THE EYES are the window to your soul, according to Shakespeare.
But almost as important are the eyebrows. Their shape, color, angle and width can change the expression of the wearer, from innocent to fierce or from seductive to evil. Watching my wife do makeup, I realized that she spends about half the time just on eyebrows.
It made me think and pay attention. Ever since, I’ve been observing (and critiquing) eyebrows at the mall. Too thick, too high, too wide, to angular, and occasionally… Wow! Perfection!
Well-proportioned and positioned eyebrows lend a sophisticated air, even if the rest of the makeup is light or basic.
No wonder then, that a new fad has taken hold. It’s a treatment that promises to release you from the daily chore of drawing your eyebrows. More than that, it means you can swim and surface with picture-perfect looks, and go to the gym without fear of sweat-smeared makeup.
It is called Microblading and Eyebrow Embroidery. The origins of this beauty treatment trace to Europe and Korea. It is essentially similar to tattooing but with very important differences. Pigments are deposited in the skin at a shallower depth compared to tattoos. That means, firstly, that it’s less painful (topical pain reliever is applied), and more importantly, it lasts for two to three years.
The second point is crucial. Our face changes, fashion evolves, and so it’s a good thing that you can reposition and reshape your brows after three years and aren’t stuck with a sagging shape forever.
Before you rush out to have your brows done, let me add a few words of caution.
– There are major differences in the quality of instruments and pigments. Ask your prospective eyebrow artist about brands and country of origin. The USA, Europe and Korea are good, while China is not. If your artist has no answer or is vague, back out. Your beauty is more important than a little money saved, right?
– Ask to see a diploma, license, and photos of their work. If they can’t show any, move on!
– What you are looking for is a person who will not just do what you tell them to but who will offer advice on best shape. We tend to look at ourselves all the time and so magnify our flaws, real or imagined. Also, having shaped our eyebrows a certain way for long leaves us biased toward a shape that is not necessarily optimal. What you are looking for is a person who is competent as makeup artist, colorist and beauty expert.
– Be prepared for a little discomfort after treatment. You cannot wash that area for 24 hours, and initially the brows look strong and dark. Many people are overwhelmed in the first few days, feeling weird when they look in the mirror, wondering whether it was a big mistake. There may be some scabs, so don’t get the treatment within a week of an important meeting, event or wedding. Depending on your skin type, it can fade a little or show some unevenness. That’s why normally a touch up after four weeks is included, which serves as a perfecting touch.
– What if you really don’t like your Embroidery? Perhaps it is too thick or the left does not match the right? Some things can and will be corrected by the artist, after all, they want happy clients, too. However, in some cases, you may have lost confidence in the person who did this, and you are now looking for someone to repair.
You need an expert who is familiar with corrections and has a laser removal machine to partially remove previous work.
– Contraindications. Microblading is not for you if you have keloid disorder or are pregnant, lactating, certain types of diabetes or use blood thinners.
Please check with your trusted doctor.
Prices for Microblading range from about P8,000 to about P20,000. Many artists offer semi-permanent lipstick, eyeliner and even blush on and will offer packages or discounts for more than one treatment or persons.
Cost for this treatment in the USA and Europe is between P25,000 and P40,000.
Imagine sleeping a little longer every morning and waking up more beautiful. Isn’t that a winning proposition?