As someone who has lived her past 22 years basically eyebrow-less, I decided to take one for the “blonde body hair” team and try out one of the latest beauty crazes that have taken the cosmetic tattooing world by storm (yes, you read that correctly… cosmetic tattooing.).
Growing up some may say that I was your average tomboy; the girl that would rather be playing pick up with the guys as opposed to frequenting the aisles of Sephora. Makeup was never something that I was just inherently good at. In fact, it took about 3 years worth of youtube videos to perfect the one look that I have now replicated for the past 5 years (God bless the Naked palette and the versatility of a smoky eye).
So naturally, you could understand why I never really gave a f*ck about not having brows that were on fleek. (Confession: I did cry in grade 8 when all the other girls were making appointments to get their eyebrows waxed together and I literally didn’t have enough hair to even see an eyebrow…) It wasn’t until my friend, who works as a cosmetologist, asked if she could try filling in my brows one day. I figured the experimentation would be harmless, I mean they created makeup remover for a reason, and that, my friends, was the birth of my brows.
From that day forward I began filling in my brows religiously, but as any brow filler knows, it takes one wrong stroke to go from looking like a Kardashian to looking angry AF. Not to mention that brow filling takes precision and time, doesn’t hold up the best in water/sweaty situations, and probably isn’t going to last a 4-month vacation to South-East Asia. Given that the contents of the preceding list were going to be smacking me in the face rather soon I did what most millennial does when in need of advice and Googled away.
Cue microblading.
Haven’t heard of it before? Well, I hadn’t either, and from the name, it sounded invasive and scary as shit. For those who haven’t opened a new tab and Googled yet, microblading is a cosmetic tattooing procedure were tiny blades/incisions of dye are used to fill in your brows or create brows in my case. The procedure is semi-permanent, meaning it can last from 1 to 3 years and is just as painful, or painless depending on how you look at it, as getting a tattoo.
While the whole experience sounded like it could either be amazing or bloody terrifying, I decided to take a leap of faith and give it a try. Partially because I wanted to have fabulous photos with existent brows on my trip, and partially because if it turned out to look awful I would be gone for 4 months anyways.
It’s now been a week since I had the procedure and I can honestly say that if anything I have written in this article has really hit home with you, then you should give microblading a try. The process took about 2 hours, was minimally painful (they even numb your skin to help kill the pain!), and was definitely worth the investment. Prices can range anywhere from $500-$600, but since the fad is still new to North America, lots of spas and boutiques offer Groupons and discounts for first-timers (that’s how I scored mine for $150!) Maintenance is minimal, given you’re fine with not sweating and wearing goggles to shower for a week after and make sure you have an abundant supply of coconut oil ready to prevent any scabbing in the days following. The best part? 6-8 weeks later, all you have to do is revisit your brow specialist to see if any touch ups are needed, and otherwise, you’re brow-beautiful for the next couple of years!!
Whether you have a big trip planned or are just sick of single-handedly funding the Benefit Brow Bar at Sephora (I feel you) I suggest giving microblading a good search! I can honestly say that for someone who never understood the obsession with eyebrows for years, eyebrows are an amazing way to give some definition to your face shape and feel flawless when you’re in sweatpants, hair tied, chilling with no makeup on.
Featured image via Atikh Bana on Unsplash
