microblading | the solid truth in achieving great brows

I did it!

mama bear tee c/o / "Brady" necklace c/o

I recently had my eyebrows microbladed and I'm SO glad I finally pulled the trigger.  first of all.. I'm way behind on the whole filling in your brows thing.  my poor eyebrows have been through the worst of it.. when I was about Baker's age I got stitches in my left brow, so they grow funky on that side anyway and when I got into high school I started plucking them myself and they were terribly short and thin.. like, SO BAD you guys.  I finally let them grow out and have been getting them waxed in my adult years, but even still I've never kept up with them well at all. it was only recently that I started filling them in.  after getting a brow wax (I love the gals at the benefit bar at Ulta!) she took some time and gave me a mini tutorial on filling my brows in- which actually gave them some shape and I thought- okay this is a major game changer! so, I went from never doing anything with them to filling them in the best I could every day.  regardless, they were still uneven and pretty patchy.  

now, with four kids under my feet, I REALLY wanted something to help create a quicker and easier makeup routine.. not to mention, on the days when I have zero makeup routine at all, I still have a semi-pulled together look. enter in miss Tia Parks . I hadn't mentioned it before (or after) getting them done, but the first time I posted a photo with my "new brows", people started asking about them!  it makes such a difference, more than I expected, actually.  so, with the interest shown on IG, I wanted to share about my experience and maybe what to expect if you are considering having your eyebrows microbladed:)

what is microblading?  
mircoblading falls under the permanent makeup category but it’s much less invasive than getting an actual tattoo and it’s only semi-permanent. 

whats my investment?

Tia is actually running a special right now for the procedure and is charging $250 (!!!) .  a touch up is recommended in 4-6 weeks from the initial application and she charges $50 for that.

how long does it take?

from start to finish, including consultation and the actual microblading itself was about 2.5 hours.  Tia did mention that there are some cases that it can take longer (up to 3-4 hours), just depending on the existing brow shape.

what can I expect?

first thing's first, the eyebrows are assessed, measured and drawn on with a pencil. she fills in (with pencil) where she might like to fill with the ink and then numbing cream is applied (and all throughout the process).  color is matched, the microblading is done, and color pigment is applied all over the brow for a few minutes to absorb into the strokes that were created.

whats the healing time?

7-10 days and up to two weeks! Tia made sure to walk me through the healing process very thoroughly- they started out really dark, almost unnatural looking and then progressively get lighter and finally evened themselves out in the permanent color within that first 10 days.  they will peel during the healing process, and the most important thing was to keep them dry and makeup free during those first couple weeks to allow for the best pigment protection.  some might even recommend to skip the showers and workouts for the first couple weeks to prevent anything from hindering the healing brows. 

how often do I need to get them re-done?

this is directly related to how you care for them, but up to 2+ years before you would need to get them done again.  this surprised me the most about procedure.. I had no idea it would last that long.  while this procedure fills in your eyebrows, the maintenance of them is the same, so regular waxing/threading/plucking is still required to maintain the shape.

does it hurt?

like a mother.  I think my problem was that I wasn't sure what to expect?  I had heard that "it was painless" but ya'll, it was definitely NOT painless. the best way I can describe the procedure is that it feels like she is scraping through my brows.  it does hurt, but she applies numbing cream throughout the time she is working on my brows.  for whatever reason my right eyebrow hurt worse than my left (?) but I LOVE the end result, so it's worth the little bit of pain!

how do I find some one in my area?

if you are local, in the DFW area, I highly recommend Tia!  she is located in Grapevine and can be contacted through phone or her contact page HERE.

if you are not in the DFW area I would look for someone that is certified in microblading.  before/after photos are pretty standard, so check out a few photos online before scheduling, too.

is it safe while nursing?

the truth is.. I had to google this. the initial answer is that its not recommended, but it also comes with personal judgement.  after reading a ton of conflicting information on this, I still felt a little uneasy, so I called my pediatrician and asked her opinion about it while nursing Brady and she did not see a huge issue with having this procedure done.  to me, its sort of along the same lines as limiting my caffeine intake and being careful with certain foods that might upset Brady's stomach.  I do know of some spas that will not perform microblading while nursing (definitely not while pregnant) unless you have a doctor's note.  something to look into before booking your appointment, for sure:)  

is it worth it?
yes.  100x YAS!  it was annoying to go through the whole scabbing/flaking process, and worrying about keeping them dry.  attempting to not put makeup on the but around them.. but it was/is totally worth it! its cut a solid 5 minutes off of my routine in the morning, which is HUGE considering I usually only get a handful of minutes to throw myself together. she changed the arch of my brows and made them more even and I just love them! 

BEFORE

 AFTER

LOVE! 
if you're in the area, definitely give Tia a call + book your appointment!

I'm going for my touch up in a couple weeks and plan to do another post then. its amazing what a little shape to your brows can do for your entire face!