My Eyebrow Microblading Experience

Who has heard of eyebrow microblading? I’m guessing some of you are thinking “micro-whattttt??”. If you have not, please don’t feel bad. I only found out about this game-changing beauty process a few months back. Let me give you the scoop.

Microblading is a semi-permanent make-up procedure where a blade and pigment is used to enhance and shape your eyebrows. I’m one of those who has thin, blonde eyebrows that lack shape and can barely be seen. Lucky me. Big, nicely-shaped eyebrows are back in style and my natural brows clearly aren’t fitting the trend. Enter microblading.

I was so excited when Angel at Flawless Beauty AZ reached out to me and asked if I wanted to collaborate and share the word about her microblading service. Yes, yes I do. I did a bunch of research before I ever committed to doing this because it is on my face and involves blades. In theory, scary stuff, especially for someone who has no tattoos and never got her belly button pierced in high school because of the needle (you know, back when belly button rings were all the rage). Heck, I probably wouldn’t have gotten my ears pierced if my mom didn’t take me when I was like 5. I’m one of those who can’t even watch the flu shot segments on the news. God only knows how I got through childbirth. Twice.

When you have microblading done, you usually will have an initial appointment and then a touch-up 4-6 weeks later. I had my first appointment back in January and I’m going to walk you through the procedure. Fair warning, these photos aren’t the most attractive. In fact, some of these are the most unflattering photos I’ve ever seen of myself, but I’m sharing them in the name of beauty. Please ignore all the big pores and up the nose shots. I’m doing this for you.

Flawless Beauty AZ is located in Old Town Scottsdale in the cutest converted business space. I wish I had the painted brick and reclaimed wood walls for all my blog photo shoots! Angel did an amazing job decorating the space so it is inviting, comfortable and girly. After all, I’m guessing most men aren’t really in the market for microblading (but if you are, no judgement. Who says only women should have amazing brows?!).

The photo above was taken right before my first microblading appointment. See those skinny mini eyebrows? Well, they look much more fab now.

First step in the process is numbing. Since it is a procedure that involves blades, Angel applied a numbing gel to my brows, which took about 20 minutes to soak in. I wasn’t completely numb and didn’t really notice a big difference when I was just sitting there, but I’m assuming it helped during the procedure. She also applied some fancy-smancy saran wrap to keep it in place. Like I said, hot photos here.

After the numbing process, Angel follows the natural brow line to make a stencil of the shape. She used all kinds of measuring tapes and rulers to make sure they are as symmetrical as possible. This is also where she can make adjustments to the shape to make sure the client receives the desired fullness and arch. In my case, I didn’t want a dramatic change. I just wanted them to look a tad more full with a little more defined arch. I also have a spot on my left brow that is a little bare from an old scar, so Angel helped fill that spot in for me.

Here’s a really awesome picture of me showing the stencil of my new brows.

After stenciling, you will go through the color matching process. Angel has a ton of different color pigments and she generally recommends going with the one that is the closest to your natural brow color. In my case, we both agreed Taupe was the correct color (the middle one in the swatches above).

These are the pigments she uses. Like I said, she has a full range of colors to match any and all brow colors. Isn’t her little case so cute?!

Next step is the actual microblading process. During this part of the process, Angel took a blade, dips it into the pigment and drags it along the brow to create a hair-like line. I know what all of you are wondering – does it hurt? Honestly, it was a little uncomfortable, but not painful. I have a goofy left eye that waters for everything (literally, everything), and it did water a little bit during the procedure. The one thing I wasn’t prepared for was there is a scratchy noise the blade makes as it is dragging across the skin. Angel told me the noise actually helps her so she knows she is putting the pigment in the correct layer of the skin, not too light and not too deep.

In case you are wondering, here is the blade Angel used for the procedure. On the left hand side, you can see the pointy blade sticking up which is dipped in the pigment.

Here’s what they looked like immediately after the first appointment. So.much.better. Some people’s skin gets a little red and puffy, but even with my sensitive skin, mine still looked amazing right away.

Yay for new brows! The microblading appointment does take some time – Angel estimates 2.5-3 hours for the first appointment and usually closer to 2 hours for the touch-up. These time estimates were completely accurate, as it did take a little while to make sure everything was done perfectly.

As far as recovery goes, it is definitely a process. Angel gave me this “microblading range of emotions” card, which could not have been more accurate. She warned me that the pigment does change colors as a part of healing and that the next day, I would probably think they were too dark. She was so right. Days 2-4, I felt like I looked a little goofy because my brows were much darker than I was used to. Starting around day 5, they also start to scab and flake off. Honestly, I barely had any flaking and no scabbing at all, but it does vary by person. Some people really hate that part of the process, but it wasn’t a big deal to me. She also provided an ointment to help with healing that I applied starting on day 3 until day 14.

Like I said above, I did go back 4 weeks after the initial appointment for a touch-up. During the touch-up, Angel goes through the exact same process and can make any necessary adjustments to perfect the shape. I did have quite a bit of fading after the first appointment (some people’s skin takes to it better the first time than others), so she really made sure to apply enough pigment the second time around.

Here are my before and after results. Pretty amazing, right? Microblading lasts between 12-18 months for most people, but it can last up to 2 years for others. I’m honestly thinking that this is a must-have beauty procedure for someone like me with skinny mini brows.

As far as cost goes, microblading at Flawless Beauty AZ is $250, which includes the touch-up appointment. This is seriously a steal, as Angel told me that microblading can cost up to $1,200 in big cities like LA and NY. Even in Arizona, some other locations charge $600. We all know how much I love a deal so Angel’s prices are seriously a steal. Angel will even give you a $10 Starbucks gift card if you reference my blog “The Sensible Shopaholic” when you make your appointment.

Have you done microblading? Would you try it?