Microblading Brows: Day by Day

Have you ever considered having your brows microbladed? Then this is the perfect post for you, as I’m walking you through my experience of microblading brows day by day!

It’s been 4 months since I very first had by brows microbladed, and I absolutely LOVE the final results.

As you can see in the before picture above (on the left), I started out with very light, thin brows. I’ve been wanting to have mine microbladed for years, but I was straight up afraid of looking like I had caterpillars for eyebrows. I’m so glad that I waited until I found the artist that felt right to me, as it’s been so worth it!

Before I get deep into my microblading brows day by day post, I wanted to cover some of the most common questions that I’ve received from my readers:

What is microblading?

Copying and pasting isn’t my thing, so you can find a great description HERE.

Who did you go to?

First and foremost, the person that you choose to do your microblading is SO IMPORTANT. I went to Ashton at Lux Brow Studio who is AMAZING (she came recommended by my dear friend Michelle at The Whole Smiths).

Ashton knows and understands brows like no one else that I’ve ever met. I could have gotten in faster and spent half the cost by going to someone else local – but when it comes to anything being done to my body, I don’t want a bargain, and I’m more than happy to wait for an appointment and pay someone well for the work that they do. I wanted someone who was certified, talented and fully understood what they’re doing – and that’s exactly what Ashton is. If you’re local, I would highly recommend her!

I’d recommend searching for brow artists in your area and finding their social media to see their work. This will give you a great idea of what to expect.

Does it hurt?

Pain is so individual, but I think my artist did an amazing job with the numbing technique that she uses, as I didn’t feel any pain whatsoever. I wouldn’t even say it was uncomfortable, although that’s how some describe it. Again, this is going to be totally dependent on your pain tolerance, as well as the technician that you see.

The best way that I can describe it is that when the strokes are being made, it sounds like a pencil scratching on sandpaper. Not the most pleasant sound, but def could be worse! It’s more the sound that can make your imagination go wild, and Ashton had a great tip to really focus on letting go of any perceptions of what I thought was happening before she even started. It helped to get my mind in the right place. I went into it thinking that it might hurt a bit, so I was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t!

Would you recommend this?

While I LOVE how my brows turned out, I obviously I can’t tell you if microblading (or anything) is right for you, as it definitely isn’t for everyone. The best advice that I can give is to do (LOTS) of your own research to come to your own decision.

What I would recommend is that if you’re thinking about getting your eyebrows microbladed, go get them tinted by a professional first. This is what changed everything for me, as once I had my brows tinted and saw the even slight potential of not having to pencil them in…GAME CHANGER.

How long does it last?

I’ve heard that this varies from person to person, but that strokes can begin to fade in 10-12 months, which is when it’s time to go in for a touchup anyway. I plan to get my brows touched up at least every 10 months as I want to keep them looking super fresh!

What was the healing process like?

I’ll talk about that in detail below, but I will add that Beautycounter’s One Step Makeup Remover Wipes were a lifesaver for me! I was told to avoid cleansers of any kind on my brows while they were healing, so I used these wipes to cleanse my face while avoiding my brows. Any makeup remover wipes will work, I just love Beautycounter’s for their performance, the use of safer ingredients, and the fact that they’re compostable.

Can you workout after having them done?

This is definitely something that you’ll want to talk about with your technician, as everyone will probably have a different opinion. I had my brows done during the fall, so it was cooler weather, and I don’t sweat much as it is, so I was fine doing light workouts for the following 2 weeks of healing.

Do I still need to fill in/tint my brows?

I no longer need to fill in or tint my brows, thanks to microblading & Beautycounter’s new Brow Gel (OBSESSED)! My natural brow hairs are super light, so normally I’d tint them to fully match the microblading, but I no longer need to since I started using the brow gel. It used to take me what felt like forever to get my brows right before I had them done, and now all I need is a quick swipe of the brow gel and I’m totally good to go for the day!

Could this cause an autoimmune response?

Again something that I highly recommend researching on your own. Given how healthy I am now, this wasn’t a concern of mine at all, but this is a decision that you should make for yourself.

One more thing that’s important to know…

Microblading is a process, and it isn’t something that you’ll walk out from and immediately love your brows forever. It requires healing and patience, followed by a touchup, or in my case, two touchups, as so few strokes made it past the first healing process for me (more on that below).

I personally wouldn’t have this done within a couple weeks of any important event so that your brows have time to heal.

I would also check out Ashton’s (or whoever you plan to do your brows) FAQ page on their website, as I’m sure it’ll answer the majority of your questions. They’re the experts in this! I’m just sharing my own personal experience.

Microblading Brows Day by Day:

DAY 1:

Ashton’s microblading studio is the cutest! She started by examining my face and asking some questions about my brows, and if I had any thoughts on the shape that I wanted. I told her to go with whatever she thought was best, as she’s the pro.

She then drew in the shape that she wanted to do in a super dark pencil (warning me that it was gonna be way dark), and then she checked them over and over from different positions. She’s a perfectionist, which is exactly what I wanted for my brows!

Then it came time for the numbing, which is the white cream on my brows below!

Once my brows were SUPER numb, Ashton then started the process of microblading. Each time hair strokes are created it’s called a “pass,” and with each “pass” more strokes are added. She completed one “pass” and then had me check out my brows. I was STUNNED by how real the microblading strokes looked! I couldn’t even tell the difference between my real brows and the microblading. Between each “pass” the ink was placed over my entire brow to let it soak in. Then by brows were numbed once again, to be sure I couldn’t feel the microblading, and the process started all over again. I had a total of 4 “passes” during my first session, which is how many times it took for my brows to get to where both Ashton and I loooooved them.

Here’s how my brows looked a few hours after I left Ashton’s studio:

I had zero pain, and my brows only felt slightly raw – like a scrape on your knee. They looked BEAUTIFUL, and I was completely amazed at how the microblading strokes look identical to real hairs – I seriously couldn’t tell the difference! My brows started to darken several hours after the microblading was finished, which is completely normal.

DAY 2-3:

On day two I woke up to really dark brows, which is again, totally normal. They actually weren’t nearly as dark as I thought that they would be, as so many people kept saying “they’re gonna be sooooo dark,” which made imagine having jet black brows for a bit. This wasn’t the case at all! Sure they were dark, but I kinda dug it. I read that brows are approximately 30% darker during this time than they will be when fully healed. I also had no pain whatsoever, and my brows only felt tight (like healing skin) if I scrunched my face, but other than that, these days were a total breeze.

DAY 4:

My brows looked exactly the same on day 4 as they did on days 2-3, although his was the first day that my brows started to itch quite a bit. I was told not to scratch them, and I realize that it would only make things worse, so the only thing I did is gently touch them with a clean towel if needed, but it wasn’t anything that drove me crazy.

DAY 5-10:

On day 5 my brows started to flake slightly. Days 6-9 were even more flakiness/patchiness. By day 10 my brows were super patchy as the scabs fell off (the picture above is from day 10 – again, totally normal).

DAY 11-14:

These are the days that I was really warned about – because my brows pretty much disappeared! Thankfully I expected it and didn’t freak out, as it’s just a part of the healing process.

DAY 15:

My brows started to appear again, but only slightly. I had a unique experience where most of my microblading didn’t make it past the healing process. This ISN’T common, but can happen due to a number of factors, and it’s definitely worth me mentioning. If it happens to you – don’t freak out! If you’re with a great brow technician, they can help, and this is why everyone schedules a touchup to begin with – because the odds are that not all strokes will make it past the healing process the first time around. This is completely normal.

I followed the healing guidelines to a T, and I also don’t believe that it has anything to do with having an autoimmune disease (as my blood work shows zero signs of autoimmunity) – two of the reasons that the strokes may not make it through the healing process the first time. I simply believe that my skin just needed a first round to prep itself. It can’t be proven, but I’ve got a very strong intuition. As you’ll see, the touchup process went incredibly well, and my brows are looking so so goooood!

Right before my First Touchup (after 8 weeks of healing):

Immediately after my First Touchup:

Redness is normal during and following the appointment, but it goes away quickly.

DAY 8 (after the first touchup):

As you can see, the healing on day 8 of my first appointment compared to day 8 from this first touchup is drastically different, and my brows were WAY less patchy. My brows healed really well, and most of the strokes made it through the healing process. YAY!

Before my Second Touchup (after 8 more weeks of healing):

Immediately after my Second Touchup:

And finally, here are my brows now! I have nothing in them besides Beautycounter’s Brow Gel in Light. I LOVE them!

 

PIN IT FOR LATER: Microblading Brows: Day by Day

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