The Brow Whisperer
goop beauty editors Jean Godfrey-June and Megan O’Neill love to ask—and answer—questions. On their podcast, The Beauty Closet, they’re doing both. To familiarize you with each week’s guest, we came up with a goop beauty (and life) questionnaire.
THIS WEEK WE’RE TALKING TO:
Jimena Garcia, top LA brow guru, online brow
workshop master, and first-ever Chanel brow artist
You can shape gorgeous, natural-looking, defined brows at home, and on this week’s episode of The Beauty Closet, the legendary Jimena—pronounced he-méh-nah—Garcia tells us how. Garcia’s about not just creating naturally defined, face-sculpting arches but also how to see the beauty in your own face and develop your own sense of beauty and style. She gives us easy-to-follow tips on how to shape and maintain flattering brows at home—no matter how haywire, bushy, or sparse your canvas. (During the pandemic, she’s been holding digital brow workshops and master classes, so she’s great at DIY brow advice.) She answers all our questions, from how to make brow plucking hurt less to the easiest way to create an arch.
Garcia’s other talent is really seeing people. “When I’m doing someone’s brows, I’m observing other things, too,” she says. “I take in the context of the whole body, the swing of their hips, their essence, how their facial features move when they talk.” This is true whether she’s doing an online consult or seeing clients in person at her studio and outdoor space at the Proper Hotel in Santa Monica. Her attention to all aspects of beauty makes her goop beauty questionnaire an especially good one.
First job?
I worked for Andy Marshall, the owner of Slave to the Grind, a coffee shop in Bronxville, New York. I went in at 5:30 a.m. for the opening shift, and country music would be playing full-blast. I learned everything I needed to know about a small business and loved every minute of it.
Who has the best brows?
Sean Young as Rachel in 1982’s Blade Runner. That’s brow art direction at its best! Or have you seen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s eyebrows? OMG.
Favorite clean beauty products?
GOOPGENES Marine Collagen Superpowder, Saie mascara, Rahua shampoo and conditioner, InFore body oil (and alllll the oils), CAP Beauty The CAPtivator aura and room mist, Rejuvenate with Nousha face oil, mFlorens scalp and hair serum, and tenoverten nail polish.
Mentors?
My parents and grandparents.
Go-to weeknight recipe?
All of the soups from Erewhon! Or I crash at my bestie Ceyda’s house—she always has something good on the stove.
Currently in your goop shopping cart?
The Infrared Sauna Blanket.
Best at-home brow trick?
I mix superfine Himalayan pink salt with jasmine or castor oil to exfoliate my brows, which removes all the residue from the hair and dead cells from the skin. Your brows are then ready for any brow makeup, or if you’re using a brow serum or face oil, they’re prepped to absorb all the good ingredients.
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Kristie Streicher
Essential Eyebrow
Grooming Kit
goop, $225SHOP NOW -
Kreyol Essence
Haitian Black
Castor Oil Light
goop, $50SHOP NOW
goop picks
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Gel
Beautycounter
Brilliant Brow
Gel in Dark
goop, $24SHOP NOW -
Butter
Saie
Brow Butter
in Clear
goop, $18SHOP NOW -
Pencil
Chantecaille
Waterproof Brow Definer
goop, $36SHOP NOW
goop DIY Brow Essentials
Wouldn’t leave home without?
My jewels and I am ready! (Like Joan of Arc and her sword.)
Best great-hair trick?
I cut open a real aloe vera leaf, blend up the gel in my Vitamix, comb it through my hair, and go out into the sun for a walk. This opens the cuticle so that your hair receives the gel’s nutrients. I store the rest in the freezer for later.
goopiest moment?
Before I leave the house, I roll a little dōTerra essential oil on the inside of my mask. It’s next-level, and it makes me so happy to put it on.
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goop pick
UMA
Pure Bliss
goop, $85SHOP NOW
Current skin routine?
Toner, serum, cream, and—when I remember—a little eye cream. I want to get into the whole gua sha face massage in 2021.
-
goop Beauty
G.Tox Malachite + AHA
Pore Refining Tonic
goop, $75/$68 with subscriptionSHOP NOW -
Dr. Barbara Sturm
Hyaluronic Serum
goop, $300SHOP NOW -
goop Beauty
GOOPGENES
All-in-One
Nourishing
Eye Cream
goop, $55/$50
with subscriptionSHOP NOW -
goop Beauty
GOOPGENES All-in-One
Nourishing Face Cream
goop, $95/$86 with subscriptionSHOP NOW -
Wildling
Facial Gua Sha Empress Collection
goop, $129SHOP NOW
goop picks
How often do you exfoliate?
Weekly for face, twice a month for brows.
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goop pick
goop Beauty
GOOPGLOW Microderm
Instant Glow Exfoliator
goop, $125/$112 with subscriptionSHOP NOW
Blow-dry or air-dry?
Air-dry and then three huge hot rollers. (I can’t believe I am telling you that—please don’t imagine it.)
Face oil or face cream?
Both! Face cream for day and oil for night.
Preferred form of exercise?
Epic walks with a good podcast.
Bath or shower?
Both! Daily showers and weekly baths.
Lipstick or lip balm?
Both: Boy de Chanel lip balm because it’s so chic. And any lipstick my makeup artist friend Violette is wearing—I copy her all the time.
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goop pick
Westman Atelier
Lip Suede
goop, $85SHOP NOW
Quarantine date-night makeup look?
Black eyeliner inside my eyes, it’s my thing—I feel like my eyes have lingerie on.
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goop pick
Jillian Dempsey
Khôl Eyeliner
goop, $20SHOP NOW
Favorite hotel?
Only one? Aaahhh I have so many.
1. Hotel Hassler Roma (that view!).
2. Hotel Las Islas Barú in Colombia.
3. Proper Hotel in Los Angeles (it’s my new home for brows!).
Proudest moment?
Every time I follow my heart.
goopiest thing you’ll never try?
I kinda listen to everything GP says about the vagina.
What would you put on your neon sign?
Welcome to paradise.
How often do you recharge your crystals?
Every new moon.
We hope you enjoy the products recommended here. Our goal is to suggest only things we love and think you might, as well. We also like transparency, so, full disclosure: We may collect a share of sales or other compensation if you purchase through the external links on this page.
