Five Things You Should Know About Microblading

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We Heart This shares Five Things You Absolutely Should Know About Microblading. Be sure to check it out before you head for Microblading yourself.press visit

If you’ve spend any time on Instagram lately, then you’ve been hearing a lot about microblading. But what exactly is it? And more important, do you NEED it?

Spoiler Alert: If you have wimpy eyebrows, you absolutely do.

My eyebrows were as weak as they come; two lil’ sad sideways commas from years of over-plucking (thanks 90’s). So when I started hearing the microblading buzz last year, I couldn’t jump on board fast enough.

We Heart This shares Five Things You Absolutely Should Know About Microblading. Be sure to check it out before you head for Microblading yourself.Tools of the trade

Essentially, microblading is semi-permanent tattooing. But rather than the jackhammer motion of an electric tattoo gun, this is a manual process using a tool that looks like a row of tiny X-acto tips. The tool is dipped in pigment, then pulled through the skin to draw “hairs.”

So, I know what you’re thinking “Tattooing your FACE?” Because I thought the same thing initially. But if you pick an artist who’s skilled, you’ll be in good hands.

I placed my brows in the good hands of Narin Khy-Ly at Shaped Microblading (2018 update: now closed), who was recommended highly by a friend. But I’ll also admit, though my brows were comped for this article, I was pleased that she’s a bit more affordable than the prices I was researching. At this time her appointments are $400 including your first touch-up. I’ve seen them upwards of $900 with other Los Angeles area artists.

After drawing the outline of my soon-to-be brows (some freehand, some with the aid of a measuring device), having me ok the design, and choosing the proper shade, she got started.

We Heart This shares Five Things You Absolutely Should Know About Microblading. Be sure to check it out before you head for Microblading yourself.

And this is where I’d like to tell you some microblading truths…

1. It doesn’t hurt that much. But listen, it’s no picnic.

If anyone tells you this doesn’t hurt at all, they’re totally lying (or superhuman.) I mean, there’s teeny blades involved! Some people compare the feeling to a cat scratch, but repeated cat scratches. So yeah, ouch. But they’ll numb your brows with a topical anesthetic, so that helps a lot. And the actual procedure only lasts about 30 minutes, so you can totally do it.

You’ll leave the appointment amazed. I did! I couldn’t believe I had brows again. But…

We Heart This shares Five Things You Absolutely Should Know About Microblading. Be sure to check it out before you head for Microblading yourself.

2. They’re going to get darker within 24 hours of your appointment.

That shade that looked totally natural in the salon is going to get way darker. Honestly, you’re probably going to freak out a little. I call this The Groucho Marx stage (look it up, kids). But please know, this is totally normal. As they heal and the pigment settles, they lighten by up to 40% within 10 days.

Bonus Truth: You’re going to be really happy if you have bangs.

See above.

We Heart This shares Five Things You Absolutely Should Know About Microblading. Be sure to check it out before you head for Microblading yourself.The healing process, i.e. so badly wanting to pick…

3. You can’t wet your brows for 7-10 days afterwards.

I know, that’s a tough. Believe me, I know. And during this healing time, they’re also going to scab a bit too. You’re going to dream about taking a wet washcloth to them. But don’t. Seriously. No working out. Showering is tricky. Here’s a tip: Invest in a terry cloth headband to wear around your hairline to catch drips. Dry shampoo is also going to be very handy. But the last thing you want to do is pull out any of the pigment while they’re healing.

4. It’s a two-part process, no exceptions if you want good results.

Your touch up appointment is recommended between 6-8 weeks later and you absolutely need it. During this second appointment your artist will add more strokes to even the brows, fill in any spots and retouch any areas that faded. Consider it the fine tuning.

5. Microblading doesn’t last forever.

The pigment isn’t going as deep as a traditional tattoo, so don’t expect the same kind of forever results. Not to mention the beating brows take through sun exposure, facials and treatments. Typical microblading lasts 1 -2 years. Narin recommends a touch up once a year to keep them looking fresh. If you have oily skin, you’ll probably be at the lower end of the range (but then, your skin doesn’t wrinkle as fast either, so you’ve got that.)

The joy of having brows again is REAL. I still use products to shape and define them a bit, but we’re talking 15 seconds of application versus 3 minutes or more.

Author

  • Stef Andrews

    Stef is a plethora of things. Amongst them: co-founder of we heart this, photographer, condiment connoisseur, Philly girl in the California desert, borderline hoarder and a hardcore beauty junkie. She also has a touch of wanderlust and, arguably, the cutest dog in the whole world... skin tone: NC 25/30 skin type: oily with a fear of rosacea favorite beauty product: high end skincare and lip products

11 Comments

  1. How in the hell do you not get your head/forehead/brow area wet for 10 days?! Like…I box, I sweat like a goddamn wildebeest. There’s just no way.

    1. “I sweat like a goddamn wildebeest.” Oh, thank you for that! I literally snorted. Not getting your forehead and brows wet is def. the hardest part. Me? I was happy to not have to pretend I was thinking about going to the gym. But you, you’d have to not box for 10 days, it’s the only way.

      Thanks for your comment.

  2. There she (@stef)is! They look great too! You sure are a sport without actually being into sports, like boxing or a gym rat.. But a sport to go thru all that to look like you actually have some beautiful brows! Hopefully, yours will last longer than they say! :)

  3. Whoa, this ended up looking amazing on you! I wasn’t sure how it would work for blondes, but I love it! Congrats!

  4. They look SO good – when they heal you’re going to love them! I just got my two month touch up with Daria yesterday, so I’m back in the “now water” stage. Honestly the first time, with lots of numbing cream, it literally did not hurt at all! The only thing that hurt was her hand pushing really hard on my forehead – kind of like a headache. And it was slightly painful when it was healing (the first day or two). BUT, the second time hurt WAY more – I guess because I still had some fresh scar tissue. They said it shouldn’t hurt much in a year when I got back for a touch up. Yay for waking up with perfect brows!

  5. I LOVE this post! I have an appointment for a consultation at the end of the month and I’m potentially getting them done in March. I doubt I’ll cancel that… lol A lot of girls at the salon had theirs done and I got up in their face at my last appointment in there. Like RIGHT UP in their personal space. The results were AMAZING. My brows look exactly like yours so I’m DYING to do this!!!!

  6. The process sounds annoying as heck (pain, scabbing and avoiding rain, water and sweat) but DANG the final result is amazing. I can’t even fathom what it is like to wake up with beautiful brows every day.

  7. I actually like the idea that microblading is only semi-permanent. Your brows look amazing, @stef, and I can’t wait to see your final “after” shot!

  8. I can’t wait to see the your final “after” shot, too! The fuller looking brows takes off 10 years, easily–I find it fascinating that such a little change makes such a difference in your appearance. Lovely!

  9. I have been so curious about this–I think it’s such a great idea. Cannot wait to see final result pics.

  10. Your brows look GREAT! It does sound like a bit of a process, but man, waking up with perfect brows would be sooo nice.

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