ONE huge beauty trend back in the day was thin, overplucked, drawn on eyebrows. Decades later, that trend has become a beauty blunder, and has been replaced with full, natural, bold, sometimes bushy brows. Those whose brows have never recovered from the ‘90s can still fake their way to achieving Cara Delevingne’s and Lily Collins’ most coveted looks using a multitude of brow products readily available in the market. One main drawback, however, is the amount of time it takes to do it. In celebration of International Makeup Day, we pause and put our tools down for a moment to thank the beauty gods who have gifted us with microblading.
In essence, manual microblading is a form of semi-permanent tattooing wherein pigment is deposited into the upper layers of the skin using a handheld tool instead of a tattoo gun. This tool looks like a mini scalpel and has tiny needles to scratch fine, hair-like strokes on your brows. When done properly, one can’t even tell the natural hair strands from the microbladed ones. One of the few certified permanent makeup artists in Cebu is Farrah Casilda Nazareth, who owns Tint Permanent Makeup by No Strips and has been performing the procedure since 2016. Here she takes us on the step-by-step process for brows that wow.
Step 1
A topical numbing cream is applied on the brow area, covered with cling wrap to hasten the absorption, and left on for 40 minutes.
Step 2
Brow mapping and designing are done using a disposable, stick-on eyebrow ruler to determine where the brows should begin and end. This is where the client and the aesthetician agree on what shape is the most flattering, and how high the arch should be.
Step 3
Using the sterile microblading tool and the pigment which the aesthetician has premixed to come up with a color that suits the client, small incisions are made so that the pigment is implanted under the skin. (Note: The discomfort you feel depends on your pain tolerance but the numbing cream does help. It’s virtually painless except for the tail part of the brow, but nothing you can’t bear.)
Step 4
The brows are covered with pigment to further let the color in. After washing it off, steps 1 and 3 are repeated for touch-up. This lets the aesthetician work on areas that need more strokes or filling in (for those who decide to go for both microblading and microshading).
Step 5
Needless to say, the brow reveal is the most satisfying part. Your brows are noticeably fuller and the newly bladed hairs are hyperrealistic.
Things to remember before microblading:
*No coffee four to six hours, and no alcohol 24 hours before the procedure as these thin out the blood and make you more sensitive.
*No facial treatments of any kind a day before.
*No aspirin as it causes bleeding.
Things to remember after microblading:
*Avoid facials, swimming, and sweating for two weeks.
*Do not use any product with Retin-A or glycolic acid during the healing stage, which is seven to 14 days.
*Do not pick on the scabs.
*Apply ointment (which the aesthetician will provide you with) twice a day until completely healed.
*It is normal for the pigment to become darker and then lighter after a few days. It will take a whole month for the color to fully set in.
*No brow products for one month.
*Touch-up is after six to eight weeks.