Having a great pair of eyebrows is imperative in my life. I have no hair on my head so anything that makes me looks remotely feminine is crucial to me. Earrings, lipstick, a mild contour, and eyebrows. Even on makeup free days, I feel like my brows are the least “no makeup, makeup" I can get away with without looking like a boy. I’ve spent years trying to perfect a great pair of eyebrows which are natural looking, thick and symmetrical. Some days I knock them out the park, but on most days I do a mediocre job, to say the least. Trying to get my eyebrows right every morning is exhausting and I looked forward to a day when I could leave the house without worrying about them. Then I heard about microblading and I decided to do a little research. I was intrigued.
What is Microblading?
Microblading is a semi-permanent "tattoo" on your eyebrows to fill in the gaps and which gives you greater definition and dimension. Initially, when I thought of semi-permanent makeup I imagined sharp, harsh lines which fade into an unsightly green color. Nothing about semi permanent makeup that I have seen in the past looks natural and I couldn’t believe I was actually considering it. Fast forward to 2017 and semi-permanent makeup has come a long way. Microblading is a relatively new technique where individual hair strokes are hand drawn using a pen-like blade which deposits pigment into the epidermal layer of skin. The result is a natural-looking arch which is even and frames your face perfectly. After Googling this procedure for months my only worry was what the brows would look like in a few years. Since it is fairly new there isn’t much out there in terms of any discoloration due to aging. Many sources assured me that the brows actually fade away so the most “damage” I could see would be faded pigment or returning to my pre-microbladed brows. After doing all my research and thinking about it for a few months, I decided to find someone I could trust with my eyebrows.
For a girl who has never let anyone touch her brows (I’ve never waxed, threaded or highlighted eyebrows) I knew the search for the right person would be a challenge. I shape my brows with a tweezer and will not let anyone else touch them, so the thought of someone else applying a tattoo on my face made me extremely nervous. Thanks to social media my search didn’t take too long because I stumbled upon The Browery. Every Instagram post which showed before and after images seemed to enhance the client's natural shape and not go against it. The colors used matched the client's natural color and each brow looked different but perfect on the client’s face. I wanted a fuller brow but I wanted one that looked subtle and wouldn’t look odd if I wasn’t wearing any makeup. After Googling and reading as much as I could about The Browery I decided to make an appointment. Misha from The Browery delivered and I’m totally in love with the end result. She’s meticulous, walks you through the whole procedure and makes sure you’re comfortable throughout the process. Misha deals with every client so you are assured you are in the best hands. She’s passionate and compassionate and generally has a beautiful spirit. I felt right at home at The Browery and it was an added benefit that I actually really like her. I went for my first session in February and my refinement in May and waited for my brows to heal completely before publishing this. At different stages of the healing process, my brows did look different so it only made sense to me to wait until the very end to share my experience. I’m going to walk you through the process
Microblading : The Procedure
- A topical anesthetic is applied to your eyebrows first to numb the area. This takes about 20 - 30 minutes to work and get properly absorbed into your skin to ensure the process is pain free. I joked that I left my bed to come and nap in hers. You lie face up with numbing cream on your brows, a plastic wrap over them and a towel to keep the area warm.
- Your skin is cleaned off and Misha performs a series of measurements to plot your brows using a pencil to outline the shape. The measurements ensure a symmetrical shape and consistent brows. I had left my brows to grow out because I wanted them thick and dense, but when I saw this image I thought they were way too thick. Misha assured me that this was simply an outline and that my brows would not fill this entire area of her outline. This is a guide.
- After the measurements were done and both Misha and I were happy, she got to work slowly carving my eyebrows, drawing on one stroke of hair at a time using a tiny sterile blade which is saturated in pigment. The pigment used matches your skin tone and hair colour. It is a tedious process and all you can do is chill out, get comfortable and trust the process. It didn’t hurt like I thought it would. "Tattoo on your face" makes it seem like you need a high pain threshold to get through the process but every stroke felt like a scratch. I felt it a little more towards my tails, but even then it wasn’t actually painful. It's was more a feeling of discomfort than anything else. You can hear the scratching sound more than you can feel it. On a scale of 0 - 10, I would say the pain I felt was at a 2.5. Once the desired shape and volume is reached on both eyebrows, the excess pigment is wiped off to reveal your brand new eyebrows. The whole procedure took 2 hours.
Misha walked me through the healing and aftercare process and warned me not to be alarmed. The aftercare process is just as important as the actual microblading procedure because this is the time you could make or break your brows. Because the scars are so shallow they can easily get washed away. I was told to dry heal them and not to let water touch them in the first 2 weeks. This means no splashing water all over your face when washing like a Neutrogena ad, no sweating (so no gym) and no swimming. The scabs are also very sensitive so just don’t touch them when they’re healing as you might prematurely remove them. Sleeping on a pillow is also not your friend, I was advised to sleep on a travel pillow for at least 2 weeks after the procedure because it would be easy to remove the scabs if I'm a rough sleeper. Which I am. The brows would be totally healed in 4 - 6 weeks. Even after our discussion, I was never ready for what the healing process would look like.
Microblading Stages of Healing
Right Afterwards| My brows look amazing! I can’t go home yet I need to show these babies off. So I went to get my makeup touched up and went out for lunch. They looked fresh, the strokes looked precise and my face was popping. I had a few people ask me where I got my brows done on the very same day. I’m so happy I got this done! Best birthday present to myself ever.
Next morning | They still look good (not as good as yesterday) although slightly darker and my skin feels somewhat raw. The hair strokes aren’t as thin as yesterday but they’re still looking amazing. I have a dinner in the evening and was worried that I wouldn't be able to make it because of my brows. I go out for dinner.
3 days later | OMG they’re so dark & harsh! I can’t leave the house like this. I feel like everyone is staring at my brows. I know we had discussed this prior with Misha but they are SERIOUSLY DARK. They also are itchy. I try all day not to touch them. Every time I look in the mirror I wonder if I may have made a mistake. They’re too harsh and too thick. What have I done to myself?
5 days later | A colleague at work keeps staring at me, and I try to play it cool. He puckers up enough courage to ask me what's different on my face. I tell him my brows and he asks me what on earth I did to them. "They’re so... BLACK!!" he exclaims. I’m hacked.
One Week later | My brows don’t feel raw anymore. I’m tired of sleeping on a travel pillow but resolve to power through the following week. I also really miss my gym sessions and wonder how much they actually will fade if I just go to one session in the following week. They still look super dark and I wonder if this is it. Is this the end result of my microblading? Did the scabs come off and I just didn’t realize it? How will I know when they’ve healed properly? I’m tempted to get hold of Misha and ask her whats up (she did give me her number and said I could call her anytime), but I decide to just relax and follow her instructions until the 2 week period is over.
One week, one day later | The following morning I wake up with little black dots on my face. WTF? Oh, its the little scabs coming off. My brows look dull and dusty because of the dry skin that is coming off. Dry skin looks ashy when its the same color as your skin, can you imagine what pigmented dry skin looks like? On your face? I notice a few gaps where the scabs have peeled off and I’m tempted to peel off the other scabs. Instead, I just use a spooly brush to remove the dry skin holding onto my actual hair and deal with having patchy brows for a few days
Two weeks later | All scabs are gone, but it looks like they took some pigment along with them too. I can see the strokes but they’re faint and the pigment looks more gray than black. I missed the thickness and boldness in the beginning and resolve to let Misha know during my refinement that I want them bold again. Oh and I can go back to gym and not be so pedantic about water touching my eyebrows.
One Month later | They’re back! I forgot to keep making notes and taking pics of my progress but one morning I notice that my brows seem dark again and natural. They're not as dark as they were the day that I got them microbladed but they do look like my own brows. Just a thicker more defined version.
A refinement session is supposed to be booked 6 weeks after the initial session to fine tune, create definition and more depth. If there are any inconsistencies the refinement session will help fix these. I was scheduled to leave for Bali after my refinement session and I knew I'd be swimming and didn't want the hassle of worrying about my brows during the trip so I decided to wait longer and book my refinement on my return. Besides, I was happy with the result and wasn't sure I actually needed the refinement. On my return, I decided to go in for a refinement and I'm so glad I did. The second session created depth and I feel like they look more polished now. I love the final result.
A microblading session and refinement session at The Browery costs R2450. It does not come cheap. Is it worth it? Yes! I am very happy with my eyebrows. The only time I may fill them in is when I'm wearing makeup and I end up smearing foundation over them. It's very important to find the right person to microblade your brows. Misha is amazing and so passionate about creating great brows. You can ask her absolutely anything and she'll be patient with you. Thank you for my beautiful eyebrows!
Misha from The Browery has been kind enough to give me one voucher to give away to a lucky reader of my blog/follower on Instagram. Head on over to my Instagram page for the competition details.
I am so in keen to experience this. *as I put my hand up first.
Love it!
Author
Go for it!! The end results speak for themselves!
I also went to The Brōwery and I’m currently in my 3rd week of healing after my 1st session. The healing process is quite an interesting ride lol. I had sent Misha about 100 emails asking if all that I was going through, was normal and its true, she’s patient and very “to the point” about the process. Indeed one should trust it cause as I’m typing this, the scabs are gone( mine came out in bits and pieces but I really had nothing to worry about) and I can actually see the tattooed strokes that remained of what will soon be, my perfect eyebrows.
I can’t wait for my refinement session. My level of confidence has shot to the sky ’cause I practically had no brow tails and now I do and I’m not even done healing or gone for my refinement yet(can you imagine then!).
Yes the “no water” and sleeping like you’re in a coffin isn’t fun, the stares from people(or atleast in my head) is something you must just get used to, I know I did. Its just an awkward couple of weeks.
But ya,I absolutely can’t wait to see the final result. SUPER excited.
Author
Hi Yvonne,
The healing process is very interesting, especially when you don’t know what to expect, but Misha is amazing and patient.
Yay to your confidence levels!! It’s amazing what a good set of brows can do for your self esteem. I’m so excited I can speak to someone who’s actually done this as well and gone through the process. Please let me know how the final, end result is!
Literally beeen wanting to get this done for the longest time. Thank you for documenting the whole process cos I wasn’t sure what to expect :”)
Author
Hi Lesedi,
You’re welcome! Let me know if you’re going to go ahead with the procedure.
This is absolutely cool. I love that the brows look so natural, it looks like actual hair strands. Misha did an amazing job!
Author
Thank you Rea!
She definitely did!
I would love to, hence I entered the competition. Your brows look so amazing that I need Misha to misharize my brows too (hehehe)! Job well done here, I even stalk their Instagram page because I’m so impressed. Thanks for letting us know about it cause I had no idea.
Author
You’re more than welcome! I’m that girl who can’t keep a secret when she discovers something amazing!
Wow I am so going to get mine done this time. Thank you for taking us through the entire process
Author
Yes to more girls having bae-able brows!!
WOW! amazing work, who would have thought tattooing brows would look this great! definitely something to consider and well worth all the trouble:)
looking hella fine there
Author
Thank you Princess!
Tattoo and brows doesn’t sound right when put together. I’m glad they turned out so well.
Beautiful brows!