Hey guys.  2 weeks ago I got my eyebrows microbladed and today I am sharing all the details of my experience.  If you have been following along on Instastories you have seen updates, but here I will answer all your questions!  So come along with me on my eyebrow microblading journey!

Like many of us, I over plucked my eyebrows in middle school and they NEVER grew back!  I have the smallest eyebrows and I don’t like them.  I pencil them in, but because I plucked so much there is no hair at all in spots so it looked fake.  I was excited to get microblading because there would be actual hair strokes in those bald spots making it look so much more natural!

BEFORE & AFTER

EYEBROW MICROBLADING:

WHAT IS MICROBLADING:

Microblading is a semi-permanent tattoo that uses a special tool to create hair like strokes on your eyebrows.  It is a manual process that makes tiny cuts in your skin and then ink is applied leaving semi permanent hair strokes when wiped off.  It is a 2 part procedure.  The first procedure is done, it takes 14 days to “heal”, then at about 6 weeks you get a touch up (part 2) and this is when you see your full results!  Everyone’s skin is different and absorbs the ink differently, etc. so the 2nd part allows the technician to fill in the spots, adjust the color and anything else you need to give you the perfect brows!

HOW IS IT DIFFERENT THAN TATTOOING:

It is not done with a machine.  It is a hand held tool and pigment is applied after.  It also does not go as deep as a tattoo. It goes in the skin layer between the epidermis and dermis.

MY EXPERIENCE:

I will say I was so so so nervous.  If you know me personally you are probably relieved this is over because you are sick of hearing how scared I was!  HAHA.  I very much dislike needles and consider myself to have a very low pain tolerance.  I have no tattoos because….I hate needles.  And…I never found anything I would want on my body forever….until now!  Eyebrows.  Microblading is semi-permanent, but…it would be there a while!  It was a big decision for me to work up the nerve to do it, but after seeing lots of amazing results out there I knew I had to do it….I am so glad I did!  I am sharing my full experience below.  Obviously this procedure is different for everyone and each technician does it in their own way, but here is how my journey went….and is going!

PROCESS:

I checked in to the office and while I filled out my paperwork she put numbing cream on my eyebrows.  She said that this will numb the outer layer of the skin.  After about 10 minutes she called me back and we discussed what I wanted my brows to look like.  I shared the parts I liked/didn’t like about my brows, I showed her inspiration pictures, etc.  After that, she spent a lot of time measuring and outlining where my brow would be.  This part takes about half of the time you are there.   She gets everything exactly right and then you review it and make sure you are happy with everything.  Then she “pricks” the skin all over so she can apply a liquid anesthetic.  Honestly….I didn’t feel this at all!  (Thank the Lord).  Like…felt nothing!  That topical cream really worked.  When she applied the liquid it burned a little bit, but that didn’t bother me because I was hoping it got in there really good so I wouldn’t feel the next part.  The liquid set on my brows for about 5 minutes and then we got started.  I had heard from several people that you can hear the blading process.  UM..YEAH, no thank you!  SO….I brought my headphones and listened to my music really loud.  This worked like a charm.  I couldn’t hear anything.  She started with the tool and honestly it wasn’t bad at all.  Really, most of it I couldn’t feel.  I cannot tell you what a relief this was!  She did one pass on one eyebrow then applied the pigment, did the same thing on the other eyebrow and then applied the anesthetic again.  Again, this burned.  For me….I will take burning/stinging all day long before I feel cutting!  The burning wasn’t bad at all, but you could feel it.  Then she repeated the entire process 2 more times.  At the end each eyebrow had 3 cutting sessions (cannot think of a better way to say that) and then 3 dye/numbing sessions.  Then it was all done.

 

PAIN LEVEL:

Ok, I addressed this above, but wanted to cover it here again because this was my biggest concern.  It honestly was not bad at all!  I am not even nervous to go back for my touch up.  That numbing cream worked!  Botox hurts way more in my opinion.  The biggest discomfort was the burning….and it was not bad.  There were a few “strokes” that were “uncomfortable”.  If I had to guess I would say 50+ strokes were made on each brow and I would say 4 were uncomfortable.  Do not let pain be a deterrent for you.  I know it is different for everyone, but I would consider myself on the “wuss” side and it was totally tolerable!

HEALING PROCESS:

When I walked out of the office my brows looked great.  I had a lighter pigment so I didn’t experience the “frankenstein dark brow” effect.  Mine never got too dark.  They were red for a few days.  Like the color looked wrong because instead of taupe it looked like I had red pigment used….kinda like I used lip liner to fill in my brows.  Then mine started fading.  It looked like parts had disappeared.  About a week later they started peeling and itching a little bit.  Everything started to look more normal and the strokes started to re-appear at about 13/14 days.  At this point I could start wearing eyebrow pencil and it was amazing.  Everything looked more natural.  There is an amazing outline so I know exactly where to fill in, they are even, etc.  Total game changer!  Originally I thought everything was complete after 14 days and you could see your full results.  I learned though that you cannot really see the full results until after your touch up.  You have to wait around 6 weeks because your skin continues to heal and you want everything to have run it’s course so your technician can see exactly what you need in the touch up.  She will see what needs to be filled in, if you need darker color, do you need it thicker in spots, etc.  14 days after the 2nd procedure is when you are all good to go and see your full final results.  When you do your yearly touch up you only need 14 days to heal.  You don’t need the touch up so it is a much faster process.

I was not allowed to wear make up or get my eyebrows wet for 14 days.  You are NOT allowed to pick when they start peeling.  I did apply an ointment she gave me for a few days after the procedure.  You are also not supposed to be in the sun.  I went to a football game the day after I got them done so I had to wear a hat.  She gave me a list of things to avoid, but it was really pretty easy.  I was just really careful when I washed my hair and I made sure to go into my procedure with clean hair so I didn’t have to wash it for a few days.

PRICE:

I am sure this varies per technician, but my procedure was $500 and that includes my touch up in 6 weeks.  From what I understand it is cheaper next year when I come in for the fill.  The first time is the most expensive because it is a 2 part process.  Then the yearly/year and a half maintenance is less expensive.  I have also heard it lasts longer each time you get it done.

WHO DID MINE:

This was a top question I got asked.  I wanted to wait to share who did them until mine healed to make sure I liked everything.  I take recommendations very seriously and would never want to recommend someone until I can fully stand behind them.  I love my brows and the entire process.  I can very comfortably recommend Claria Renee.  She is in Dallas and she is the one who did my microblading.  This was in no way sponsored or discounted.  I was a full paying customer who did tons of research and am thrilled with my results!

Here is my before & after right when Claria was finished.  I took this photo from Claria’s Instagram

RESULTS:

Well, I gave a spoiler alert above, but I LOVE them.  This is something I will definitely continue doing each year.  I love them now so I can only imagine how much I will love them at the end of October when I get my final touch up.  There are definitely spots that need to be touched up.  There are some areas that need more strokes that have faded quite a bit, I want the arch a little sharper, etc., but overall I am super happy with the results.  As I said my eyebrows were super small so having real looking hair strokes is a game changer.  Everything looks so much more natural.  When I left my appointment the strokes were very crips, now they are kinda blended.  Every review I have read says the strokes really stay crisp after the touch up…I am excited for this. While my eyebrows don’t grow in several spots where I have strokes Claria did show me where I need to stop trimming them so the ones I do have grow longer and will make everything look fuller.  I will also be using Rodan Fields Lash Boost on my brows because it helps with hair growth!  Now I know the right places to apply it!

Here are my brows 2 weeks out.  You can still see the outline of where she microbladed, you can see some strokes, but you can also see where the strokes really faded.  I have no brow makeup in this photo.  You can still see the outline of where she bladed though so it is very easy for me to go in and touch up with pencil

 

OVERALL REVIEW:

YES YES YES!  If you have been thinking about it, do it.  They look great, the healing process was not bad, the pain was so tolerable (basically a level 3 on a scale of 1-10) and I really have nothing negative to say about it (except I wish they didn’t fade so much round 1).  I will be giving an update again in October when I get the touch up done and will let you know if there were any changes and that process, etc.  This is part 1 of my eyebrow microblading journey!  Thank you for all the sweet messages, etc to those who followed along with me on Instagram!

LASHES:

The number 1 question I got on Instastories was where I get my eyelash extensions done.  That is so sweet because I don’t have eyelash extensions.  I use Rodan Fields Lash Boost and it has transformed my lashes!  It is amazing!  I used it every night like a clear liquid eyeliner and my lashes have never been longer or fuller.  I tried extensions a few years ago and while I liked them while they were on, when I took them off my lashes broke off.  To me it was way too expensive and way too much up keep…such a time commitment.   Lash Boost is $135 and my bottle has lasted 6 months (much cheaper and easier than extensions)!  It comes with a 60 day money back guarantee so it is risk free to try.  You will see results before the 60 days is up so you will be able to tell if you love it or not.  Read the reviews online.  People love it.   ORDER LASH BOOST HERE

Ok, I tried to cover every question that I got.  If I missed anything just leave in the comments below and I will get back to you.  Be back for the final eyebrow microblading update in about 6 weeks!

PIN BELOW IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING MICROBLADING