I don’t think I have ever been as closely scrutinised as when I first meet Suzanne Martin. As we chat, she studies my face in detail. She is easy company, so it doesn’t feel uncomfortable. As we talk, she takes pictures and makes measurements; hers is an exact art. A former make up artist working with Christian Dior, Suzanne has now trained as an aesthetician, and her brilliant work with semi-permanent make up, specifically brows, has garnered her a following of devoted fans. Among them, A-listers, who travel from far and wide to see her in the discreet surroundings of The Lanesborough’s exclusive spa.
Suzanne uses a brow pencil to draw on her desired shape, plucking away stray hairs, before applying local anaesthetic cream and setting to work crafting the ultimate brow to frame my eyes and balance my face. She uses individual strokes, blending bespoke colours from a selection of mineral pigments and using micro needles to achieve varying weights of line. No two faces are the same, and no face is symmetrical, she explains, so it is important that brows shouldn’t look templated. The process is painless, with just a few moments of mild discomfort as Suzanne initially breaks the skin. It takes around an hour. The immediate results are striking – my new brows are darker than they will eventually look, but I am thrilled with them. One of my eyebrows naturally droops, giving me a perma-melancholy expression, but Suzanne has lifted it to meet the arch of the other. Both are longer and a little fuller and darker. It makes my eyes stand out and my expression look immediately brighter.
I’m back in the calm luxury of The Lanesborough a month later for phase two. This, Suzanne tells me, is when the real magic happens. It’s an opportunity for her to go over her work, checking that the shape and the shade are perfect. The process is exactly as before, and Suzanne takes pictures and measures as she goes. The results are indeed magical, and will last for a year, when I’ll be back for a top up. I look younger, and the shape of my face appears subtly changed. And I love waking up in the morning, ready to go. People compliment my new look, unable to put their finger on exactly what work I’ve had done.
The Couture Brow is available exclusively at The Lanesborough Club & Spa and costs £1,400 per initial treatment. 2 Lanesborough Place, SW1X (020 7333 7064; lanesboroughclubandspa.com)