One of my most prominent and expressive features is my eyebrows. I attribute them and my general hairiness to my Mediterranean heritage. Despite my best efforts in high school to rid myself of them (why were sperm eyebrows a thing we did?), they have thankfully survived and thrived over the years.
My eyebrows have been through the ringer, even beyond the over-plucking days of my teens. They’ve been tweezed, waxed, threaded, tinted, you name it. In the last year, I’ve started to embrace their near-unibrow tendencies and let them grow out in the middle. Honestly, it has changed my face. Looking at old photos helps me realize how wonky they looked when I fought how they wanted to grow.
Having my eyebrows done is one of those self-care maintenance items that I now try to make a priority. And Riley Van Ness at Kenneth Brandt Salon and Spa in Mason is the woman who helps rescue them each month.
I first met Riley at the Ulta in Okemos, where she worked at the Benefit Brow Bar, maybe five years ago. My visits to the Brow Bar were fairly infrequent and usually unplanned because of the girls, but I always felt refreshed when I left. I always felt like I could trust Riley not to completely take away my brows because she rocked fuller brows, too.
At some point, Riley was no longer working at Ulta. I still got my eyebrows done by different women at the Brow Bar, but the experience wasn’t the same.
Fast forward to this past winter, and I finally figured out that Riley was working at Kenneth Brandt in Mason. I also learned that my wonderful friend Stephanie was a client and fan of Riley. Stephanie gave me a referral card to get a discount on my eyebrow shaping with Riley. I have now kept regular appointments with Riley for the last several months.
While driving to Mason takes more than twice as long as it takes to get to Ulta, it is more than worth the drive. The salon is very nice and cozy, with an area designated for brows.
I have been able to bring Margot with me to my appointments without any issues. Going to Ulta with the girls was a little more difficult because of how busy it can be and all of the temptations to pull products off of the shelves.
After my appointment last month, I shared a photo on my Instagram Stories about Riley. Within an hour I had four or five friends say that they used to get their eyebrows done by her at Ulta and didn’t realize she was still in the area. I now feel like I need to spread the word about her because she’s a sweet gal and does a fantastic job.
The cost of a brow shaping with Riley is $30, and in my opinion, completely worth it for the end result. She also offers brow tinting and lash services.
You can see some of her work on her Instagram account, but for now here is how my eyebrows are looking after today’s appointment. Thank you so much, Riley!
