I have always had decent eye brows. My Greek heritage gives me a one-up in the facial hair department. Yayyy, lucky me, all women want facial hair, right?! Though I have naturally dark hair I still felt that there was some unevenness and thinner areas that needed attention. Before microblading I was easily spending 5+ minutes "putting my brows on" each day. It was such an ordeal. Then you add to the scenario South Carolina's insane heat for 9 months out of the year, and often I would sweat those suckers off before lunchtime. One of the best things I've ever done was having my eyebrows microbladed. This was not a decision I made lightly. I debated about it for months before I truly knew I wanted to have the procedure, and then spent another few months stalking and researching the different estheticians and artists in my area before I finally knew who I wanted to do them. Researching your options for a service provider is going to be my number one suggestion when it comes to cosmetic procedures. I think it goes without saying that you should feel confident in the person who is going to slice your face repeatedly. Lucky for us, we are living during a time in which social media makes getting information about someone super easy. So, you really have no excuse not to do your due diligence. There are a few ways that you can go about this. 1. When you see someone with rocking brows-ask them who they use! They may not have had microblading, but then again, maybe they have! Also, if their brow artist is supes talented, even if it is just a shaping, chances are she can recommend someone for the job. 2. Use Instagram and Facebook to stalk your prey. Search the accounts of salons and spas in your area, as well as estheticians and makeup artists. As you do this you'll begin to see who the players are in the area, and can begin to study their work. I followed Katie Reagan on the gram for months before I reached out to her. I scoured over her posts, the before and after pics, and the comments in order to feel confident that she was going to be who I trusted to do the work. I asked Katie a TON of questions about the ink she used, and it's ingredients. She in turn asked me about my skin condition and medications I take, so that we checked as many boxes possible to ensure that everything was going to go according to plan. Microblading is a semi-permanent procedure, if your brow artist is not asking questions and really getting in deep with you about what you want, then I would find someone else. I'll be honest, reading through Katie's contract and rules for before and after the procedure honestly had me a little nervous. It was really thorough and strict. However, a provider that takes what they do seriously, and respects the significance of the procedure is one that is going to treat your body like the priceless canvas it is, and you will find great comfort in this. The pain of the procedure is very minimal. It is the least painful cosmetic procedure that I've had to date. The only thing that surprised me during the appointment was that you can hear the blade as it makes the cuts, and that was a little unnerving. I didn't focus on it long, Katie and I have a love of theater and music in common so we were able to chat and sing the entire time and I barely gave it a second thought. For those of you that are not going to chat with your brow artist, a very simple solution would be to wear ear buds and listen to music during your procedure. Post procedure maintenance is of the utmost importance. Instructions may vary from artist to artist-but whatever they are make sure to follow them exactly. I was given A&D ointment with instruction to keep my brows covered with it for at least the first several days, I did this for the first full week. There were also specific rules regarding showers, face washing, and applying makeup in the days immediately following the procedure. The second appointment is typically 6-8 weeks after the initial application. This gives your brows time to heal, and the ink to situate itself. The "final results" won't actually be seen for about two weeks. The skin will need to heal, possibly scab over, and then flake off to reveal your beautiful results. As I mentioned, Katie and I had discussed my skin allergies and health in detail so she knew that I would be slower to heal, because of this we scheduled my touch-up appointment further out than she would with other clients. At my second appointment she asked my opinion of the results so far, would I change anything, and was there anything specific I wanted her to focus on during the second application. I was already in love with my results, because I was unfamiliar with "shading" we only did a minimal amount at the first appointment. Now that I knew it was a look that I liked Katie did more shading at the second appointment, as well as squaring of my brows just a bit more. In the video below you will be able to watch part of my second appointment with Katie. What you will see below is the ink being applied after the new cuts were made. The ink is applied fairly thick, and then rubbed into the open wounds. I hate that the description sounds so vicious, because you'll see in the video that it is really isn't the case. However, it is what is happening. After the ink sets in, it is wiped off and she looks over her work, then she is able to go back in and start the shading. *I suggest turning the sound off for these videos, we don't do much talking, and it's all at warp speed, but there is some moving around noise that doesn't add anything to the viewing experience. * Microblading is such an individual process. What each person wants and needs will vary significantly. Here are my before and after results, but I also wanted to share before and after photos of some of Katie's other clients that way you can see the different techniques and options, and what results will look like on different skin tones and hair colors. Would you ever try microblading? Is it something you've been wanting? Is this the first time you're learning about it? Sound off in the comments, I would LOVE to hear! Also, it goes without saying that if you are local to the CSRA, I highly recommend Katie!
xoxo, Layne
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AuthorHey y'all! I'm Layne, a 30-something Southern Belle trying to navigate this craziness we call life. I'm a wife, mom of 2, and all around hot mess. I'm passionate about mental health, and love everything having to do with fashion. I'm living a super blessed life, and I love sharing it with you. Archives
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