New Zealand beauty innovation is alive and well. One of the newest products we’ve discovered recently is Bored Brows – a locally developed brow styling wax.
The brainchild of Catherine Marshall, a long-time brow stylist, Bored Brows is her solution to helping women (and men) keep their brows looking tamed and groomed year round.
Bored Brows – Brow Styling Wax offers a laminated, brushed-up, fluffy look in seconds and is designed to last all day. Made with all vegan and cruelty-free ingredients and proudly a 100% New Zealand-owned company, it delivers a super strong hold, with no white cast or stiffness to the brows.
The non-activating formula means no water is required – just apply the clear gel and enjoy set brows. And it really does offer all-day hold.
As the owner of Lash Loft NZ, Catherine has been specialising in brows for several years. Since becoming a mum herself, Catherine’s awareness of how little time many women have spare when it comes to beauty routines was heightened, so she started looking for ways to help ensure ‘better brow game’ in between salon visits.
“As a beauty salon owner, it’s safe to say that over the past five years, I’ve tried every product on the market, from brow gels that don’t hold and leave white cast residue to inconvenient water-activated brow soaps.
Nothing I found was a good enough substitute for the gorgeous brow lamination you can get in-salon.
“But I really wanted to develop something women could use to help hold their brow shape in between visits, which is how Bored Brows came about.”
The Beauty Book finds out more:
Where did you grow up and what were you interested in?
I’m originally from Hong Kong, although my whole family migrated to New Zealand when I was 12. Since then, I’ve always lived locally in East Auckland. I also went to Auckland University. I have a huge passion for both food and travel. Prior to COVID, I’d visit my sister in Hong Kong every year and we’d share our love of trying out different cuisine; both of us are vegetarians so it’s always a bit harder to find really good vegetarian street food and restaurants, but we love exploring that.
What has your career path involved?
I spent a number of years working in a corporate environment as a recruitment consultant, before moving into the beauty industry with Lash Loft five years ago. I’ve always been interested in all things beauty, right from when I was a young girl, especially lashes and brows. I think being Asian, our lashes are often very straight and stubborn. I’ve always appreciated dolls/cartoons or anyone with really curly long pretty lashes. However, after graduating from University, I went the more expected route of working my way up through the corporate world, but it wasn’t everything I wanted in terms of levels of enjoyment.
Why did you decide to change your career?
I went through a really tough time in my personal life when my long-term relationship came to an unexpected end, with my fiancé calling off the wedding just a few months before we were due to marry. That was a really hard time, so I decided to get out of my comfort zone and volunteered to work in Vietnam and Cambodia, helping look after disabled children and also working in an elephant sanctuary. It was completely life-changing.
When I came back to New Zealand, I quit my full-time job to pursue something I’d always wanted to do, which was starting Lash Loft.
I travelled to Melbourne for extensive training with a superb trainer at Brows and Lashes, learning about the business and industry and getting fully qualified. It was the best decision I ever made.
An overview of your journey in the beauty industry?
I’m truly happy every day because I’m doing something I’m truly passionate about. I love my work, and I love the beauty community and beauty industry where women support and help each other, even when we are ‘competitors’ in the same industry. This support was particularly important during COVID. I’m so grateful for this journey I’m on and the fact I still love going to work every day.
What are three things you’d love everyone to know about Bored Brows?
Our formula is vegan and cruelty-free. It is also non-activating, which means no water is required – unlike any brow soap.
You can have full, laminated, brushed-up brows from home in seconds, which lasts all day long.
We are a proudly New Zealand-owned and operated all-female business.
Do you have a business mentor or business person you admire?
Annemarie Mason from RevitaLash is truly inspirational for me. For all the hard work she put into building her business over the years, the way she lifts other women up, and the kind-hearted person she is, it’s truly admirable.