Eyebrow maintenance. I started off tweezing in high school, and then graduated to waxing. Years later, however, I found that my eyebrows were a shadow of their former selves. They were thinner and shorter, and lining my eyebrows became routine when I wore makeup.
Then, a nail tech named CiCi at Annie’s Nail Spa in Jersey City, NJ told me about microblading. It’s essentially a eyebrow tattooing technique that leaves you with lovely brows for up to three years, if you are lucky. More information about the procedure is here. CiCi showed me before and after pictures of her past clients, and answered all of my questions about the procedure. Then, she drew a fabulous eyebrow on me with a pencil, and insisted that is what i would look like after the procedure. This perfect drawing was my expectation and also why I initially regretted my decision.
I made an appointment, went home, and read up on the procedure some more. After the initial session, the eyebrows go through the usual peeling that happens after you get a tattoo. A month after the first session, you’re supposed to return for another one. Women online who hated their eyebrows opted not to return for the second session, and also gave a lot of tips on how to get your eyebrows back to normal as quickly as possible. I had many more questions for CiCi after reading all of this, and she patiently answered each one. I pushed my doubts aside, and decided to keep my appointment.
First, a numbing cream was applied and left on for about 20 minutes. I couldn’t feel anything during the procedure at first, but it was about a two-hour process. I definitely felt the painful scraping about two-thirds of the way through. After all was said and done, I hated it. My eyebrows were way too dark and artificial looking. The worst part was the beginning of the eyebrow, near my nose. It was a hard, backward “L” shape, and looked very unnatural.
I did everything they told me not to do in order to make my eyebrows lighter faster. I scrubbed my eyebrows with soap and water, drank alcohol, and exercised. My self-sabotage worked, and my eyebrows did fade pretty quickly. Here are the details of my microblading journey!
Day 1-3: Absolutely hate my eyebrows. I was cursing myself and calling myself names, especially since I paid $450! I got compliments from several coworkers though.
Day 4: Ok, my eyebrows look good! This is also the day that peeling started, right on CiCi’s schedule.
Day 5: More peeling.
Day 6: Now my eyebrows look like I got fresh wax. They are definitely not full and perfect looking like I was told and shown.
Day 7: Wondering how long it will be before I need an eyebrow cleanup (wax).
Day 14: My eyebrows still look like I got a fresh wax. I’m starting to debate if I should go back for the follow-up visit. I don’t want the eyebrows dark again, but I want the full and perfect look that I was promised. I’m leaning toward skipping it so I won’t be left with horribly dark eyebrows again.
Day 21: Eyebrows still look fab. Very nice not to have to worry about them at all.
Day 30: I am happy with my eyebrows, and my microblading decision! The previously thin parts toward the end of my eyebrows are filled in, and I still have my natural arch/shape.
I decided to forego the second appointment to avoid another round of hideously dark and unnatural looking eyebrows. I got my brows cleaned up via wax by CiCi and they look amazing! I was told by one of my model friends that he has never seen my eyebrows so on fleek. I think I need to continue going to CiCi to make sure my eyebrows aren’t waxed to thinly, and that I keep getting spectacular results.
Final assessment: It’s really a case-by-case basis depending on how thin your eyebrows are, if you already have an eyebrow shape that you’re happy with, etc. If you find yourself filling in your brows often and are very unhappy with the way your eyebrows look between maintenance appointments (like I was), then microblading might be a good choice for you. This was one impulse buy that was a good decision for me.
BrownieMarie.com 