My Microblading Experience

 

Okay so this isn’t really “on brand” with the rest of my blog, but I have gotten lots of questions from friends about my microblading experience so I wanted to share the details here and hopefully help anyone who is considering doing it!  My top line recommendation is YES, you should!!! But make sure you find an artist that matches the style you are looking for, and definitely prepare yourself emotionally… more on that later lol! Here’s how this whole thing went down for me…

Back when I was a kid, my brows were THICK. We’re talking unibrow, Bert and Ernie, caterpillar vibes. Thanks Ellie for these very not-embarrassing 90s Christmas throwback pics… >.<

With a little shaping they might have been nice, but nope. Then came the insecurities of middle school in the early 2000s and I plucked those little fur balls within an inch of their life! What used to be thick dark brows had turned into patchy blonde nothingness… then of course, big brow style returned and my brows did not. Sad. I started filling them in and using some colored brow gel which helped a lot, but if you know me you know I’m not a big makeup gal so I didn’t like having to do this every morning and I also wasn’t very good at it.  See photos of my thin/patchy brows without the supplemental makeup…

Enter microblading. When I first heard of it, it appealed to me because it is semi-permanent (lasts 1-2 years depending on your skin and the treatment) and looks super natural (more than makeup) since they tattoo tiny lines under your existing eyebrows to look like hair strokes. I found a great local artist (find her on Instagram at microblading_sb) and started stalking her work for a few weeks. There are a ton of artists out there, all with different styles; the first account I really got into was bijoubeautyla since they have done all the bachelor people’s brows. Anyway back to my gal, I liked that she was professionally certified and it was clear from her photos that she is a total perfectionist – something you want when you’re thinking about getting a tattoo on your face! I also liked that she had done blonde brows for other people and they turned out really nice. There are some terrifying photos online of blonde brows gone bad.

So anyway, I decided to go in for a consultation and Kamren drew on my new brows with a super thin black pencil to show me what they would look like. I loved it! Booked the appointment (several months out, another good sign that she knows what’s up) and waited patiently for the big day to roll around!

Finally the day came and I was very excited and nervous. The procedure itself was pretty easy – Kamren mapped out my future brow shape and we discussed to make a few small tweaks here and there. She uses your existing brows to form the shape, so she could tell that mine used to be thick and we wanted to emulate that to make them as natural looking as possible. To be honest it was hard to picture what they would look like at this stage but I did my best, and mostly just trusted her judgement!

After that I got numbing cream, waited about 30 minutes and she came back to do the actual tattoo. That part took another 30ish minutes and I could barely feel it, really not bad at all. Once the tiny cuts are made then you get more ink on the brows to reinforce the lines and you can send some super scary pics to your husband who is at home wondering what the hell you’ve gotten yourself into. Hahaha!

So here comes the tough part. Brows are done, I look in the mirror and have an EXTREME panic attack. I held it in until I left Kamren’s office (kinda like when you get a bad haircut, except this is permanent) but as soon as I got to my car and then for about 3 days after I was crying and laughing and freaking the hell out pretty much 24/7. Luckily Bryan and Ellie were there to try and calm my nerves but even they were a bit freaked out by how crazy I was being and I don’t think they knew what else to say except “it looks fine. Also you signed up for this” lol!  I think the main thing that freaked me out was that Kamren and all the blogs I found online told me that right after the procedure I would love my new brows. Then in the days following they would get bigger and swollen as they healed and that’s when I would freak out. Not for me!!! They were huge and dark and I panicked pretty much immediately. Plus, for someone who doesn’t wear makeup much it was a huge shock to my system to have these big dramatic things now taking over my face. And then yes, they did get bigger and scarier in the couple days that followed… awesome! Lol.

The great news is, they did shrink. They did lighten up. And I also just got used to the new me with eyebrows, and now I love them!!! Here’s a little progression for anyone out there currently panic searching at 3 am after the night of your microblading session… take a deep breath!

The aftercare experience was very manageable (just wash and ointment twice a day for 2 weeks) and Kamren gave me all the supplies and instructions I needed. She also responded super fast to my panic email with some kind reassuring words, which were very needed. My brows were a little sore for about 24 hours the initial procedure and the touch up, but nothing more than a headache which went away the next day. I had also heard there would be a lot of scabbing and flaking during the first week or two but I didn’t really experience any of that.

Now that they are fully healed and have mellowed out a little bit, I am completely in love! It’s so nice to just wake up in the morning and actually have eyebrows without having to put on makeup or worry about anything like that. And I was wondering if I would feel the need to wear mascara to offset the more dramatic brows but it really hasn’t been an issue!

If you’re thinking about doing it, I’d love to help answer any questions or give you moral support! I think the biggest thing is finding an artist you trust and photos of their work that you really like and want on your own face! Happy brow hunting