Microblading!

If you haven’t heard: Brows are in! No longer are the days where we pluck away at our brows. Now it is “the bigger the better”, and I am loving it! For me however, having thick brows comes at a price since mine basically don’t exist. I would spend what felt like days in front of the mirror every morning filling in my brows with a brown pencil. Let me tell you, that process gets old. It was the longest step in my makeup routine and I would get so frustrated trying to get my brows to be the same size and shape.

Then I heard of Microblading! This procedure has been around for about 4 years now, but has really grown in popularity over the past year since everyone is realizing how amazing it is.

So what IS Microblading!? Microblading is a semi-permanent eyebrow tattoo that uses individual hair-like strokes to give an all-natural appearance. This procedure shapes, defines, and fills your brows. Each individual stroke is measured and placed to fit your unique face so that you walk away with the brows you were meant to be born with!

How exactly does it work? Some people may be thrown off by the word “tattoo”. Do not let your mind wander to the tattoo parlor, that is a totally different type of tattoo procedure. A regular tattoo is used with a needle connected to a machine and pushes ink deep into your skin, resulting in a permanent display of artwork. Microblading uses a handheld tool, creating a small line in the top layer of skin for the pigment to enter. This allows the dye to absorb into the skin and remain for a 6-12 month period before fading out.

Here are the steps:

• 10 Days before, be sure to avoid alcohol and aspirin. These thin out your blood and will cause unnecessary bleeding during the procedure.
• Mapping: Using a learned technique, your specialist with map out your brows (with a pencil) based on your face shape. This will give you an idea of what your brows will look like before the microblading begins. Your specialist with check with you to ensure you are happy, and can alter the mapping if needed.
• Numbing: This procedure does come with some mild discomfort, so numbing cream is used to ensure that no pain is felt. The cream is applied on both brows and left on for 20 min to ensure it has sunk into the skin properly.
• Color Matching: Just like finding the perfect hair color, your brow color will be matched with the dye to ensure a natural look. This is done while the numbing cream is soaking in.
• Microblading begins: The specialist will wipe off the numbing cream and begin the microblading. Making tiny, hair-like incisions into the top layers of skin while following the mapped out lines.
• Dye Placement: Once there are several strokes made in the brow, the dye is placed on top, allowing the color to sink into those tiny incisions (which is what gives each stroke the illusion of a single piece of hair).

Just like with any other beauty procedure, there is some “down time” and instructions that you must stick with in order to ensure the best possible results. Complying with these steps will help your brows to heal properly and healthy. The “healing time” is 10 days, and after that you can return to normal behaviors. Here is what you need to avoid for those 10 days:

• Avoid getting water on your brows. When bathing or showering, keep running water off your face. No swimming.
• Apply Aquaphor or a healing ointment 2-4 times daily (the more the merrier, you want to keep the area moist). Be sure to wash your hands before applying.
• Do NOT touch and/or pick at your brows during the healing process. There will some shedding of the top layer of skin (this is normal) as it heals. Picking at that can alter the pigment. For best results, let the skin heal on its own and just keep applying the ointment.
• Do not apply any kind of makeup to the brow until the 10 day healing process is complete.
• Be sure to avoid: swimming, saunas, increased sweating, tanning salons, facials or peels, smoking, drinking alcohol in excess, driving in open air vehicles, and creams that contain any type of retinol or acid.

Once you are out of your 10 day healing process, you are going to notice your brows fade in color for a few days. This is normal due to the skin regenerating itself after the shedding of the top layer. You will then see the color come back darker and stronger. After 6-8 weeks, you will have a touch-up appointment and your specialist will check in on your brows and do any tweaking to them as needed. They will do a quick Microblading procedure that takes about half the time as the first initial appointment.

So how long does it last!? The amount of time in between touch-ups depends on your skin type. People with more oily skin will find they need their brows done more often then those with dry skin. This is due to the amount of oil being pushed up through the layers of skin, which also pushes up the pigment causing it to fade faster. Other factors may be the products you use on your skin (how harsh and what chemicals they contain) and how often you get facials. The normal time in between touch ups will be 6 to 12 months (Closer to 6 months for people with oily skin and 12 months for those with dry skin).

What is the cost??? The average cost for the initial Microblading procedure and first touch-up is $650. This price will depend on where you live and how much experience your specialist has. For touch-ups after that, the average is $100.

Where did I go?! I spent a lot of time looking for the best person to do my Microblading. Your eyebrows are on your face, clear for everyone to see, so you want to go to someone who knows what they are doing! I looked online and all over Instagram to find who I wanted to do my brows. I found Courtney, owner of @christinebrows and a part of @pureonemedspa, on Instagram by searching for “St. Louis Microblading”. She stood out to me because her before and after pictures are amazing! Not to mention she has the most natural looking results. If you are in St. Louis, I recommend her 110%! If you are elsewhere, I would ask around and do your research. Do not pick someone on price alone, this is not a procedure you want to go cheap on.

For pricing with my girl Courtney from @christinebrows you can DM her on Instagram for a quote.

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SO! With all that information, what you really need to know is: what are the benefits of getting Microblading done? This is going to be different for each person, but for me it was the time. I am too impatient and did not want to spend the time filling in my brows each morning. It was the worst part of getting ready and I never found a brow pencil that I was in love with. Plus, I would often end up rubbing my brows away on my hands by the end of the day! Frustrating! Not to mention, I love that they are filled in ALL the time now! So even when I do not wear makeup and have a fresh face, I still have my brows! Going to the gym, running to the grocery store, etc. I feel confident enough with just my brows done! To me, the money and the appointment twice a year is well worth it!

If you have any questions regarding this procedure please to do hesitate to ask! If I cannot answer it, I know Courtney would be glad to. Our goal with this post is to educate. If you would like more pictures and video, you can go to my Instagram @christinefrisella and view them under my Highlighted stories named “Brows”.

I hope this helps with any hesitation you may have. I know my experience with Microblading has been nothing but positive. Now go get your brows done!

XOXO,

Christine