Style March 14, 2019
Brow-ch! Avoiding an eyebrow disaster.
If the eyes are the windows to the soul then eyebrows must be the curtains. It’s clear that the obsession with thicker, fuller eyebrows won’t fade out anytime soon. Most people who maintain their brows do so by tweezing, threading, waxing or filling in scarce areas with makeup. Because these techniques often require constant maintenance, taking care of your brows can become time-consuming and even frustrating.
Microblading is becoming a popular option but bad microblading mishaps continue to steer people away from this hot, new trend. So, staying educated on the process can keep you from a nightmare trip to the salon.
Microblading is semi-permanent makeup that’s been around since the 1960s and is being repackaged as a hot, new trend. It is becoming the go-to option for people looking to save time on their morning routine. The process involves a beauty technician using a hand-held device containing small needles carrying tattoo pigment. The pigment is deposited in hair-like strokes meant to mimic the natural brow. Despite the wild popularity of this procedure, stories of microblading gone wrong continue to pop out of the woodworks.
The booming popularity of the practice has led misinformed civilians to unregulated salons. These salons benefit from this trend by learning how to microblade quickly and offering their service for ridiculously low prices.
According to the New York Post, low-end salons will offer the procedure for $400 while the average price range of microblading is between $800-$900. These same salons fail to take the proper precautions leaving their clients with infections, scarring and eventual discoloration. To make matters worse, attempting to remove a microblading disaster is more costly than the procedure itself.
Amanda Coats, a 43 year old mother from Melbourne, recounts her experience with microblading as disastrous and hopes to warn others of the potential side effects.
In an interview with the Mirror, she explains, “I’m on antibiotics and steroids for swelling. The cost of all this is now greater then what I paid for the procedure.”
While the cost of the procedure was $300 the medical bills that she paid to clear up the infection ran her almost $1,300.
Microblading mishaps can leave people with an unfortunate almost permanent result that isn’t easy to correct. Changing the shape of a failed microblading session is nearly impossible. Because you can’t adjust the shape of a microbladed brow, brow pencils, gels and pomades can only slightly patch-up a semi-permanent disaster. Because the pigments used in microblading create bold brows achieving a natural look that matches your hair color is almost impossible. As the dye fades, within about a year, it could leave its victims sporting an odd blueish-grey tint.
People with oily skin will experience an expansion to the shape of the brow and risk patchy areas. Those with dry or sensitive skin will experience discoloration early on and risk having an allergic reaction to the dye.
As the shape of our faces changes via weight loss or age, the shape of our brows will begin to move leaving tiny tattoo marks in unnatural places both above and below the brow line.
Talk to your technician and look through before and after pictures from previous clients. Make sure your technician is certified as a permanent cosmetics professional before allowing them to work on your face.
Research the look that you want and ask if it might be a good fit for your face-shape, skin-type and complexion. Seek out a flattering shape that’ll give that desired eye-lift.
Ask your technician to draw out the shape with a pencil first to see if you’re comfortable enough with their work and level of expertise.
Be wary of bad reviews or prices that seem too good to be true, they probably are.
Even though microblading is meant to be a semi-permanent procedure most people still find themselves filling in areas where the ink might not take to.
Life is already hard enough, don’t complicate your brows.
