"Less is more" is a generally accepted truth when it comes to most things. But when it comes to eyebrows, more is more. Bold, full, and luscious brows have been in demand for several seasons now, and one of the truest artists of the look is Jimena Garcia. Praised by Vogue, Vanity Fair, Town & Country and with a long, long list of devoted clients and celebrities, she is a bi-coastal brow goddess who is, quite literally, shaping this beauty trend. Currently, she calls LA home, but travels to NYC roughly every six-weeks to keep her NYC clients looking their most flawless.
Sharing the couch with Jimena at her Soho studio felt like catching up with one of my oldest and dearest friends. Tons of natural light and old-school jazz music filled the space (her favorites are Louis Armstrong and Carlos Gardel). Her work station is carefully set-up and dressed with various types of crystals, rocks, and eucalyptus, while water is filtered with fresh mint, gold leaf, and rose petals to promote a loving and healing energy throughout the studio. Also, her taste is impeccable... a hunter green Hermés soap case holds her antiseptic wipes and her brow scissors are vintage and sourced from France.
She worked her heavenly ways on my brows and for hours afterward, I felt as if I had just left the acupuncturist. It was lovely and yes, extremely relaxing and my brows were everything I always wanted. They are now bold, full, and statement-worthy.
Jimena shared with me where her inspiration comes from, what wellness means to her, and her absolute must-haves for achieving the fullest brows of your dreams.
What inspired you to become a brow artist?
When you have art in your soul, it is transferred into many things. It’s a way of seeing, feeling, moving. Through serendipitous happenings in my life, doing eyebrows found me. When I was in art school, I took a makeup course and it all started from there. I observed women’s faces and realized, it’s all in the details. Brows could transform faces. I loved the idea of doing something really well, with care and pride.
Who are your muses in terms of beauty, work, and life?
For Beauty:
Tom Ford: Ahhhh, he is absolutely everything.
Maryam Nassir Zadeh: She is the absolute chicest. Her style is art to me and she has amazing brows.
Kate Moss: I just think she is, OMG. Wow. She can be anyone from grunge to big glam and she looks so good in jewelry.
Honorable Mentions: Michelle Pfeiffer in Scarface, Monica Bellucci, and Brigitte Bardot.
For Work/Life:
Coco Chanel: She lived by her instinct and her own vision.
Georgia O’Keeffe: She was free.
Julia Child : For her perseverance.
My Tailor, Victor: He has a little shop, comes and goes as he pleases, and gets to be around the most beautiful clothes. He listens to his favorite salsa music all day from his little radio and has people bring him the best food in the neighborhood. He loves his clients and they love him back, and that’s enough.
What does wellness mean to you?
To know how to love yourself.
What are a few of your daily rituals that promote overall wellness and self-love?
The first thing I do when I wake up is light some incense or a candle. I love to start the day with the process of making a fresh juice. I love growing mint, going to the farmers market, using my Japanese knives, pouring my juice creation into one of my favorite glasses...
I enjoy morning walks. When I’m in L.A., I’ll walk at the beach; when in NYC, down all its streets.
I have music on in the house, and the tunes depend on my mood. On summer Sundays, I have been into Rodriguez (Sugar Man), he is an absolute genius. Otherwise, I always go back to my classical, opera, and jazz.
I take a bath before bed and use body oils (with essential oils), which is such a nice way to end the day and cleanse yourself.
What’s your favorite thing about being a brow artist? What brings you the most joy other than seeing your clients fantastically in love with their brows?
When clients come to see me it's a very intimate, vulnerable experience. To have a client trust you with their beauty, it's such a real space. There is an exchange of gratitude and that’s just love. My fiancé was talking about a quote the other day, he forgot who it came from, he thinks it might have been Susan Sontag in her book On Photography; it goes something like this...
“The beauty is seeing something you have seen a hundred times before as if you have seen it for the first time.“
I kind of feel that way with the thousands of brows I have seen. I truly always get so excited when I am done, and I think to myself, Yes! Now that looks really good! It’s that feeling of satisfaction you get when something is just right. It’s the best high.
My tools and trinkets make me so happy, using beautiful things to work with brings me so much pleasure. I love using magical things on my clients.
For people wanting to grow their brows, what do you recommend in terms of supplements or oils?
A fun brow oil mix that you can make at home that helps promote brow hair health:
1/4 Vitamin E
1/4 Sweet Almond Oil
1/2 Castor Oil
Mix them together and apply. You can also put this in an empty mascara tube and apply. You can buy empty mascara tubes on Amazon.
Another option is Aloe Vera. You can get a fresh leaf, and just keep in refrigerator. Cut and apply the gel from the aloe and use as brow gel. It's super healing, lengthens, does not flake, and holds all day.
Tip: Use brow oil or Aloe Vera before you lay out at the pool or beach; it's super healthy for hair.
What are three things you can’t live without?
Art, jewelry, and scents/perfume.
In terms of legacy, what is the mark you'd like to leave on the world?
This quote comes to mind to help me answer and meditate on this question.
“Where I was born and how I have lived is unimportant. It is what I have done with where I have been that should be of interest." – Georgia O’Keeffe, 1976.
I feel it’s the time to start envisioning a studio space and to make something that will make a woman feel beautiful, chic, and gorgeous.
