I've been a customer and client at this specific Benefit Brow Bar for over 10 years. I've been a…read moreloyal client for brow aestheticians here from Cherie, to Vanessa, to Mercedes, to Cathy, to DeAndre over the years, as well as meeting, on several occasions, the district manager at the time, Jae. From these past visits, I've never had a negative experience with them. Today, I came into Benefit on State Street and I receive a brow waxing service from Shavece. She was kind and had great conversation - and also did a great job on my brows. However, towards the end of my service, Shavece takes a purple paste and applies it (she took it past my eyes, and I could not see in the moment what was actually happening, as my eyes were opening and closing during the wax), but I could feel it being applied. She says "I'm just adding our special paste and it'll take all of the dirt and debris out of your pimple". OK.. I know that Benefit offers eye masks during their service, so maybe this is something that will enhance my service? I asked her to remove it, because I do not ask for it. Shavece wipes off the paste and begins to squeeze the pimple that is on my forehead. I ask "excuse me, what are you doing?" She says "sorry I just think this pimple is ready up come to a head... that doesn't hurt does it?" I respond "yes that hurts a lot, please stop". She continues and I say "please leave my pimple alone, this is not what I came in here for". She says "ok sorry". She then gives me a mirror to look at my brows, and I see that the pimple that's on my forehead is now bleeding, purple, more inflamed and irritated. I'm not someone who pops my pimples, and I for sure did not come into Benefit for my brow aestheticians to pop it during a service that was booked for an eyebrow wax - especially without my consent. I asked her for a tissue as the bump was bleeding pretty bad and I needed to stop the blood. She proceeds to check me out and asks "did you want to leave a tip?" A tip that I would give is not to touch parts on a customers face that is not given permission to do so. I did not come in for a pimple consultation. I did not come in for a pimple treatment. I did not come in to get "pimple paste".
I called the brow bar directly and spoke with the manager, Mariaelena, and she basically upheld what the aesthetician did. She claimed that popping pimples and applying pimple paste was a part of the service. Never in my 15 years of coming to benefit have I ever had that done. I've had pimples on my forehead or on my face before, while being serviced at the many locations I've visited, and no aesthetician has ever done this. If you're touching someone's face, it should never be something that the aesthetician simply chooses to do - and if it's brought to the managers attention, there should be more sincerity and apology towards the customer. You don't just start extracting a customers pimple or something on their face without their consent as I could be allergic or have skin that is sensitive to certain products, which I do. That's not a part of the waiver that sign before initiating the service and I was extremely dissatisfied. I came in for a brow wax - and I'm not sure if she assumed that she was being helpful, but this experience has deterred me from returning to this Benefit location in the future.