My Eyebrow Microblading Experience
Okay friends, I need to preface this with the fact that growing up, and through most of high school and college, I literally did nothing to myself in the beauty department. I went on a school trip to France one summer and I can’t even stand to look at the pictures of myself because I wore my naturally-curly hair as wild and frizzy as can be, and I also didn’t wear a lick of makeup. Oh, bless…I was a sight to behold.
Now…I’m not saying that you have to be all done-up all the time or that it requires a bunch of potions and procedures to be pretty. However, as I’m getting older, I do LIKE TO do a few things that perk me up a bit and help me put my best face forward! My dad always said that you can tell a lot about how a person feels about themselves by the way they dress. When we feel good, we look good. For me it works the other way too…when I look good…I almost always feel so much better!
Fast-forward to me quickly approaching the age that shall not be named…and I’ve been wanting to take care of myself a little bit more. I’m trying to eat a little better, exercise regularly, manage stress, and do a few beauty treatments to help me feel my best.
One of the treatments that I’ve been so curious about is eyebrow microblading. I have crazy, kinky eyebrows that are neither well-shaped or full. I wasn’t one of the girls who over-tweezed them back in the day, so thankfully, I don’t have the thin brows to worry about—they’re just not overly pretty. I also love the look of eyebrows that have been “done,” but I’ll be darned if I want to pencil them in every day. I can barely accomplish my 10-minute makeup routine (you can find that HERE), let alone be doing my brows on the daily.
I have seen tons of ladies all over social media showing off their amazing brows thanks to microblading, so I finally decided to take the plunge. First things first…the word blade is in the title. Now, I have 6 tattoos, so I was pretty sure I had this under control. M’k, I want to be right up-front about this. My micro-blading hurt. Not so much that I couldn’t handle it, but it’s an eye-watering, squirming kind of experience for me. I have, however, talked to lots of other ladies who it doesn’t hurt as badly for. We all have different pain tolerances and sensitive areas, so it might not be as uncomfortable as it was for me. I don’t think this has anything to do with the person doing microblading, just that some people are more sensitive than others. I don’t want to scare you out of getting your brows done. It’s not so bad that I wouldn’t do it again…and I totally think you should take the plunge! Just want to be 100% transparent!
I go to Anani Salon & Spa for most of my beauty treatments and totally trust them for all things salon-related! Aleisha is the esthetician who did my microblading and she created a natural brow for me, that still looks full and polished. You can find her on Instagram HERE.
Before I went in to have the microblading done, I wasn’t supposed to have any other facial procedures done or have caffeine/pain relievers for 24-48 hours before—they act as blood thinners. To start the microblading, Aleisha cleaned the brow areas, tweezed and shaped my brows, and got rid of the peach fuzz around my brows. She then does something that seems like graphing to me, marking my brows so that they’re just the right size and distance from my other facial features—my nose, ears, and mouth.
After that…the fun begins. She uses a microblading tool that looks like a tiny xacto knife to apply the color into the skin, creating very realistic “hairs” to outline and fill-in the brows. Yeah…here’s the painful part. It makes my eyes water and I sneeze a lot, but it’s over soon enough.
Once Aleisha was done, she had me look at my brows to make sure I liked them. There’s always time for a tweak here and there! Then the aftercare…and here’s where it gets serious.
Don’t pick or scratch the healing area. You’ll be tempted…but don’t do it.
Don’t get the area wet for 10 days—apply Aquaphor cream when you shower and no sweating! My workouts were super lame during this time.
Avoid sun exposure.
No facial procedures for a month.
Don’t sleep on your face for 10 days. This is where I struggle the most. Sleep was rough and I ended up on my stomach by the end. I normally face to the left, so my right eyebrow now needs touched-up.
Avoid swimming or other water activities for 10 days.
Avoid open-air vehicles for 10 days.
Apply Aquaphor for 7-10 days, morning and night.
I did pretty well with all of the rules, but I have a hard time not getting my brows wet, not rubbing them, and that darn not sleeping on my stomach. Ugh. I also have very oily skin, which does affect the longevity of the microblading. Overall, my brows have done well. I’m going in for a touch-up in a couple weeks, so hopefully they will be just the way I like! I’ve come to terms with my oily skin making them not so perfect—I still need to fill them in a bit, but I am hoping I won’t have to as much after the touch-up.
If you’ve been thinking about having your eyebrows microbladed, I totally think you should do it. I always think it’s worth doing something at least once, so that you know whether you like it or not. Don’t be too afraid of the pain…it’s not as bad as you might have made it out to be in your head. Plus, the end-result is so nice! I feel like my makeup looks 100-x’s better when I have my brows done! It’s that extra little bit to frame my face—and help my scraggly brows to look so much more polished!
If you’re local, I completely recommend visiting Anani Salon and Spa for all your beauty treatments, including microblading. Aleisha is professional and takes great care in her services! If you’re not from the Des Moines or Ankeny area, I suggest asking around! Ask your friends who they’ve used, post on Facebook about it (you’ll get lots of feedback there), or if you see someone with great brows…ask them about it! They may just have the perfect person to do yours!
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