Benefit Cosmetics Boutique & Brow Bar

Love their eyebrows service! It’s pretty fast, easy, and with great results. The staff is always very friendly and truly care about making you look your best.

Sticking to the Fillmore location from now on. My waxer today basically left me with no eyebrows, when I asked for her to just clean things up as I’ve been working to fill them in a bit. Starting from scratch (literally) now. Not pleased at all. You should know better Benefit.

I came here to get a make-​over and thought the make-​up artist did a good job at the time… but I was in for a surprise. Unfortunately I broke out over the next couple days and my skin was in the worst condition I had seen it in 3 years. I went back to the store to get a refund & was offered the not so generous option to return my make-​up supplies while they keep the money. 1) The store manager made no effort to meet me in the middle 2) With any policy, there should always be room for exceptions to support the customer experience. I left the store feeling misunderstood and unsupported, and thought the staff was not empathetic… one of the worst customer service experiences I have ever seen from a make-​up brand.

I just spent 15 minutes waiting for a call center person to answer the phone only to learn the person I was requesting wasn’t in for the day. I prefer to have the store employees answer.

I’ve been to many locations and they all have their benefits (see what I did there), but this one is my fav. In addition to being able to book online and time my appointments with my haircuts up the street, every aesthetician I’ve seen there has done a fabulous job and I’ve been in a few times this year.
With my sensitive baby blues it’s tough to get a lash tint that doesn’t burn my eyeballs out but I keep on trying because I’m that dedicated (lazy) to not putting on mascara. The thing is, Benefit’s newest formula doesn’t burn me (I say new because the last time I tried and it burned it was about 2002!). I’ve never been abandoned with the tint on my lashes (huge pet peeve/​anxiety of mine), and it lasts a great amount of time. Plus, their prices are pretty decent.
Some people may balk that they do try and sell you products after services but they do so in a totally non pushy way where they touch up your makeup so you don’t leave all red. I actually like it.
Bonus that they do threading which is great for sensitive skin girls and they are lightning fast in all their treatments.
Suzette did a killer job on my brows today and actually managed to make them arch. They don’t usually! Kudos.

I’ve always wanted beautiful full brows and have spent the last few years letting them grow in, going to various places to have them done, and leaving disappointed. I’ve tried inexpensive places, I’ve tried super expensive places and everything between. Today I tried Benefit and walked out with the brows I always knew I could get, but could never find the right person to give to me. I’ve literally NEVER walked out of a salon and thought my brows looked fabulous until today. Thanks Benefit! Now I just have to remember the name of the woman who did my brows… :)

Jayme is the best. I am a cosmetologist, and I have high standards when it comes to my brows. I have very blond brows and she tints them the perfect shade. Not too dark, afterward I hardly need to fill them. I usually never make appointments at this location because everyone is exceptionally good, but I now book ahead with Jayme because she is a perfectionist. I come all the way from Marin, and I will continue to do so! Thanks girl, I get compliments daily! xox

I’ve been getting my brows and upper lip waxed for a very long time and have tried just about every waxing joint in the city. The past 3 times I have gone to benefit on chestnut, and their service and treatments surpass any other place in the city by a long shot. It’s not just benefit either, it’s this particular location that has the nicest staff working.
Today’s story: I walk in, no appointment, no problem. Immediately, the girl working front of store comes up and has me sign the service form and observes my skin, which is in a transition between acne prescriptions and an absolute mess right now. She asked if I had been using Benzoyl Peroxide, which in fact, I have, and she informed me that you should NOT be waxing if you are using products like BP or retinol on a daily basis. After years of waxing and using these products, this is the first I have ever heard this. No wonder my skin reacts so badly each time I get waxed! They were so accommodating to me and waxed a «test patch» to demonstrate the immediate reaction I would get, and then convinced me to try a much safer option; threading. I was terrified, but Jayme was so sweet as she walked me through the process slowly and explained to me what she was doing as she was doing it. She gave me a ton of valuable brow advice and worked my brows until I was satisfied. I know that Jayme works on Friday afternoons and would encourage everyone to try her services.
Bonus: they gave me free samples as well as some for my friend who I brought to hold my hand while I endured the pain.
Overall, amazing, affordable, service with a smile. Will be back in a while.

I have been going to Auri for years and she is not only the one and only person I trust to do my brows and bikini area, but also has become one of the most thoughtful and lovely friends that I have. Let me tell you, she knows what she is doing. It is absolutely painless and she ALWAYS listens to what I am hoping to achieve with my look. I adore her and would never even think of going to anyone else… I’ll just say it was a tough couple months when she was on maternity leave.
Auri is by far and away one of the most talented girls at Benefit and has a loving, sweet personality to make your visit that much sweeter.

my girl auriana continues to be my go-​to brow girl. I’ve been seeing her for… like…8 years !!! consistently excellent attention to detail and my pathetic brows are brought back to life after she lays her magic hands on them! she’s the best

I will start by saying I got a refund without asking, but that my eyebrow hair is still missing. Will also say I got so upset that it prompted me to write my first review ever. 2 stars is probably nice considering I am upset to the core. Wouldnt have written this hadnt the staff let me leave essentially telling me it was my fault. I feel completely misunderstood and am scared for any future victim.
I have been wanting to reshape my brows and had monitored them for 2 months, per Benefits’ employees own recommendation. They said that the base has to grow (keep that in mind for later)
If you can picture this: 2 months of looking at yourself in the mirror and try to convince yourself the the bushy eyebrows and lone side hair look good and hopefully no one notices (right…). I went to Benefits a couple times where they told me to wait and let the brows regrow– showing specific areas that needed time. I was very happy for the feedback, knowing it was for the best.
Yesterday I finally booked the appointment. I booked it with Paula on Chestnut. I was SO excited to FINALLY get this done, get brows that look amazing for my face and to see the result of why the heck I need to look like a monkey for TWO months. I had planned the timing for over a couple weeks and thought of this day for way too long.
D-​Day! I walk in, am being sat with Ariana (or Auriana). That was not who I meant to see. I booked for Paula (online) because Paula had seen me last time and told me to wait another month; surely, she had something in mind and in the spirit of continuity, I made sure to take that step. Whatevs, maybe Ariana is just as good, and I dont like to complain unreasonably. She was friendly. I told Ariana that I wanted them reshaped, that i had grown them for over a month. She seemed to get it, wanting to clean up only the tip end. Then, right before she was already jumping on her material (we’re talking about a conversation that lasted less maybe 40 seconds), I said a couple words that were really wrong, and for which we both had a widely different understanding: I said ‘thinner side’. Without letting me explain myself, she said ‘i get it, we’re on the same page’. ARE WE??? Obviously not. Little did I know she widely changed the entire brow thickness to ‘thin’. All that base I mentioned i had to grow and watched grow day by day: completely gone.
If I have been waiting for 2 months with countless looks in the mirrors to convince myself it is all worth it, can the ‘expert’ not take the additional minute to verify an assumption? There was absolutely no one else waiting, there was no rush whatsoever. Cant they verify with just another sentence? No. Here was Ariana with the wax, ready to apply.
I started to get worried and asked to take a look. She said ‘No, you can take a look when I am done’ and was quite clear about it. Not sure she grasped the worried look in my face at any point in time and througout the rest of the work.
Surely enough, i almost fell down my chair when i saw the result. I will say this: it is not a razor thin brow, no one will stare at me, but what the f***, absolutely ALL the hair I had monitored to grow were gone. So, what the f***did I spend the last 2 months doing. This shape could have been waxed 6 weeks ago, its SO close to what I had before. I just got Benefits waste 2 months of my time, in an amazing team effort to get me back at square 1.
Ariana defintely defended herself right away «You said ‘thin’. I did thin». Well thats great. You heard a word, you applied the word. How efficient. Nevermind whats best and the context, and the general concept of double checking. Assumption: Ariana must just overly enjoy doing thin brows and jumped on the occasion.
And for the rest of the team, who defended their colleague: nice team work. You have each other’s back.
Here are some thoughts for Benefits to include maybe as part of training:
1. take 20 seconds to assess where the customer is coming from (specifically). It might be another brow for you, but for the person, it is the result of a languish wait
2. Take another 20 (maybe 30 seconds) to verify any assumption and verify you ACTUALLY ‘get it’. Once the hair is waxed, there is no second attempt, it will be gone (im sure you know that)
3. Draw it out. The first time i had a discussion over the shape of my brow, the lady actually draw the shape of the brow to give me an idea. For us who cant picture what we say into what it translates for the brow expert, this can be infinetely useful. In a way, it is called communication. Its is also called POC in a different industry.
And lastly, that woman did tell me I could get an appointment somewhere else, but she did not look confident in saying that, adding that she wouldnt say everyone was great (essentially). I SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO HER. I blame myself.
I dont care about the refund, I would pay 5 times the price to undo what Ariana did. I will find another place for brow work

I wrote a not so positive review for this location and am now updating since the manager wrote to me to inform me I had not been wrongly charged. I’m glad because I enjoyed getting my makeup done here. Location was easy to find. Friendly staff. I would come back and recommend to friends.

First time to an actual brick-​and-​mortar Benefits salon/​store.
Like the overall set-​up of the make-​up and brow counters.
The staff is very friendly.
My bestie and I had our brows done by Suzette and she was phenomenal.
I hope Benefit decides to open a store in Sacramento one day.

I went here for a Unilocal Elite event awhile back. My eyebrows needed some major TLC, and requested Paula through their online appointment system.
I’m not surprised that a lot of women asked for her. I didn’t wait too long for her, and she perfected my brows in 5 minutes. The manager did the touch up, and I love her enthusiasm. She’s knows the products very well, and I’m comfortable asking her any questions without being oversold.
I have gone to another brow bar in the city (which I won’t name here, but you can look through my reviews). They were good too, but I got an allergic reaction to whatever natural ingredients were in their wax. The other bar was cheaper and they do a great job, but my skin isn’t as rashy-​looking from Benefit, so I’ll continue to go here to get the perfect brows.

They are very attentive and always have openings for spray tan. Do a great job. Wish that they had option for a moisture prep for your skin prior to spray tan so that it holds longer. As well as spray tan lotion to use after. But over ally, really great experience and I’d recommend for friends. Get a «2» for weddings and 3 or 4 for beach.

This was my first experience going to Benefit. I was reluctant but after reviewing their picture gallery and online reviews, I decided to give it a go. Now, I absoultely love my eyebrows! And scheduling online was incredibly easy!
Although they were busy with so many appointments on New Years Eve, Arya took her time with me. I came in to get my eyebrows tinted and waxed. While I was reluctant to get my eyebrows tinted, I found youtube videos of examples and thought, why not? After getting them tinted, I love how much fuller they look. My eyebrows are already dark brown but the tint helps create a bolder brow (rather than having to brush in powder every day). She also waxed my brows and I have to say that this has been my favorite waxing experience ever! I don’t get my eyebrows waxed often (probably about 2 – 3 times a year) but the way my brows look and make me feel, I think I may want to keep coming here a little more often!
To keep my brows looking full and fabulous, I asked for makeup suggestions. Arya showed me the Gimme Brow and I love how natural yet full they make my eyebrows!

I was in SF and I used to beauty blog. How could I NOT do benefit and try everything that began here. I know. I’m a sucker for vanity.
This benefit is located in a really cute part of the city! I actually got my brows done too because you know, I’m on holiday! They were surprisingly free on a weekday afternoon! Ask for Paula– she did my brows and it was quick and painless! They still look amazing– a month down the line!

had a wonderful all girls elite beauty event here with cupcakes, bubbly, gifts, comp spa treatments, the works!
Beautiful boutique with great service and smiles all around. Loved being able to sample some of their brow services and got a brow tint that I loved and for sure will be back again for another appt!
Tried some of their new products, pore refiner, brow tint, holiday kits, great colors and even prettier packaging. Love benefit!
Ladies go and make your appts now for the holiday season to get all prim and proper!

I’ve been a faithful Benefit customer for almost two years now. I love the customer service this location provides. They are the best when it comes to figuring out which makeup suits my needs.
Everyone is always in a good mood and the employees are having a good time. Everyone is always excited to be there and they are always welcoming me.
Whatever you are all doing keep it up! I love your location!

I’m not much of a «makeup wearer,» mainly because I don’t know what I’m doing 90% of the time, but when someone shows me how, I’m suddenly an artist. I was just looking around, playing with random items when one of the girls managed to get me in a chair, brushed some bronzer and highlighter on, and I was sold.
I bought whatever my credit card could manage and was out the door before I could question what I’d just purchased and when the hell I’d ever use it.
Well played, Benefit. Damn you and your adorable packaging!