Magok lash salon: rainy-season black tint lash lift, Mio Brow Bar

If mascara smudges in summer, try a black tint lash lift

A black tint lash lift curls your lashes and tints them dark at the same time, so you get defined eyes without mascara. The writer found morning makeup a chore in the heat and humidity, so she got a black tint lash lift at Mio Brow Bar (미오브로우바) in Magok.

It's been getting so hot lately that doing makeup in the morning is a real pain. Between the oil and sweat, my mascara would smudge by afternoon and I'd turn into a panda, or the curl I worked so hard on with my curler would droop, and I was seriously stressed. I decided I needed a cheat code to cut my commute-morning makeup time, read through plenty of reviews, and went to the Magok branch of Mio Brow Bar, which does black tint lash lifts haha.

Mio Brow Bar Magok: location and opening hours

Mio Brow Bar's Magok branch is at 344 Yangcheon-ro, 1st floor, Unit 145-3, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, near Exit 7 of Yangcheonhyanggyo Station on Line 9. It is open daily 11:00–22:00, you can check days off on Naver Map, and booking is available through Naver.

First, it's easy to get to. When you get off at Yangcheonhyanggyo Station on Line 9, you don't have to go outside at all, because the station connects straight to the underground passage of the Daebang DMC officetel shopping arcade. I used Naver Map for directions, and after riding the escalator up it was exactly a 1-minute walk, about 17 steps, so it's right at the station. On humid, hot days like these, or when it suddenly rains, being able to visit comfortably whatever the weather was a huge plus. The building's underground parking is also spacious and convenient, so drivers shouldn't have to worry about parking either.

Inside Mio Brow Bar and the consultation

Inside, the Magok branch has a clean, modern white-toned interior. Before the treatment, the owner gives a one-on-one consultation based on your eye shape and brow condition.

I felt at ease the moment I walked in. The kind owner greeted me with a bright smile and, before the treatment, looked carefully at my eye shape and brows and gave me a very thorough consultation.

How much do lash lifts and waxing cost at Mio Brow Bar?

At Mio Brow Bar's Magok branch, a clinic lash lift is ₩35,000 and a black tint lash lift is ₩45,000. Brow waxing starts at ₩28,000, and the face waxing menu is broken down by area.

• Eyebrows: ₩28,000
• Twizzing (tweezers + razor + trimming): ₩35,000
• Hairline (including forehead): ₩30,000
• Upper lip: ₩20,000
• Sideburns / chin: ₩25,000
• Cheekbones / cheeks: ₩20,000
• Half face: ₩55,000
• Full face: ₩85,000
• Clinic lash lift: ₩35,000
• Black tint lash lift: ₩45,000

Looking at the price list, the programs are split up in lots of ways, from face and body waxing to lash lifts. The black tint is just ₩10,000 more, and I heard it nourishes the lashes while giving a defined look as if you'd put on mascara, so I chose it without hesitation.

Mio Brow Bar's face waxing menu, including brow shaping, brow waxing and twizzing, is also very well organized. A single brow service is ₩28,000, and a brow and upper-lip set is ₩35,000, so next time I'm definitely coming back to this Magok brow-shaping hotspot to tidy up my scruffy brow line. From what I've heard from people around me, the owner is rumored to be amazing at getting brows symmetrical.

Does a black tint lash lift make your eyes sting?

During the black tint lash lift at Mio Brow Bar, the writer felt no stinging or discomfort at all. The whole thing took about 1 hour 20 minutes from consultation to finish.

The bed I was shown to was very cozy and kept clean. Once the treatment started, I could feel the owner lifting my lashes strand by strand, really delicately and gently so nothing irritated the eye area. At other shops, the perm solution is sometimes strong and my eyes have stung or burned. At Mio Brow Bar, though, I had no stinging or discomfort the whole time, so I could feel the owner's skill right away. It was so comfortable that I even drifted off to sleep partway through.

Black tint lash lift result: C curl and dark lashes

After the black tint lash lift, the drooping lashes lifted into a C curl from the root with no kinks. The black tint made the lashes dark and clear, giving the effect of one thin coat of mascara.

When I finally checked the mirror after some time, I couldn't help saying wow! The lashes that had been drooping and blurring over my pupils were lifted into a smooth, pretty C curl from the root, with no kinks.

Above all, thanks to the black tint, you could see every single lash had turned dark and clear, as if coated with nourishment. It looked like one thin, neat coat of natural mascara, and my eyes looked twice as deep and clear as usual. I understood why everyone recommends Mio Brow Bar for a Magok lash lift. Even bare-faced, my eyes really came alive, so looking in the mirror was fun.

One week later: does it hold up against sweat and humidity?

A week after the black tint lash lift, the original curl is still there with no tangling or twisting. Skipping the curler and mascara in the morning has cut makeup time a lot.

Now when I get ready for work, I skip the hassle of the curler and mascara entirely, so my makeup time is much shorter and my quality of life has shot up. I don't worry about dark smudges under my eyes from oil, and even when I sweat, my doll-like eyes last all day, which is so convenient. Soon I plan to book a Magok brow-shaping appointment too, to tidy up my scruffy brows. I'm also going to Psy's Drenched Show (a water-soaked summer concert) and the Han River swimming pool, and I'm so excited!

If you're looking for a lash lift salon in Magok

If you're looking for a skilled, meticulous lash lift salon you can settle on near Magok in Gangseo-gu or Yangcheonhyanggyo Station, I strongly recommend Mio Brow Bar's Magok branch, with its easy transport and clearly skilled owner. If you're like me and want to escape short lashes and curler hell, definitely go for the black tint lift. Once you try it, you won't be able to go back! After the treatment, they also gave me a lash serum and a lash brush >_<