How many of us can say with confidence that we love filling in our brows in the morning?
Not me.
To be honest, I didn’t fill in my brows till I was 20. When I look back at my photos pre-brows, I almost shudder a little because of how bare it looks.
I remember seeing a huge surge of people getting microblading for their brows and was definitely curious. I tried out Microblading at first because I was scared to commit to something that is semi-permanent, but later made the leap to powder ombre brows!
I’m really excited to share about my experience with microblading and powder ombre brows! I’m sharing all you need to know about the process, differences between both, healing and more:
Microblading
What it is– Microblading is a technique that uses a handheld blade to create hair-like strokes and pigment is inserted to the skin. This method does not use a machine.
The Process:
My first experience with Jess (Ink By Jess FX) firstly involves a consultation at the start of my first appointment. We were talking about how I usually fill in my brows, the type of look I was going for, and what brow shape would best suit my face. What I love about working with Jess is that she is very passionate and knowledgeable about her craft. She looks at brows as a form of art, which to me, is really cool!
The next phase of the appointment is the Design process. During my research process, I found so many artists who use a ruler to draw along the brow bone in order to create the final look. Plus, in a lot of the videos I did see, the client is lying down during the design process.
With Jess, we designed the brows while I was sitting up and she free-handed it instead of using a ruler.
This is because of two reasons:
- Your face is pulled by gravity when you lie down and the design would look different
- No person’s face is perfectly symmetrical. When using a ruler, this is with the assumption that both sides of your face move the same. (I share more about this in the Powder Ombre section of the article)
The next steps after the design process involves numbing the brows and then getting to work!
The result is a very subtle, natural look. Similar to my natural brows (I have quite a bit of brow hair compared to most Asians apparently), we elongated the tails , lowered the front of the brow and added more ‘hair’ within the brows. This is done to achieve a more ‘open’ look.
All in all, the appointment is about 2 hours in total.
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Powder- Ombre (Powder Tattoo Brows)
What it is– A powdered brow is a soft ombre look for the eyebrows that mimic how it would look when you fill in your brows. Lighter at the front and darker tails of the brows. The pigment is inserted in a top- down motion with a machine to embed it into the skin.
The reason I made the decision to go and get Powder Ombre brows done is because I found that with Microbladed brows, I still ended up filling in my brows because they looked too natural. The nature of my work involves being on camera very often. Due to that, I wanted an easy way to look camera ready and having perfect brows helped! If you’re interested in some tips to be comfortable on camera, check out my post all about it!
As well, I was beginning to see the need to make another appointment to get a touch up done. Mind you, this is at the 6 month mark which is normal for regular microblading touch ups.
After MUCH deliberation, I went to my second appointment with Jess to get powder ombre brows done.
The Process:
Similar to my first appointment, we went through a consultation and design process for the powder ombre look.
I wanted a more defined, filled in look that didn’t need any makeup applied to it. Basically a ‘I woke up like this’ look for my brows.
Here is the funny part of the design process that I briefly mentioned I would get to in the first part of the article:
To further the point that nobody’s face is perfectly symmetrical, Jess got me to start talking like I usually do to make sure the designed brows looked right. Mind you, I’m a pretty animated person.
Good thing we did!
As it seems, one side of my face arches quite a bit more than the other side and we redid the design to ensure that I didn’t look weirdly unsymmetrical when I move. HI-LA-RIOUS!
The whole appointment is about 2 ½ hours. It’s good to note that the length of your appointment varies depending on your skin type.
So, Microblading versus Powder Ombre Brows:
Maintainence and Upkeep of your Brows
Microbladed brows generally last depending on how well you maintain them.
Touch ups are usually done within 6 months
Powder Ombre is semi-permanent makeup and lasts 2-4 years!
Healing Process
The healing process was similar for both procedures.
I found more scabbing happening for the microbladed brows but I completely healed for both procedures in 2 weeks.
Be sure to not let your brows soak in hot water/shampoo during the healing process. I also used a cream that Jess gave me to assist in healing.
Procedure Experience (What’s your level of pain tolerance?)
I have an OK level of pain tolerance. Microblading was tolerable for me (with the numbing cream) and didn’t hurt too much except for when the tails of the brows were done.
In comparison, Jess did say that most people think Powder Ombre brows are less painful. I don’t know if it’s because I have never gotten a tattoo or it was the time of the month for me, but it was 2x more painful to get through. I had them tears in my eyes!
That said, I had minimal to zero redness after both procedures, and very minimal swelling that went away in 30 minutes of the procedure. You should also not have any bleeding after getting your brows done.
For both procedures, the brows looked very defined once getting them done and slowly softened as they healed.
The powder ombre brows definitely soften quite a bit. I was worried at first that they would be too dark but it changed into a more natural, softer look and shade after the 2 week healing process.
What are your end goals of getting your brows done
It really depends what you are looking to get out of having your brows done.
If you’re looking for a natural, subtle look to just enhance your features, then microblading might be the best for you.
On the flip side, if you are looking for a ready-to-go, makeup look that lasts for a while and has zero hassle, then you might want to explore powder ombre brows!
My Verdict:
I would suggest that if you have never had your brows done (microblading/powder ombre) and want to test the waters, the safest bet is to do microblading. It helped me to see and get used to what my brows would and could look like, and get more comfortable before jumping into something like powder ombre brows!
Now that I’ve gotten both done, I am in love with my Powder Ombre brows. They look so good and I wake up with perfect brows all the time now 😉
Interested in getting your brows done? I can’t recommend Jess enough!
Find her online: Website | Instagram
Till next time xx
Sam
