Find out how the viral 22-year-old girl is doing after losing her eyebrows from using a charcoal peel-off face mask

“Kilay is life,” they say but what happens when you lose your eyebrows while trying another beauty product that promised to make you look better?

Twenty-two-year-old Genella Carabbacan decided to shave what little remained of her eyebrows after she lost most of them from a beauty accident.

Genella Carabbacan immediately shaved her eyebrows after the accident.

“Inahit ko na po siya kasi hindi ko na siya maayos para sabay-sabay po siyang tumubo. Ito na po ‘yung resulta nang nangyari. Wala na po ako kilay, wala na po akong buhay. Joke lang po,” she pokes fun at her ordeal.

On Facebook, Genella posted a video of herself crying after losing her precious eyebrows from using a charcoal peel-off mask. It received five million views, which turned Genella into a viral superstar.

“Madami daw pong natuwa duon sa tawa-iyak ko,  ‘yung naghalong emosyon, at saka madami [din] pong nainis dahil sa katangahan ko,” Genella said on Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho Sunday.

She adds: “Umiiyak na po ako nun kasi wala na po akong kilay. Masaya po ako na natanggal na po ‘yung mask pero nalungkot po ako kasi wala na akong kilay.”

Along with the mixed reactions were good samaritans reaching out to her for help. Two beauty clinics, Genella narrates, offered their microblading services “‘yung embroidering daw ng kilay para ayusin nila ‘yung kilay ko.”

Genella works as a saleslady and part of her job is to look presentable at all times. A close friend of hers offered her two sachets of the said mask for free. It had promised to remove all the blackheads on her face, which excited her tremendously.

"’Bes, gamitin mo 'to, maganda 'to sa mukha, matatanggal yung mga dark spot ng mukha mo’, sabi niya. ‘Oh talaga?’ sabi ko naman po. Ibibigay na lang daw niya nang free."

Genella immediately applied the two sachets on her face thinking it would make her look better the next day. She was so excited that she failed to read the instructions.

"Na-excite po ako kaya hindi na po ako nagtanong. Hindi na [rin] ako nagbasa ng instruction kasi gusto ko po talagang matanggal ‘yung blackheads ng mukha ko," she said.

People posting their charcoal mask experiences on Facebook is a common sight on her feed, Genella said, “pero hindi ko po napansin na hindi pala lalagyan ‘yung kilay. Hindi ko na po siya binasa, binuksan ko na po siya kaagad."

The incident served as a lesson for Genella. She expressed how important it is to read instructions and do your research first before using products that you're unfamiliar with.

"Hindi po masamang magbasa. Dapat po bago natin gamitin ang isang cosmetic or kung ano man ‘yan, dapat po basahin natin ‘yung instruction o kaya kung mag-research, magtanong kung sinong mga nakakaalam kung ano ‘yung gamit nito, kung paano gamitin para hindi po kayo magaya sa akin," she said.

According to an article in Health.com, the charcoal peel-off mask is designed to exfoliate the skin. Dr. Debra Jaliman, dermatologist in New York City and Dr. Melissa Piliang, a dermatologist at the Cleaveland Clinic suggested that it is best to only apply the product on the T-Zone or areas that have blackheads.

A video of a man who also experienced pain from using the said mask also went viral recently, Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque wants the certain product to be seized and be tested first by the Food and Drug Administration. (FDA).

“The mask 'sticks' to not just the blackheads, but also the skin and hair on the face,” says Piliang,  “When the mask is removed, it pulls off the outermost layer of skin and associated oils which serve as a barrier to protect the skin from the environment. This, plus pulling out the small hairs would cause significant pain—just like waxing the face.”