Microblading Eyebrows

Client Point of View

First and foremost, let’s answer the main question – What is microblading? It’s semi-permanent makeup that provides a means to partially or fully camouflage missing eyebrow hair with the fill-in makeup appearance of simulated hair using fine deposits of cosmetic tattoo pigments.  It’s not an actual tattoo, as it is not done with a tattoo machine; but, again, it is semi-permanent lasting for about 6-9 months or longer if you take care of it correctly.  It is done with a small utensil that creates the hair-like strokes in the skin. Then, the pigment color sets in to the skin.  Yes, you are numb for the process!

Microblading was seriously the best “beauty” money that I have ever spent; and it shaved at least 15 minutes off of my morning routine because my eyebrows were like a daily art project.  They were never symmetrical.  I mean, of course, no one’s eyebrows are EVER symmetrical, with the exception of Olivia Culpo and a FEW select others, BUT almost everyone’s face is asymmetrical, especially our eyebrows.  Sorry if you’re now looking in the mirror to discover this lol!  With that said, asymmetrical was an understatement for mine lol.  My right one started farther out than it was supposed to, my left one had a terrible arch, and they were both missing hair in random places from over-plucking!  Believe it or not, thin was once in!

Sadly, I do not have many before pictures for you all of them not filled in!  I got them done pre-blogging; so I honestly didn’t think to take pictures.  Crazy, I know, but I literally wouldn’t leave the house without filling them in because they were so bad!  I wish I would have because I would LOVE for you all to see the progress and the changes that it made.

But there is this little gem from the Miss LA USA 08 program book so just take a look at those rough brows for a sec LOL!!!  That was not filled in, I’m pretty sure, and I’m not even sure how I won looking back at this JK JK!!!  I worked really hard; and, thankfully, I learned about filling them in before stage!

The closest I could get to before and after pics is when I would fill them in myself so I do have this (below, left) and that was a good day LOL!

I got them done almost two years ago, July 2016 to be exact because they had a cancellation and I was super stoked to get home from our beach vaca to get them done.  Literally, the ONLY time in my life I was ‘OK’ with leaving the beach.  I was in for the win because otherwise their next opening was October.

There’s also these:

I know raved about this on Instagram stories but, for those who missed them, I’m going to say it again – I got mine done at Beso Makeup in Metairie, Louisiana.  If you can go there to do it, I highly recommend it, and ask for Michelle!  She’s amazing!!!  Make sure you book about a month or two in advance because she books up quick!

A common question is if it is a tattoo or like getting one!  I kind of answered this in the beginning but, again, no and no!  It’s semi-permanent so it fades over time and you get color boosts every 6-9 months depending on the person and how you care for them.  Also, it is not the same tool as a tattoo!  It’s a little handheld tool; then pigment is applied later.

Microblading Process

Now, let’s get to the process so I can explain all of that!  When I arrived, Michelle measured my brows showing me where they should start, stop, and arch and marked them off so I could see it!  They were perfect when she did it; but if I would have wanted something different, she would have adjusted it.  She even asked about my hair color and how often it changed so she could make sure my brows matched and were the appropriate color.  After I was ok with everything, she started the process.

I was super exited but also scared because I heard it hurt like a mofo.  I heard right lol!  BUT, it only hurt for the first 2-4 minutes because she has to open the skin to numb it so the first few scrapes are the toughest.  However, from now on, I WILL be ordering lidocaine from Amazon to put on beforehand.  It’s not nearly as good as her numbing stuff but better than nothing.  After the first few 2-4 minutes, she numbs you and you don’t feel anything else.  You will kind of hear the little scraper tool on your brows which is interesting but it doesn’t hurt anymore.  If for some reason, your numbing wears away too quickly, she will re-numb as much as you need; but, she said she RARELY has to numb anyone twice.  After she finishes the process, she applies a pigment over the brows.  There’s no structure to the pigment and it looks a little crazy!  We laugh about it every time because that’s usually the pics that most women send to their significant other saying “do you like them?” to freak them out a little LOL!  I sent it to Dean the second time and he laughed but he already knew the process.  If he didn’t have the warning, he might have freaked!  My mother-in-law got hers done and we sent it to my father-in-law as a joke; and he replied, “ask them to go thinner … nicely” LOL!

The pigment has to sit a few minutes, not long!  But, honestly, that part is very relaxing because it’s all done!  Once the timer goes off, she wipes the pigment off, and your new brows are beautimous!

Microblading Post-care

Now, caring for them in the post process!  This part is the reason I like to do mine in the cold months because you have to stay out of the sun for a few days and you can’t really workout; so, do not get this done, for example, right before a beach vaca.  Makeup isn’t suggested but I just put it around my eyebrows and it looks fine because it just looks like a full face of makeup lol.  You can see this in the first day of my insta-story video above.  You will wash them twice a day with antibacterial soap, then apply an ointment after washing.  She, or your artist, gives you an entire sheet on post-care but I’m just including the specifics you would want to know before going.

What will my eyebrows look like while healing?

Another key note you all will want to know is what they’re going to look like during the healing process.  The first few days, they will be pretty dark, like you all saw in my Insta-stories!  And the first two times you wash your brows, they will be little sore!  They will also appear darker because of the ointment that needs to stay on them so don’t let that fool you.  As you continue to wash, around day 7ish, you will probably see some little brown specs come off when washing them or on the q-tip when putting the ointment on.  Don’t rush this at all or pull them off because you want them to heal correctly.  Let them heal naturally.  See Day 7 in my insta-story video above.  It’s suggested to do this for 7-14 days; but just to be safe, I have always gone the full 14 because I wanted them to heal perfectly and last as long as possible!

After DAY 14, YOUR NEW BROWS ARE COMPLETE!!!  For everyday make-up, I usually don’t fill them in; but for a full face, I will still fill them in a little.  Once I’m getting close to a touch up/colorboost, I may need to fill them in a little more; but what I love most is that it’s a perfect guide to where my brows need to start, stop, and arch; so it never takes me long to fill them in and my brows are always on point!  It’s almost like I always have a perfect stencil to work with and it helps soooo much!

Oh, important note, during healing, they fade 40-60%, which is why they are so dark at first; however, because of the fade, it is alway suggested to get your first touch up a month after the initial process.  When you’re leaving, your technician should already schedule you in; then, after that first touch up, then you don’t need another for 6-9 months.

When I do fill them in, these are my fav pencils but I mostly use the Go Brow pencil!  When I am doing a full face for an event, date night, etc, I use morning fog eyeshadow and the liner/brow brush from The Perfect Face!

P.S. Follow @theperfectface on Instagram if you don’t already because Danielle Doyle, the owner, is always doing amazing live tutorials!  She’s awesome!  Also, I will have some beauty tutorials coming up with these products!

Again, if you can go to Beso, I highly suggest it!  Btw, I am not getting paid by Beso to write this blog and it is not sponsored.  I’ve just get lots of DM’s about it so I wanted to share this and cover everything in one blog, esp for those of you who may be on the fence about it or just want to know more.  I did tons of research and went to a few consultations, one of which almost talked me out of it lol, before deciding to do this; because, although it is semi-permanent, that’s still permanent for a little while!  If you can’t make it to beso, my best advice would be to find out who has been certified through Beso, since Michelle teaches it as well, and go to them!  For those of you who are make-up artists or interested in doing this, I would highly suggest getting certified by her 🙂

More FAQ’s

• Do your eyebrow hairs still grow?
  • Yes, you still have to wax or thread your brows and tend to them per usual, as this is not a hair removal system. You just don’t have to fill them and/or filling them in is MUCH easier!
• Do you have to tweeze them?
  • Yes, like I said above, your hair still grows.  You only have to really tweeze the areas outside of the microblading.  And you can trim the main area if you have those brows that get long and crazy; but, that’s in so up to you!
• Does it hurt?  I don’t like needles in my face.
  • I covered this part above; but, again, only for the first 2 – 4 minutes!  It’s TOTALLY worth it!  Also, it’s not a needle; and, you never actually see the tool by your face because you’re laying down and she’s working on your brows from above if that makes sense.  If you get the lidocaine, like I recommended above, it won’t hurt as bad.
• Do they look fake?
  • Not at all.  They look very natural.  Like I said above, the first few days they are very dark but they fade 40-60% in the healing process, which is what makes them look very natural.  People are always surprised when I say mine are micro-bladed because they look very natural.  Check out the Insta-story video above for more on this!
• How long until it looks normal?
  • I think within the 7 days they already look normal but I continue to put the ointment on for 14 days; so, I would say definitely after 14 days.  You can’t really tell the ointment is on but just my suggestion.
• How long does it stay?
  • 6 – 9 months but mine have lasted longer.  Once they’re healed and know I’m going to be in the sun, I put sunscreen on them to make them last even longer 🙂
• Is there any pre-prep?
  • Nope, except that lidocaine that I’ve chatted about a few times lol!  Oh, and if you’re going to wax beforehand, it can’t within 48 hours of getting microblading.  I suggest doing it like a week before just to be in the clear, esp if you have sensitive skin.
• Should I bring a photo to show styles I like?
  • You definitely can!  Your artist should be educated on this and know how to measure eyebrows on someones face; but, you can definitely bring pictures.  However, just remember, you want to measure to your face because what looks good on someone else doesn’t always look good on us!
• How do you know what style fits best for you?
  • I kind of covered this in the last question; but, again, your artist should know how to measure them to your face.  Mine marked them off showing me where they would start, stop, and arch so I was able to see what they would look like before starting the process.
• Is there a way to see what it would look like before I do it?
  • Yes, just answered this one also lol, but your artist should fill them in or mark them off to give you a mock of what it would look like.  I suggest asking if they do this when you call or during your consultation.  You should be able to schedule a consultation to get more info, also!
• Can I see previous work?  Or see more examples?
  • Yes, of course.  My artist is Michelle @besomakeup on Instagram and has a lot there; but, regardless who you go to, I would DEFINITELY ask to see their work beforehand.  If they don’t have any, I would find someone that does.  Do not be a guinea pig for something like this!!!  I saw Michelle’s work beforehand on her Instagram and in-person on someone else and I was sold.  Definitely find or ask for before and after pictures of whoever you decide to go to!

If there is anything I didn’t cover or anything you guys want more detail on, please feel free to ask below or contact me!  I would love to help in this process because I know how much it has helped me.  Btw, not only has it helped speed up my morning routine and fill-in my brows much easier, but it has also raised my confidence tremendously because my eyebrows were so messed up before.  Like I said, I wouldn’t leave the house without filling them in; and, they were so asymmetrical, that I wasn’t confident in filling them in so I really appreciate Michelle’s work in boosting my confidence, as well!

Happy Microblading, babes!  I am always here if you all need help!

Until next time, peace and love,

Michelle West

Written by: Michelle West