Your first question in regards to Microblading process may be, “Why?”
Well, first of all, if I can save 10-20 minutes everyday on filling in my brows, or, better yet, go with very minimal makeup more often (like hitting the gym with no makeup but still having a perfectly framed face with my brows on point), then I consider that a win. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have a ton of extra time in my life. And if I did, I wouldn’t want to be spending it correcting my damn uneven brows.
Which leads me to my second point: brow shape correction. Everyone’s face is asymmetrical, and our brows never look even if we are being honest with ourselves, and that’s what we are always trying to fix when we fill in our brows.
Now, my face is even more asymmetrical than most.
Aaaaand, here is THE BACKSTORY (dum, dum, dum, DUM) on why:
When I was about 11 years old, my sister and I used to race our bikes around the row of townhomes we lived in. Every time we got to the back of our place, my dad would give us a push start on our bikes. One day, on one of those push starts, I lost control of the handlebars and slid on the right side of my face about 3 feet on the cement. I know exactly how far I slid, because we had a bloodstain on the cement outside of our back door for months to come.
For a month after the accident, I didn’t have skin on most of the right side of my face and kept it in bandages. For the next 10 years, I had a scar on the ball of my right cheek that would flare up bright red anytime it came into contact with the sun. I was very lucky that not much else happens to my face, but one of the things that I have dealt with since then is a lack of muscular activity on the right side of my face as well as a lower eyebrow, cheekbone and upper lip on that side.
Now, while most people say that they can’t tell at all (which I’m glad of), the important thing is that I can tell, and it has bothered me–some days worse than others but always just a little bit.
Now that you know one of my insecurities, I am going to share with you something that I wish I had done years and years ago. Microblading process. I sought out an expert in the craft, Angela of Expresions Brow Studio, by appointment only, located at Ansley Mall in Atlanta. She is an artist in her own right.
And through the art of microblading, I have been able to even out my eyebrow where it doesn’t bother me anymore. And, not to mention, eyebrows on FLEEK, all day, every day. Ayyyyye!
NOW, FOR THE MICROBLADING PROCESS:
You will talk with your microblading artist (if you are in Atlanta, it should definitely be Angela). Tell her your concerns, ask your questions. Tell her what you are looking for.
These are my brows before:
The cool thing is that Angela measures and plots out your brow shape both mathematically and aesthetically as part of her microblading process. She will measure the center, the arches, everything–mark it out–then, have you sit up and study it aesthetically just to make sure everything looks perfect.
This photo isn’t even the final outline. She wiped it off and restarted until it was, as I said, perfect.
Once you have approved the outline, it’s time to start the actual “tattoo.” The reason I use quotations there is because it is a manual kind of tattoo–not the gun like a traditional tattoo.
Here’s where the microblading process gets interesting and I am going to be real honest with you.
For the first pass (consider it the stencil), it’s best to go it without anesthetic. The reason for this is because numbing draws moisture and makes the skin tighter and less receptive to the pigment. Basically, your brows will last longer by doing the first pass without anesthetic. For me, this first microblading process without numbing was, honestly, very painful. But if you have had a tattoo before, you’ll be fine. I do know that my pain receptors are much more sensitive than the average person’s, so keep that in mind.
The “first pass” is a detail by detail of the outline so she can then wipe off the markered on outline and apply topical numbing cream. Once that sits long enough (about 15-20 minutes for most people) to fully numb your brows, she tattoos the rest.
Then, a color masque (to full pigment the strokes) goes on for a very minimal amount of time–something like 5 minutes.
The whole process takes about 1.5-2 hours.
Your brows will be a bit red and possibly puffy, because you are technically traumatizing the skin and triggering your body’s inflammatory immune response. BUT, your brows will look like this when she is done:
One of the most important microblading process tips I can share with you is to make sure the artist you choose has a gallery of work with very precise, well-hidden, hair thin strokes (this style of microblading is called feather strokes for a reason), like these:
You will be sent home with instruction that are very basic and easy to follow–gently cleanse the brows often and apply the creme she gives you directly after cleansing every time. She said I would experience peeling after a week or two, but that never really happened for me, which she said is because I did a very stringent job of applying the cream often.
You will need to come back for a follow-up appt. You will be numbed completely this time (no more painful, unnumbed strokes), and any of the strokes that may not have absorbed the pigment completely evenly will be totally evened out. Same healing process as before and YOU. ARE. DONE.
So, here is the before and after my microblading process, side by side:
Microblading is definitely one of those things that I look at, literally every day, and think, “Why didn’t I do this YEARS ago?”
I totally recommend it, because every time I look in the mirror, I am SO grateful for my amazing brows. Also, for Angela and her willingness to listen to me and work with me and not make me feel like I was demanding too much when telling her exactly the brows I wanted.
Another bonus, that I just need to interject randomly because it doesn’t really fit anywhere, is the fact that when I DO want to create a really bold makeup look, with a dark or colored brow, filling them in is SO easy, peasy, because all I have to do is follow Angela’s strokes and I get it right!
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Did I miss some important information on the microblading process? Please leave me a comment below and I will answer any and all questions you may have!
I am all about helping my fellow ladies out, so hit me up, loves!
XO, Chelsea
You can schedule an appointment with Angela HERE: https://expressionsbrowstudio.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php
And follow her on the gram to see all of the amazing brow transformations and other REAL reviews from real people:https://www.instagram.com/expressionsbrowstudio/
Oh, and going back to my point at the beginning, here is an unedited gym selfie with brows making my whole, un-made up face look WAY on point (or, at least, way more on point):
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