You know when you just meet someone and know they’re a star? That was me, in Tucson, Arizona, this past April, for the fourth year of Benefit Cosmetics’ Brow Search, their annual nationwide makeup-artist competition to find the best in brows. Abby Wren was one of 24 finalists picked from nearly 3,000 entries to be an Arch Outlaw on Tanque Verde Ranch in Tucson, AZ. Wren is a makeup artist and alopecia awareness activist, having lost her hair in high school and embraced by nearly 180k followers on TikTok and 126k on Instagram, with her colorful, wacky, fascinating approach to makeup. And it’s not just all an aesthetic, either — the same kind, generous Wren you see on the internet was the first person to greet me, with the same amount of warmth, grace, and openness. That’s an art form, in my opinion — and straight away, I knew I was in for a fantastic and fun week of yeeing, hawing, and brow artistry.
