I’ve always had full, dark brows until recently, where I’ve been experiencing the Case of the Missing Brow. What in the world happened?  It would seem eyebrows aren’t immune to the aging process. I’ve gotten tired of penciling them in as part of my morning make-up routine so it seemed like a good time to look into microblading.

Microblading is a rather involved process which creates the look of a full brow by tattooing brow “hairs” to augment what you have naturally. If you’ve been curious about the process please join me as I share my recent experience with the amazing Emily Peare of Bombshell Beauty as she creates my new and improved eyebrows.

Above: my thinning brows, sans makeup, a few minutes before their much-anticipated transformation.

I had my microblading experience this past Tuesday. The entire process, encompassing one or more phases, can take several weeks. In the first phase most of the brow is bladed in. Healing takes six to eight weeks, after which additional sessions may be needed to fill in thin or asymmetric areas. The total process took a little over three hours. Emily spent most of that time meticulously measuring, marking, remeasuring and re-marking. Using a combination of plastic templates, calipers and dental floss (yes, really) she drew in the proposed new brow to guide her work.

Marked, measured and ready to go!

Once she comleted her measuring and marking, Emily coated the area with Lidocaine to start a numbing process which takes about 20 minutes.  While waiting, she dotted my forehead with various inks to find the best color combination.  Just as your hair is a combination of colors, the best, most natural eyebrow results will take more than one hue. Mine took two.  I’d love to tell you what they are, but I’ve completely forgotten.  They were both named for coffee drinks.  Yours will be different, matched to your hair colors and skin tones.

And the magic begins.  With ink on blade, Emily begins making small, hair-like cuts in the eyebrow field, starting from the outer edge and working toward the center.  One thing I didn’t anticipate is the effect of these little cuts as they get closer to the nose.  I needed to sneeze a lot, and my nose was alternately running and congested.  The nerves are so interconnected it’s an almost universal reaction.  Have Kleenex at the ready!

. . .and the finished product. Well, the finished Phase I product. In six to eight weeks I’ll be back for any necessary fill-in work.

So you’ve decided to try microblading. What can you expect? Honestly, even with the numbing it’s toloerable but still uncomfortable. As I mentioned, there’s the issue of the nose. I had to stop Emily several times to sneeze or blow my nose, which she assured me happens with everyone, so be prepared for that. Later that evening the remnants of the Lidocaine wore off and my brows stung, much like a skinned knee or other skin abraision.  That stinging lasted that night and the next day.  As I write this 72 hours later, I can feel the brows are there, but they don’t hurt. They feel a little heavy, probably due to the scabbing.

I was concerned they would look disgusting as they healed, but to be honest I just see the dark brow. And that dark color will fade a bit over time and look more natural. There is red around the edges, which you get some sense of in the photo above. That red was a little darker the next day, the way scabs darken. I didn’t want to wait several weeks for complete healing to show that more finished product.  Keep visiting over the next several weeks and you’ll see how they’re progressing. Once this round has healed I’ll go back to Emily for any needed touch ups.

Meanwhile, post-procedure care is crucial. This is a tattoo, and your skin has multiple tiny cuts which can become infected without proper care. Your brows are not supposed to get wet for a few days. You need to avoid having them sweat or having sweat run down your forehead and into your brows. At issue is the potential to “sweat out” some of the ink.  The day after my microblading our local tempurature was 121F. Is that crazy? And I had to avoid sweating! I also needed to avoid any blowing dust and dirt. Needless to say, I’ve avoided the outdoors as much as possible. To ensure the best brow results possible I’ve also curtailed my workouts short-term.

More to expect: you’ll have some scabbing. After all, the brows were created with little cuts. If you’re a picker, you have to resist the temptation to scratch and pick, especially during the inevitable itching-while-healing phase.

All this but I’d do it again in a heartbeat. I already love the fuller shape and darker color. I’ve received a lot of comments and compliments. Of course my hubby freaked out: “You got a tattoo???” but he’ll be okay as they heal and look more natural. It will be interesting to see how long they last. I’m told anywhere from six months to three years or more. So much of the shelf-life depends on the care immediately after the procedure. Miscare can cause the ink to fade prematurely, leading to less than optimal results. For my part, I’m following the instructions as closely as possible to extend the life of these wonderful, new brows!

Have questions? Please feel free to ask me here. I’ll answer as many as I can and find out answers for those I can’t. If you’re considering microblading, I hope I’ve helped cue you in as to what to expect.

Thanks for reading!