I don't know when it started, but eyebrows are like a big deal now. Gone are the days of thin eyebrows; now the goal is to have full, thick brows, or be on fleek as the kids say. For this of us who weren't #blessed with full eyebrows, there are makeup tricks we can use to create fuller-looking brows: pencils, powders, gels...I'm sure there are others I haven't heard about. You can also get your brow hairs tinted. And for the more serious eyebrow enthusiasts, there is microblading.
Eyebrow microblading is a somewhat new trend in the cosmetic tattoo industry. It is not tattooing in the traditional sense with a tattoo machine. Rather a tiny, micro-blade (think of it like a very small X-acto knife) is used to put the pigment into the skin using hair-like strokes. It is semi-permanent and can last from 12 to 18 months. I saw this video several months ago and became obsessed.
After watching that video multiple times, I did a lot of research on the procedure and knew it was something I wanted to have done. My natural eyebrows are pretty sparse; I have been filling them in since this whole eyebrow trend took off. I already have numerous tattoos, so I wasn’t too worried about the whole process. I just needed to find somewhere in OKC to have it done!
I feel like I searched for so long for someone who did microblading in OKC before I found the amazing Dawna. Dawna Mainard is a registered nurse who has been doing permanent makeup since 2003. After reading the rave reviews from her clients on her Facebook page, I decided to call and make an appointment. I called in the middle of February and the first available appointment she had was in the middle of June.
After what seemed like a long four-month wait, the day of my appointment finally arrived. I was so excited! When I got to my appointment, Dawna and I discussed the process and what would happen. We talked about the shape of my eyebrows and how I wanted them to look. Then she got to work.
She started by looking at my eyebrows and marking them up with a pencil. Then she got out a stick-on ruler and stuck it on my forehead right above my brows. It helps her to make sure the eyebrows are as even as possible. But as Dawna says, "Eyebrows are sisters, not twins." She made a few more marks and drew out a new shape for my eyebrows. Then she took pictures of her marks and had me look at them in the mirror to make sure we were both happy with the shape.
Dawna then had me lay down in the chair and she leaned me back to get started. She showed me a sealed box containing the needles she would use. It was a bunch of little needles soldered together that are used to open up the skin. She ran them all along the eyebrow area. It kinda felt like very rapid eyebrow plucking. It wasn’t bad at all. Then she applied numbing cream to the skin that had been opened. While the numbing cream was doing its thing, it was time to pick the color. Dawna put several different colors on my forehead to see which one we thought was best. After deciding on the color, it was time to start the microblading.
She put the pigment into this little pot that she put on her finger like a ring. Then she dipped the blade (again, it was in a sealed box) into the pigment and made a hair-like stroke on my eyebrow. I didn’t feel anything. It just was this weird scratching, scraping noise. She continued to make these small strokes on both eyebrows. I think at one point I even dosed off a little bit. Then when she was all done, she rubbed the pigment all over my brows to make sure the pigment got into the skin. A few minutes later, she wiped it all off, made a few more strokes, and then it was time for me to see them.
They looked amazing. I was so happy. I finally had brows that looked full and natural. No more filling in every morning. She went over the aftercare procedures and told me what would happen in the healing process. I made an appointment for October to have them touched up.
The healing process was a mixture of highs and lows. The day of the procedure, my eyebrows were pretty dark, which I liked. Over time, they began to heal and got lighter and lighter. And then one day they were gone. I freaked out. I messaged Dawna and she told me this was normal. The skin was healing and scars were forming, but the color would return. And she was right!! A few days later, the color came back and I was happy again.
Fast forward to last week. It had been about four months since I had them done. Overall I was very happy with the way they turned out. They didn’t heal as dark or as even as I wanted. I still had to fill them in a tiny bit so they looked even. But my touch up was coming up! I knew Dawna would do her magic again.
And boy did she! We picked a darker color this time since I lost so much color the last time. She repeated her procedure, and again I didn’t feel a thing. I am so happy with how they look so far. I am glad we chose to go darker.
Dawna is so talented and one of the sweetest ladies I have ever met. Her business is definitely booming. As of right now, she is already booking into July of next year!
So to anyone who is looking to get darker, fuller brows, I would definitely recommend microblading. #onfleek
