Please note, no filters or edits have been attributed to the images in this blog post. All photos were taken with an iPhone 6+. 

I’ve been interested in microblading my eyebrows for a while now and know a handful of people (including my sister in law) have had it done – and I’ve loved seeing their results! Aside from my love for the overall look that microblading your eyebrows provides, I’ve also loved learning more about how permanent makeup can help save time in one’s morning routine. Especially for those who prefer to color in their eyebrows regularly or are having a hard time with their shape. I remember falling in love with the idea of simplifying this part of my daily routine when one of my favorite, then blogger and now small business jewelry designer – Natalie Borton, got hers done. After admiring her eyebrows via Instagram for a long time…I decided to take the plunge as soon as I found out my hairstylist was getting licensed. I realized there wasn’t a lot of information out on the web about microblading so I decided to document the process – read all about it below!

The above photo is my eyebrows before microblading and the below photo is after: 

Before – full face photo:

After full face photo:

And a side by side before and after:

Another side by side before and after:

My advice on picking a technician:
It’s important to make sure that your technician was appropriately trained. It’s never a bad idea to ask them where they got their training and how they operate. My technician, Rhonda, with UP Lash and Brow, uses the dual blade method it’s a method that a lot of artists don’t know about. She’s also been trained in 3D and 6D brows. She took a class and is trained through the PMU method. Rhonda invested A LOT of time and money into her education to learn how to do microblading, which confirmed for me, her seriousness and professionalism. She was also trained by Irina Chen, I could go into detail about Irina but you can find more about her amazingness by clicking here.

How much does it cost?
It ranges from $300 – $600+ however if you’re in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (or want to travel to the UP) Rhonda with @uplashandbrow will provide the service in the new year (2018) for a discounted introductory rate of $350! Just mention that you heard about this offer from me!

How do I make an appointment?
If you’re looking to book with Rhonda, she is currently taking appointments at Superior Aesthetics in Marquette, MI. You can call their office to schedule an appointment with Rhonda at 906-225-7126.

So what does it mean to microblade one’s eyebrows you ask? 
Microblading is a semi-permanent tattooing technique that creates hairlike strokes to fill in sparse or thin eyebrows. It also helps create a shape for those who lack shape and want to fill out even more thick eyebrows (like mine). The technician will use a small tool to make small cuts and then apply a layer of pigment (which is really like dye) over the brows which will set into the strokes that were etched into your brows/skin.

What does semi-permanent mean? 
Semi-permanent means that the ink will fade within a 1-2 year time frame depending on your lifestyle and how well you care for your brows and face. It does not last forever and to keep the desired results for a longer period of time will result in needing to have it redone later on down the road.

Is it painful?
In my experience, it was not painful at all. However, my technician did apply a topical lidocaine to my eyebrow area before making any cuts.  Pain tolerance varies from person to person. If I felt anything, it was more of a scratching sound and slight tugging feeling but nothing that I would classify as “painful”.

What is the procedure like?
When you get to your appointment you’ll talk about what your desires are for your brows. I took along a few examples and knew full well that she wasn’t going to be able to make my eyebrows look identical to the ones I liked, but our hope was that she could at least get a feel as to what I liked about the eyebrows I had seen on others. In the end, your technician should be trained to know what sort of overall shape you should have and what fits your face. You can help dictate thickness and the fullness of the brow, but the shape is best left to your technician. A good technician (like the one I saw) will talk you through what they think. The technician will then choose a pigment color and by matching to your complexion and current eyebrow hair color. Then they will have you lay down so they can map your eyebrows before starting to make the cuts! Depending on how many passes you need – will determine how long it will take overall to do your brows. Also, she had me lay down for most everything except for in-between passes when using the lidocaine – I was able to stand up and use the restroom and get a drink of water, I even had a granola bar.

What is eyebrow mapping?
Eyebrow mapping is the outlining of where your brows SHOULD be and help identify their overall shape. When people see the mapping, they get nervous because they think that the outline of the map around the eyebrows is how big the eyebrows will be – this is false – your technician will only work within the space they have outlined during the mapping. Below is a photo of my eyebrows all mapped out pre – lidocaine!

Eyebrow mapping!


What are passes?
A single pass is this process on BOTH eyebrows: Cuts on each eyebrow – application of a layer of pigment – wipe off pigment – apply lidocaine to each eyebrow – and repeat. For me, it took three passes. However, those with more sparse eyebrows could see upwards of five.

What did you have to do to prepare for the procedure?
I simply made sure I had an overall clean face –  but knew that I’d feel ghostly if I didn’t have a little concealer under my eyes and some bronzer. But no makeup on my eyebrow or eyelid area.

What is it like immediately afterward?
After the procedure, I was in awe of my new beautiful brows. There was a slight stinging sensation, but nothing painful. I eventually took some ibuprofen because I got a very dull headache for most of the evening, but nothing that was so substantial that it took away from my day-to-day tasks or life.

What can one expect afterward?
It’s true that there’s an “ugly” period following the procedure. It typically sets in around days 2-5. I knew this going into it because of the research I had done. And Rhonda had an amazing little sheet that basically showed me the stages of emotion you’ll go through. And it’s spot on, for the most part, however, I really didn’t think that my days 2-5 are that bad. Again, everyone heals different and responds differently. Some individuals might experience redness and slight swelling due to sensitivity. There is definitely scabbing which, as I type this, is what I have experienced. During the scabbing part (days 2-5) you’ll feel like your brows are darker than normal and pretty dramatic…I just applied makeup to the rest of my face to offset it. Alone, the eyebrows looked harsh with no makeup…but I know based on the healing process, they will fade as they heal! Use the chart below to see what you can expect. I’ll be documenting images of my healing process for another blog post soon! Your technician will provide you with the proper post care instructions. I can’t stress how important it is to follow their advice enough.

How long does it take? 
The procedure itself takes about 2 hours (give or take) it depends on what you need to have done and how many questions you have for the technician prior to the process. After the initial procedure – it takes about two weeks for the healing to be complete (more on this shortly). Then you’ll go back in for a touch-up which is crucial to the final look.

I’m interested, but how do I know if microblading is right for me?
At the end of the day, it is evident you’ll be nervous or feel nervous about getting it done. It’s your face! And it’s semi-permanent! That’s why it’s important to know that your technician is trained and WELL trained and through a great program. It’s also important to do your research and consider your eyebrow needs.

I’ll be doing another blog post soon that documents the healing process and then a final post after my touch-up and the final look!

More after photos!