If there’s one thing to take away from the last five or so years of beauty, it’s that eyebrows are really, really important. We all know too well that a fuller brow is way better than a sparse one. We’re very aware that how you shape of your eyebrows can quite significantly change the way your face looks. And we also know that drawing on our eyebrows is probably one of the most laborious and lengthy parts of our make up routines.
Enter microblading - the semi-permanent makeup technique that takes away the hassle of having to locate an eyebrow brush/pencil/pallet. The prospect of literally being able to ‘wake up like this’ is the dream but, of course, that comes with a price. But, is it worth it?
What happens in a microblading appointment?
I had the pleasure of visiting permanent makeup specialist Sian Dellar’s Harley Street clinic to give microblading (sometimes referred to as eyebrow embroidery) a go for the first time. I’d arrived wearing makeup, so before we got started I had my picture taken so Sian could see how I usually like to wear my eyebrows.
The room was big, bright, clean and had the vibe of a less intimidating dental surgery. Sian and I had a quick chat about the type of look I want to go for (natural, but fuller and more refined than their initial sparse and slapdash state) before she measured and stencilled an initial outline for how my eyebrows would look.
I said I was happy, Sian said she was happy, so I lay down on the medical bed and braced myself. After a few moments, when I couldn’t hear anything other than the music coming from the Sonos system in the corner, I opened one of my tightly squeezed eyes and unclenched my jaw. ‘I’m going to pluck first’, Sian told me.
Plucking over, Sian mixed up some pigment to match the colour of my eyebrow hairs and got to work. Teeny tiny blades are used to deposit the pigment into the skin in lots of little strokes on the brow bone. A final layer of pigment is spread across the brows to top up and secure the colour before being wiped off. Sian then applied a coconut oil balm to the area, took an ‘after’ picture and sent me on my way with the strongest brow game my face has ever been privy to.
Does microblading hurt?
I’m not very good at pain. So, of course, this is very subjective. A numbing gel is applied to your brows 15 mins before your appointment to minimise any potential pain, but as Sian’s colleague and fellow permanent makeup artist Carrina explained, the gel is more effective on broken skin which is why you’ll notice a dramatic difference in sensation when the second layer of gel is applied halfway through the microblading procedure and the surface of your skin has been scratched a few times.
Is microblading the same as getting a tattoo?
Yes and no. ‘It’s semi-permanent’, Sian explained. ‘But the process is similar. The difference is that where a tattoo sits about seven layers into the skin, in microblading the pigment sits on the surface of the skin. It does go quite as deep and so lasts 12-18 months’. But the process is pretty much the same. Microblading involves multible teeny tiny blades, while tatooing usually involves just the one needle.
How do I look after my microbladed eyebrows?
When you leave the salon you’ll be given a cute little pot of balm to apply 3 or 4 times a day for the first two weeks (with a cotton wool bud, not your fingers, please) to keep them well moisturised. The fact of the matter is that a few days after you’ve had them done, your eyebrows are going to be a bit dry and flakey and gross. But only for a little while as they heel. Applying the balm regularly will help this along.
Also, try and avoid getting your eyebrows wet post-treatment for the first couple of weeks too. That means awkward showering and using a wipe (or cotton pad lightly dampened with molecular water) to cleanse that area of your face.
Can microblading go wrong?
Sian has seen it all. It’s pretty rare for a good permanent make up artist to have you leaving the salon with wonky eyebrows, especially if they stencil on an outline that they check with you first. But Sian said that she has often had customers come to her to correct bad work, and that’s really not ideal. ‘It’s hard to correct someone else’s work, so if someone’s semi-permanent make up is that bad I’d normally say laser it off first before going to get them microbladed again. But most of the time it’s all in the aftercare’.
What does microblading look like one week after?
For the first day or two after having your eyebrows done, they’ll look pretty intense. If you’re not one for big, bold brows, Don’t be surprised if you’re not very enthused when you wake up the next morning. But this will fade, promise.
Sian Dellar offers a complimentary touch-up appointment 6-8 weeks after your initial blading session where any gaps that might be or to add extra pigment if you think yours have faded too much which is a good safety net to have if you're not feeling particularly confident about it all. By the time my touch up appointment was due my eyebrows had faded quite considerably since the initial round of pigment, but they were still visibly more prominent and defined than they ever had been before. When Carrina went over the lines Sian had drawn in my first appointment though, I could definitely see the difference and now, two weeks after the touch-up, I can see why it's worth making the trip back.
Should I buy it?
I don't regret getting the treatment for a second, but at £595 for the service, it'd be pretty gutting if I did! You want to be committed to the cause before you hand over the dollar. I haven't had to use a single brow product for almost three months now and, if the pigment lasts the expected 12-18 months I won't need to bother for a really long time. If, like me, filling in your brows every morning was both the bane of your routine and the one crucial thing process you insisted on struggling through before leaving the house, you'll never look back. Just make sure you're willing to save for a couple of months to avoid that dreaded strain on the ol' overdraft.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.