How Glossier's Boy Brow Changed My Life - Part 1
It was just a typical day at the local social media agency I worked for, full of responding to Yelp reviews and updating the Google Business listing for restaurants around the country. On my work agenda was writing a post for the company blog about my hands down favorite platform, Pinterest. As I began researching the number of monthly active users, what happened next changed my life in so many positive ways. A post headline jumped out at me urging, “Tell us your Pinterest story.” Having 10 minutes in my morning to spare, I jotted out my quirky tale about how a Promoted Pin had improved my life in the simplest of ways.
That Pin was from the now widely recognized beauty company Glossier but back then (in 2017) they were just hitting their stride in the industry. The ad showed a woman about my age, with thick natural eyebrows, freckles, minimal makeup and hair product, smiling genuinely. She was holding a tube labeled Boy Brow and having my own pair of thick rambunctious arches, I clicked the pin through to the website. The authenticity of the images displayed was so genuine I almost forgot they were models. This was a beauty brand I could get behind!
All brow needs have been considered to create THE brow product: one to thicken, fill in, and groom brows into place. The creamy wax formula is inspired by traditional hair pomade for soft, flexible hold that doesn’t stiffen or flake. Comes in four shades: Blond, Brown, and Black boost brows with an oomph of color, while Clear gives you the same soft, conditioning hold minus the pigment. We’re inspired by healthy, face-framing brows and consider brow grooming the last crucial step to heading out into the world: brush your teeth, brush your brows, and then maybe brush your hair.
— Glossier.com
Knowing I was on the brink of having to endure weekly chemotherapy treatments for the next 12 weeks; as well as a fourth (and hopefully final) brain surgery afterwards, I purchased my first Glossier product that day. In an effort to maintain and highlight my wild eyebrows for as long as possible, I craved something that would make me feel more like myself when everything else was far from normal.
The signature pink padded zip plastic bag holding Boy Brow arrived the day I was leaving for my first chemotherapy session. Timely, right? I remember looking in the mirror, eyes welling up with tears, and applying the brown gel to my eyebrows. Then making a silly face and arching them crazily because what else can you do when difficulty strikes but try and laugh. So, when Pinterest asked for my Pinterest Story, that moment and pin is immediately what came to mind.
About two weeks later, something entirely unexpected happened. First, a mysterious pink package arrived on my doorstep. Inside was essentially the entire line of Glossier products, a grey hoodless sweatshirt exclusive to the Glossier staff and a signed card from the CEO that said, “A little birdie told us you love Boy Brow.” I freaked out you guys. It was like I was on The Bachelor or something. As if that wasn’t enough, I also received an email from Pinterest’s Story producer asking if she could come to my hometown and interview me in person. You can probably guess what my answer was.
(Me and my amazingly talented blogger friend, Lindsay. Follow her @northerndaisy.com)
About a month later, I was sitting down in the living room of my old quirky downtown home for an interview with Jess, Pinterest’s Story Producer. She filmed my responses to a variety of questions about why I love Pinterest and how I use the platform. Photos were taken then we enjoyed lunch together - sandwiches from the Upper Crust and coffee, or in her case, local kombucha, from the Naked Lounge. She told me she would be taking our interview back to the Pinterest office in San Francisco to share with the leaders of the company but never did I think it would go any further than that…until it did.
Stay tuned for Part 2!
