Benefit Brow Bar at Macy’s

It is ridiculous that it is impossible to get an appointment here. They have high turnover, which indicates problems. The last time I attempted to get an appointment here I was told they were short staffed– again. I went to Walnut Creek instead; they were completely professional, and the brow specialist acknowledged that Pleasanton has «issues» and often calls WC employees to cover for Pleasanton employees who don’t show up. Get it together!

So I went in and it was closing time and the new manager Paula helped me out, she took her time making sure I walked out looking fabulous even though they were trying to get going on home. Paula was super nice, friendly, and just overall made the end of my shopping day amazing. Nicky was also there chatting with me and Paula and it was a lot of fun! Def coming back to Paula!

5 stars for Nicole! She is the best estician and she always makes my brows look great! Everyone I have an appt. with her she is so friendly and professional. I love Benefit Cosmetics and she is always showing me what’s new or showing me a different tip or technique to using a product I already own. She is very knowledgeable of the Benefits product line and can answer any questions I have about a product. I always feel so beautiful every time I go to see here, because she always makes you feel special and look great!!!

I have been going to Benefit Brow Bar for 10 years (usually Santa Rosa or San Francisco) and this was my first time at this location. I will NEVER return. The customer service was absolutely terrible. I could tell when I first called to make an appointment that their service was terrible compared to any other Benefit I’ve been to (lack of politeness on the phone), but I went anyways. When I got there, the girls working behind the counter just looked at me, with a rude look on their face. After I checked in and waited for my apt, I browsed at makeup. Usually employees at Benefit walk up and help you look for new products; not these employees. They sat behind the counter and gossiped. I even heard them complaining about their sales being low. If they actually did THEIR job their sales may be higher, but unfortunately they’re too lazy to realize that. The waxing was OK. They were definitely thinner than I wanted and asked for, but not horrible, I guess. After my wax, I was never offered to be covered up or anything– first time that has happened. I also noticed when I got there that there was a young woman waiting her turn. I saw one of the estheticians go around and make sure everyone’s name was on the list. They told her she was after me. Once I was done, the girls behind the counter told her that her name wasn’t even on the list. She had been waiting well over 40 mins by that time. All in all, this place is just trashy compared to other Benefit Brow Bar locations, which is unfortunate. Like I said, I’ll never return.

I love Nicole and Chanton, they are great! Chanton is always willing to help and always has a smile. Nicole has been doing my brows for almost a year and I’m very happy.

I’ve been coming here for years and typically Kristin and Leslie were my go to gals. Unfortunately they are both gone, and seems like everyone left is always booked, or new. A short girl who I think her name starts with a K (couldn’t see her name tag) did my brows once and I walked out with half an eyebrow missing, not to mention the whole time she was waxing me she didn’t say a word. The next time I went in I made sure to call before to see who was working that day. Luckily I met Arla, she paid very close attention to my likes and explained what she was thinking of doing before she did anything. I felt comfortable and my brows look great. I’d advise to either make an appointment with Arla or Jennilyn or drop in but be VERY specific before getting started. (P.S price went up from $ 20 to $ 21 for brows)

I had my brows done by Nicole on the 10^th. They are fantastic, she is fantastic and the whole experience was great. I have been to this brow bar a few times but have not gone in months and I had been growing out my brows for just as long to reshape them. I was nervous! and I didnt know who to request. I saw reviews for Nicole. All I can say is my brows are perfect and she is amazing at what she does, i was so grateful. I presaled product and got a free gift bag, one of the few reasons i love getting benefit makeup. There might be a little wait so schedule time but it is worth it. So, yay brows on point!

So my over all experience with the brow bar is at a 2 for lack of communication between the employees BUT Nicole is so awesome, she gets 5 stars and absolutely the ONLY reason I come back.
I’ve never had issues with the brow bar before until recently. I have an extremely high standard for the brow bar. I’ve been going to different ones for years now and my result has been normally the same. I come out happy and book my next appointment. However, this wasn’t the case this time around. I had made an appointment for brows but when I went to check in, my name wasn’t down for the appointment. I was on a very tight schedule that day and being that I drive in from Hayward my frustration level was high. I didn’t quite understand why or how my name had disappeared. I was told I could wait for Nicole and see if she could take me but being that I was on a tight schedule, this other girl offered to do my brows and I was reluctant but I went with it anyways. I should’ve used this as a sign to walk away. This girl was new and I was a little put off by her attitude with me. I was obviously upset and off the bat she was annoyed with me which got me more irritated. The appointment went from bad to disastrous.
I pretty much spent the whole appointment wondering how she even got this job. By the time she finished, my brows had two different shapes and forms. I was absolutely mortified. If there’s anything anyone should be taught about brows is that they make or break your face. I might sound crazy but I treat my brows like they’re my life line. There is NO reason I shouldve told her one brow was thicker and SHORTER than the other and get a blank stare like I don’t know what I’m talking about. I was so steamed I had to get up and just walk away. I literally told her nevermind and refused to have her touch my brows again. My brows were destroyed but I paid for my services because 1. My daughters were with me& didn’t want to cause a huge scene 2. the manager wasn’t there to address this issue that day. I was told to call back the next day and get in contact with her. Luckily, as I was leaving, I saw Nicole and explained the situation. She told me she would alert her manager and we could fix this whole thing. She could see I was visibly upset and was super sweet in trying to make me feel better.
I came in the next day after finding out Arla would be there to talk to her. I waited about 30 minutes before I was helped. That irked me. The lady at the counter knew I was waiting for Arla with a complaint and acted like I was stopping by to say hi. I had to bug her multiple times to find out what was taking so long. I finally got to speak with Arla and explained my situation. She put me on schedule to get my brows fixed by Nicole and we left it at that.
I came back with for my appointment a few days later with Nicole only to have her be surprised I was there. Nicole informed me that there was almost nothing she could do because my brows needed to grow in. If she waxed the shape I did have, my brows would look horrible and I quickly agreed that wasn’t the best idea. We made a game plan and rescheduled for 3 weeks later. I normally schedule way ahead of time because my work schedule is nuts. I left relieved and happy she personally wrote in my time and hoped that my brows would grow by then.
Fast forward 3 weeks later, I come in for my appointment and I’m again on a very tight schedule. I was told Nicole wasn’t in yet so I sat down to wait. I was left waiting for 15 – 20 minutes until I approached the counter asking if I could come back and if they could let Nicole know I had to run another errand nearby. The person at the counter let me know id basically be doing a walk in if I walked away from the counter. I was annoyed at that point. I remembered I had Nicole’s number so I text her to see if she was okay. It turned out she had called out sick the day before and her manager was suppose to have alerted her clients and accommodate them. At that point I was mad. I hadn’t received a call from a manager and I was still needing my brows to be fixed. I honestly felt a little jaded from the last appointment and wanted a redemption. But again I drove down for no reason. I wasn’t about to be waxed by anyone else and would’ve appreciated the heads up. One of the ladies at the counter felt really bad but there nothing that could be done. I ended up squeezing in an appointment with Nicole 5 days later (by luck) and I couldn’t have been happier. My brows need a few more visits to get them to look normal again but they’re on track! I hope that management recognizes that throughout all this mess I’ve had one person be super consistent with me and guide me thru this. Nicole definitely has amazing customer service, is so sweet& caring, and completely looked out for me from the minute I went to her. Thank you Nicole!!!

I came into Macy’s Pleasanton Benefit Bar to pay my Macy’s bill and asked if there where any available appointments and there was one person in front of me and after I paid my bill there was a spot. Arla was my brow expert she was friendly, professional and did an excellent job. All the brow specialist I have seen have been great. They are attentive, greet with a smile and they are excellent at what they do, all with love and enthusiasm. You have a loyal customer.

Came to try benefits experts out with my brows and my biggest issue with my experience is that I told the associate that I just wanted a clean up and that I was happy with the shape and thickness of my brown, She decided to take matters into her own hand and totally change the shape of my brows because of the standard alignment they do off the shape of your face. Basically made my eyebrows further apart than I’ve ever had them in my life, I wasn’t so upset afterwards but them I came home to do my makeup for a dinner party and I couldn’t even fill them in properly. I’m mostly upset because I made it a point to tell her as soon as I sat down that I was happy with my eyebrow shape and only needed a clean up and she totally did something else. And I also ended having hairs I had to clean up myself at home after. Unfortunately I was highly disappointed with my experience, would have saved money and been pleased if I just went to my regular eyebrow lady.

I have been going to this brow bar for years. The only reason why is because of a few people. It started out with Nicole then Crystal and now the new Nicole. I like them doing my brows but the counter people doesn’t know what they are doing with the schedule — it is very frustrating to deal with them. If it wasn’t for Nicole I wouldn’t go back again. Nicole gets a five stars but the overall benefit counter get two stars

On Mother’s day I wanted to stop in for a mini make over. Chanton helped me out suggesting the best products for what I was looking for. I didn’t have time to do a full makeover but he was so understanding and patient. He took care of me and made me feel and look fabulous. I purchase the roller lash, high beam, brow zing, and rockateur. He gave me pointers on my eyebrows and application.

I**** Edited 1 week later and bumped the stars back up. The Regional Manager called an apologized, plus she is following up with the CSRs there. They belong to Macy’s which probably explains the different in services from the Waxers who work for Benefit directly. I’m glad my feedback was taken seriously. Apprciated! ****
I knocked the stars down, not for the waxing, because the esticians are awesome, but instead for the lack of customer service. I went today, a monday after the lunch rush at 1pm. Was told that the walk-​in list is closed for lunch and to come back at 1:40. Took my name but not my number. I said, are you sure you just want my name? The customer service rep said yes, just my name.. .as I’m walking off, he says, Ma’am make that 2pm instead. Okay — no worries I had some things to do. Well I return at 1:50, only for the counter person to tell me it was changed to 2:30 and that the wait list person won’t be back from lunch until then, so more like 2:40. WTF? What a waste of MY time.
(1) take my # down next time and call me if you’re going to change the time (2) don’t change the time if you’ve promised a customer 2pm. Not the customers fault if you ran late to lunch. (3) go beyond the problem and fix it.
No, I got blank stares and «there’s nothing we can do.» There’s always something to make a situation right. No one at the counter wanted to think about that.
Its a shame. I used to be a regular. Not sure if I can go back with the current staff working the counter. Love all the waxers, though!

Customer NO SERVICE!!! I would give zero if I could. I came in at 6pm and apparently they were all booked and closed for the night– according to the person at the counter. Maybe if three of the workers behind the counter didn’t spend 7 minutes chatting about nothing, I could have gotten a spot to get my eye brows done. No problem though. Thanks for nothing jerks!
UPDATE 5÷3÷14: I am thankful that the manager of this business reached out to me after my initial post. She was very sorry that her employees acted the way the did and followed up with them to ensure it does not happen again– as well as to ensure that there will be evening walk-​in appointments. I will give them another chance– as I see that the customer no service is not something that is standard at this booth. I will provide an update after I try them again!

This is my first time at this brow bar so I don’t know how consistent they are but I got my brows waxed by Arla and my brows have never looked better. I’ve had my brows waxed by numerous people and by far this was the best I’ve had since I don’t even remember.
I highly recommend Arla, she does an amazing job. I am a full brow kind of gal and so is she so it makes everything so much easier because she understands. What I like about Arla is that she goes over the brow, what she’s going to do/​what she’s going to wax off. I normally have to thoroughly explain what I want but not with Arla, she waxes off the right amount of hair, leaving you a cleaned up full brow. I will be going back to Arla from now on.

I am happy to say that Nicole squeezed me into her busy schedule and did my brows. She also very kindly asked the manager to not charge me since I had waited so long combined with the dozens of times I have been there. That was very nice of both of them. I will still come but I think I won’t do drop in anymore.

If I could give zero stars I would.
Since Nicole left it has gone down hill so decided to try again. The last time I tried it didn’t even look like they did anything to my brows.
I called — they asked me to hold as they were helping a customer, no problem. Except she left the receive on the counter, I could hear everything said (the woman was complaining, I could feel her plight) — then the other phone rang, they answered it, took all their details for an appointment, and still left my call on the desk. Never came back, checked my phone, I waited 9 mins too long and finally gave up and hung up.

Faith restored at this place! I will only go to Jennilyn from now on. She’s amazing and does a great job!

I used to go to Leslie. She was AMAZING! (unforuntately, she left the cosmetic industry and got another job somewhere else) I go to Kirstin whenever I can. She is good, detailed-​oriented and she always reassure everything before and after waxing.
One missing star: the service. Sometimes I feel like they are rude when I ask for open slots (if I don’t have an appointment) or asking a simple question regarding the products. I get it, is your job (you may or may not like/​love it), but I am customer. Last thing I want is your attitude and how you don’t give a crap about me wanting to get my brows wax.
This place is a hit or miss most of the time.

I came here for my free birthday eye brow wax, and so I was very excited! I didn’t make an appointment because my mom works at Macy’s, so I had the hook-​up, although, unlike most people who don’t have this perk, I would say to make an appointment a few days in advance-​just to be safe. I had Nicole help me out for the session. She was really, really nice, and was very knowledgable about what she was doing. The front counter, eh… Yeah, you want to know why I didn’t give it 5 stars… yeah.
I checked in and waited around awkwardly for a bit. I think some improvements would be a time-estimate…so I know how much longer to stand around pretending to test perfumes. Nicole went over exactly what she was going to do, the reasoning behind her decisions, and asked for the go-​ahead. She got started, was extremely friendly, and the first time she actually got the wax on me and pulled-​AAHH!!! I was in the middle of a sentence, so a little warning next time. Which I did get one. :) Nicole checked in on me, asked if I was okay, and was just the best! After the first brow was done, she asked if it looked good, then did the next one. I liked the brows so much, that I decided to do more afterwards. Nice going! :)
Technicals/​basic stuff: everything was cleaned, sanitized, organized, so you don’t need to worry about leftover facial products. After the «removal» was done with, Nicole matched me up with the perfect concealer/​foundation for me, and gave me great tips.
Back to the front counter, the cashiers… They just looked really, unfriendly, uninviting, and I remember one particular girl looked like she was just bored out of her mind, stuck-​up, and was sitting on her stool, on her phone. Pretty unprofessional, come on. I understand if you don’t have any clients right now, but this is Benefit at Macy’s, its supposed to be exciting and welcoming. Nicole sent me back there to pay and for the snooty cashier to match me again for a concealer. It wasn’t that great, but I didn’t want to be with her any longer.
Overall, it was excellent service, mostly from Nicole. Give her a chance-​never judge anyone by looks. Thanks!