tapered—there are no hard lines and the look is less contrived than that of a drawn-in or over-shaped or waxed brow.” Sometimes, it seems, the best things in life are actually easy.
That said, before you can get the Feathered Brow, there's some prep work that must be done. Hat tip goes to Judy Greer, who mentioned in her Top Shelf that her once over-plucked brows (thanks, 1990s!) are in the midst of Kristie's intensive Brow Rehab program. Because we are responsible and thorough brow journalists, we looked into what, exactly, that means. Benevolent brow-shaper extraordinaire Kristie walked us through the year-long process over the phone. Listen up—
First step: Call Striiike. The person on the other end of the line will ask you when you last touched your brows. If they've been plucked, waxed, threaded, etc. at all in the past eight weeks, you'll have to wait. Kristie won't see you until you've had at least eight weeks of uninterrupted brow growth. This is Stage 1 and it's lonely. “It's not easy.” Kristie says, “But it's the best way to map out exactly where the hair is growing.” The main lesson learned during that first eight weeks? Trust the process. “When this new hair is left alone and not tweezed, it will then start to grow closer to the brow line.”
Between weeks 8 and 16 (we're in Stage 2 now), dormant hairs will start to fill in. “Sometimes there may be a distinct line between your previous shape and where the hair is growing.” Kristie warns. “Trust me, this will fill in.” You may also notice some of the hairs not growing in the “right direction' or sticking straight out. They should fix themselves over time, but can also be trained to grow in the right direction with the low-fi help of conditioner and surgical tape. Kristie says it works! (Maybe ask her for a tutorial first, though).
"At the end of the 16th week, I strategically tweeze the hairs closest to the eyelid or lash line.” Kristie says of the second appointment protocol. “The gentle stimulation of tweezing close, but not too close, to the brow line can promote growth along the actual brow line.”
You'll get the hairs you want closer to the six-month mark. Hairs may start filling in under the arch, near the sprouts, and at the end of the brow. Two months after that, Kristie might start to “feather your brows'—her signature sculpting and tinting that gives brows that sculpted-but-natural look. Everything until then is just cleanup, while Kristie lets the brows grow fuller in the right place.
"We try and deal with every single hair.” Kristie says—down to her texturizing technique. “If there's an area of the brow that's really dense with hair, we'll strategically take some of the weight out so it lays nicely. It's just like a haircut.” As for how she, and Striiike for that matter, is faring through the current eyebrow madness, she says: “We've always been this obsessive about it. [Laughs] But it's good that people are finally realizing how important brows are. Listen, whether you have good brows right now or not, you should be able to make them the best they can be. There's always a solution.”
Photo via ITG.
Many more brow solutions over on the Brow Month page.
Shop Boy Brow now at glossier.com.
