How much should you pay for good eyebrows? Rosemary checks out the brow bars

I recently had my brows done at a new place, on the recommendation of a friend - at Brows Artists International  based out of the basement of the Hive on George's St.   Lorna threaded, tweezed and tinted my brows to perfection (see below).

I got my brows done at a media rate, which was unexpected but nice, and they cost me €20.  I imagined that they might cost €30 normally, but a friend of mine went the day after me and reported back that hers had cost €45, which seemed a bit much.

Then, I had lunch with Emma and Aisling a few days ago, and I brought up the topic of brows: wasn't this extortionate? Do people really spend €45 on their brows? Bizarrely, we just couldn't agree. Aisling thought it seemed like a lot. Emma wasn't so sure. So I had a little think back about other places I've had my brows done, namely:

Carter Beauty. I had HD Brows done, a 12-step treatment where they quite literally do everything they can possibly do to your brows without being arrested. Tweezing, trimming, waxing, threading, tinting . . . and obviously seven more things. Afterwards, my brows looked great. Like, really great. Better than the Brow Artist? Possibly not. They were slightly fuller, which I liked, but they didn't look quite as tidy (which I also like). Carter Beauty charges €50 for your first HD Brows visit, and €35 for maintenance treatments, every four to six weeks. (Confession? I never went back. The shape lasted for almost a year with just some gentle plucking.)

Elysian Brows. Elysian was kind of the original in Dublin brow bars. Or, at least, it's the first one I remember popping up, and it was the first place I ever went to have my brows done. They used threading, and offered tinting although I could never be arsed showing up 24 hours before for the patch test (impatient, me). I remember a lot of talk of "growing in" my eyebrows, which was slightly irritating as, hi! My eyebrows are fully grown. They ain't growing in no more. Brow shape costs €30 for an initial shape and consultation, and €20 thereafter (they recommend coming every two to three weeks), and tinting is an extra €15.

Shavata @ Harvey Nichols. There's something about having your eyebrows threaded by Indians - you know, the people who invented threading - that's comforting. That is not a racist thing; it is an expertise thing. If I am going to have something done by people who've had the skill handed down by a culture that is invested in it, well, I'm going to be pretty happy about it. Even happier, brow shaping at Shavata costs just €20. I loved the shape I got at Shavata - while it was thinner than I was going for (be wary - if you want bushy, be really pushy about it!), I had a great arch that I'd never seen on my brows before.

My verdict? My favourite shapes were at Shavata and with Lorna - but there's €25 in the difference between the two. That said, Lorna adds in tinting, which I also really loved and has given me a total break from my Benefit Brow Zings addiction. So I may alternate between the two. Lorna for special occasions, Shavata for regular upkeep.

Where do you get your brows done (if you're not one of those enterprising folks who does them at home!)? How much would you pay for the privilege?