This post is to answer all of the questions I've been getting ever since I started seeing Jessica Mignone, of Gorjess Skin and Wax Studio. She is the beauty sponsor for Miss North Carolina US International so I get to try lots of new and exciting things in the beauty world with her! She also does my lash lift & tint, & there's a post about that!

Why microblading?

The short of it: Life is too short to fill in your brows every morning and hope they don't wash away if you go swimming.

Seriously though, microblading is a great option if you have sparse brows, uneven brows, a random bald spot or you just really want brows to perfectly frame your beautiful little face.

Microblading is a form of semi-permanent make up that uses fine deposits of cosmetic tattoo pigments into itty-bitty tiny hair-like cuts to create a full and fabulous brow.

The process

Jess starts by meticulously mapping out your brows. I'm talking super perfection because after all, this is a tattoo on your face. After seeing the drawn on look, examine from all angles, especially the sides. Make faces at yourself in the mirror to see how the new and improved brows will look. Seriously. Scrunch your nose, look up and down, laugh, scowl, etc. If you see anything you don't totally love, request changes. Repeat until this looks perfect to you, because this is your face we are talking about here.

measuring for perfection before microblading

Next, its time to lay back and relax. Jess uses medical grade numbing cream, as you can see in my picture. It took about an hour to totally numb me, and I really didn't feel a thing once we got going.

Once you're numbed, the fun begins. Basically, its a whole bunch of tiny little cuts with a tiny little blade, that color is deposited into. I'm not going to lie to you, the sound is way worse than the pain. I brought my phone and listened to Taylor Swift full blast so I couldn't hear the cuts. Pro tip: Make sure your appointment is not the week of or the week prior to your cycle. Otherwise the pain will feel so much worse. I'm not a doctor, so don't ask me why but it has something to do with skin sensitivity.

How long this takes totally depends on the person. For me, my appointment was about 3.5 hours, including numbing time. She also did three passes over both brows. The first pass was for the general shape, and the second and third were to perfect that shape. I didn't feel a thing until about halfway through the third pass, but even then it was just a little prick and less "OH MY GOSH I'M DYING" pain.

too sexy for my brows. kidding! this is the coloring part

5 weeks or so after your initial appointment, you need to return for a touch-up. During your recovery time, the color may fade depending on your skin or you may want a little darker or more filled-in. The touch-up appointment is included in the pricing for your initial appointment and is the time to totally perfect those brows!

Aftercare

You'll get home and probably have a small freak-out because they are 1-2 shades darker than you wanted. The shape might also be a tad boxier than you envisioned. Don't worry, this will fade within just a few days.

Jess didn't tell me this, but I'm telling you. Wash your pillowcase. You don't want fresh open skin all over a nasty, dirty pillowcase.

You can't get them wet for a week. That means very careful showers. I folded up a washcloth and held against my brows and washed my hair with one hand.
You can't sweat, because the sweat will push the pigment out. You can still work out and work up a glimmer but no wipe-away level of sweat. This also means no steam like a sauna.
No tanning and avoid direct sunlight. Wear a hat when you go outside, but honestly that's a life tip too.
They will scab, because you just got a gazillion tiny cuts. DO NOT PICK THE SCABS. Just lightly tap around them until the itch goes away.
Keep them moisturized. You'll get a moisturizer just for this purpose.

Go forth and dazzle the world with your perfect brows framing your beautiful eyes! Use all of your newly discovered free time in the morning to have some coffee or talk to your pets since you won't be penciling in your brows anymore! All of that money you're saving on brow pencils and pomades?? Well, you can send that my way. Message me for my Venmo.

Questions, concerns? Shoot them to me! emily {at} emilysapier.com

~Xoxo

Emily