Itchy Eyebrows

Someone asked me the other day why I do my own make-up. It all started with itchy eyebrows.

Have you ever had itchy eyebrows? Constantly?

I did.


Every time I scratched (which you can't help doing when something itches), a little more of the color so carefully applied that morning would come off under my nails or get smudged around the brow area.

By mid-morning, it would all be relocated to other parts of my face and fingers. At one point, I had to face the fact that it just might be the eyebrow coloring product I was using that was causing the itching. Ok, that's solvable. I'll just go shopping and pick up a different brand – again, and again, and again, and again.

This One Is Guaranteed Itch-free, Ma'am 

It's a little weird having itchy eyebrows. Not your typical everyday thing. You invariably start to feel a little 'difficult' when you're standing at a make-up counter asking whether or not this product is going to be better than last 6 brands you tried without luck.

After a while, you tend to get a little testy with the sweet young thing behind the counter who has never experienced itchy eyebrows and is promising you that 'this brand would never make your eyebrows itch' – all the while noting the forced smile and expression of disbelief in her eyes.

Well, who the heck could blame her? If it were me, I would have sworn one of my friends had put someone up to playing a gag on me.

Eureka! I Found One!

The one time I came home with a product that didn't make my eyebrows itch, I was certain all my problems had been solved.

Finally! Yes!

Until I returned to purchase the next one a half year later. "I'm sorry ma'am, that company decided to restructure and dropped their make-up line a half year ago" with an expression that clearly read 'which planet did you just drop in from?'.....Arghh!!!

The Problem Revealed

The ingredients list on the product from the 'restructured company' – by chance or by design – showed no perfume in their eyebrow pencils.

I started comparing.

All the other brands had perfume.

Now, maybe there's some kind of feminine eyebrow secret that they've been hiding from me, but I gotta ask – perfume in an eyebrow pencil?!

Perfume?!

Do eyebrows have some disgusting smell that needs masking? Do they need perfume?? I don't get it!!

And So It Began

I haven't had itchy eyebrows since. I've also been making all my own make-up since. It's fun to do, but admittedly also takes a bit of patience and practice.

I don't have any immediate plans of creating personalized make-up for others, but am happy to share my make-up making experiences with readers of this blog.

My next make-up story will be about a big old gob of mascara that got in my eye, and didn't even sting or hurt. Guess which brand that was? :)