The day is finally here! It seems like forever ago that I had my consultation. If you have any questions about what microblading or microshading (ie. “combo brows”) are, then be sure read that blog post first!
I made sure to follow all the prep instructions given to me; no vitamins or herbal supplements one week prior to this appointment, no alcohol or aspirin 24 hours before this appointment, and no caffeine the day of the appointment. This is all to minimize bleeding. When you bleed during the process, the ink gets pushed out, which means you will end up with less color staying after everything is healed.
Once I arrived at Charisma Salon, Mary brought me back into the spa portion of the salon and into her brow room. I discussed this in my first eyebrow blog post, but I must reiterate it here…it is SO important that you choose a competent, experienced, and trustworthy brow artist. Be sure to go through their portfolio of work and talk to them first. If you are in the Southeast Michigan area, you can’t go wrong with Mary. Follow her on instagram and send her a DM, or just call the salon directly!
Mary explained every step of the process to me in detail, which helped put me at ease, and kept me informed as things progressed. The first step is drawing on the eyebrows. This process is crucial, because this drawing will guide the way for the actual microblading and microshading process. Mary put a ruler on my forehead, and used string to make sure that my brows were drawn evenly and symmetrically. I was able to give my input into this process. I have very fine features (small eyes, thin lips), and I do not wear heavy makeup, so I wanted to be sure that my eyebrows were not too dark or too thick. Mary took this into consideration, as well as the amount of arch I was looking to get.
Once both brows were drawn to our satisfaction, she puts on a numbing agent and lets this set for 20 minutes. In the meantime, we tried different ink colors. It is important to try ink colors against your skin, because like lip color, eyebrow ink color will look different on each of us. Mary put three different shades on my forehead and we discussed the options, and made a mutual decision.
Now it was time! She begins the process with microblading. She takes a small blade that is held in a wand (like a pen), dips it in the ink, then makes small cuts or “strokes” that look like individual eyebrow hairs. I was surprised by how little this actually hurt. The numbing cream really helps. It actually felt more like a scratch than a cut. You even hear a little scratch sound as she does each stroke. Mary explained that that sound lets her know she is in the right layer of skin. She does one pass on each brow focusing mainly on the outside edges, adds another layer of numbing cream, then does a second pass. She may do 2-3 passes depending on the needs of the client.
Once the individual hairs are finished by microblading, its time for microshading. Microshading is done with a machine that vibrates a needle dipped in ink, similar to a tattoo machine. I have several tattoos, and the microshading is maybe 5-10% the pain intensity of an actual tattoo. Much, much less intense. The microshading is to add density of color. She added shading in the arches where I had no hair, just skin. This just gave me a more colored in look, as opposed to sparse hairs.
Once this was all finished, after 2.5 hours, it was time for the reveal! I had been peeking the entire time, so it wasn’t a dramatic surprise, but I am so incredibly happy with my brows. I always wanted nicely shaped, symmetrical, arched brows…and now I have them!
At the end, Mary walked me through the aftercare process. While they are healing, for the next 10-14 days, I must be careful not to get them soaking wet. So, I need to be extra careful in the shower and when washing my face. I also switched my workouts away from cardio for the next few weeks. It is October now in Michigan, so I won’t be swimming or in the sun, but these are things to also consider for your own aftercare. Mary gave me a product called Hustle Butter to use twice daily on my brows while they heal.
Stay tuned for my next post that will cover the healing process and my touchup session in 5-7 weeks! Subscribe to my blog to be sure you don’t miss out on any future blog posts!
Leah Little has a full time job as a social worker, and has managed to travel the world while wearing beautiful clothes by knowing how to score deals in travel and fashion. Learn more about her journey here. Join the Leah Little Travel and Fashion tribe by entering your email to subscribe to be the first to learn new ways to enjoy the best in travel and fashion for less. Say hi and send her a message!