I used to have the worst eyebrows. While I was born with big and bushy brows, growing up, I would take a razor to them (yep) so they became thin squiggles with permanent dots underneath that were the hair follicles angrily trying to climb back out.
Sometimes, I even bleached them, turning them an Oompa Loompa shade of orange with those black perma-dots still underneath. I remember a colleague once turning to me at a crosswalk, examining my brows in the outdoor light, and asking me, in a concerned tone, “did you know your eyebrows are orange?”.
Anyway, suffice to say, from the age of 12 to about 28, I rocked some pretty terrible brows. All that changed, though, when I discovered eyebrow tattooing. Working as a journalist a few years ago, I was offered the experience of trying it. They changed my entire face, making me look more put-together, and balancing out my long face.
And I haven’t looked back since. Apart from the time in lockdowns, I’ve been getting my brows touched up every 8-9 months ever since then. And I cannot rave about eyebrow tattooing enough. It’s honestly saved me so much time, not having to fill out my brows every morning, not to mention made me feel more confident.
So, if you’re thinking about getting your eyebrows tattooed, I thought I’d do you the favour of sharing everything I wish I had known before getting mine done. Also, note that I haven’t gotten into much detail on the process as that’s something your technician can — and will — explain to you.
And now, with that out of the way, here goes.
There Are Different Types of Eyebrow Tattooing
Firstly, eyebrow tattooing encompasses a few different techniques, with the most popular being micro-blading, otherwise known as feathering. It’s a technique where hair strokes are created by manually etching pigment into the skin (don’t worry — you’re numbed beforehand). With this technique, pigment is deposited by hand, more superficially, so it may require more frequent touch-ups and may not work well on oily skin.
Microshading, also called powder and ombre brows, on the other hand, use a digital device that can create a more solid and defined look. Touch-ups are required less often than with this technique.
Some artists use a combination of the two techniques.
Do Your Research
Next is that you should do your research when looking for a good eyebrow tattooing technician.
With eyebrow tattooing, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution as everyone’s eyebrow shape and skin type is different. You’ll want to be sure to find someone who understands what you’re after and who you can trust to give you that.
When the technician I went to in Sydney for years, unfortunately, hurt her hand and couldn’t work, a friend recommended @shapebymegan, also in Sydney (and still available for appointments!). She took her time with my brows, chatting to me about how thick I wanted them to look and then filled in the gaps I had from over plucking in the past perfectly.
Your brows are front and centre on your face – make sure you do your research to find the right person to do them.
It’s Not as Painful as It Sounds
While the processes described above do sound painful, they’re honestly not as bad as they sound. You wear numbing cream around your brow area for about 20 minutes beforehand, so you can barely feel anything. Though the numbness can start to wear off by the time they’re nearly done, if it gets too painful, you can ask your technician to reapply the cream.
Be Warned: There Is Considerable Down Time
If I were you, I wouldn’t schedule your first-ever appointment right before a big event. Like, not even a few days before. Like with a normal tattoo, the ink in the brows gets darker the day after you’ve had them done, and you can’t get them wet for at least three days. Oh, and you have to constantly rub tattoo cream on them to keep the ink from drying and caking, so they end up looking quite shiny.
My old technician even said not to get them wet for 10 days. She would say that yes, she was responsible for the quality of the eyebrow tattooing, but that the aftercare was in fact the most important part and all up to you. And, if you’re shelling out that much money to get them done, you’re going to ensure you’re doing everything right to keep
Bottom line: leave them out of water and with tattoo cream slathered on for as long as you can so the ink keeps within your skin and you get your money’s worth.
There’s a Good Chance You’ll Need Two Visits
Despite how well you care for the brows, though, chances are you’ll need to do a second visit, especially if it’s your first time ever having them done. The first time creates the base layer of colour and the second time goes over it, cementing the colour in your skin. And by cementing, I mean ensuring it lasts longer than a few months. Because ideally, you want it to last a whole year.
Usually, the initial price will include both visits. And, if you keep going back to the same person, you’ll only ever have to pay a fee for a touch-up every year you go back, which is considerably less than that first visit cost.
They Can Honestly Change Your Face
And finally, I can’t stress this enough: eyebrow tattoos can honestly change your face in the best way — if done right, that is. Hardly anyone has ever guessed that I’ve had my brows done so clearly, they look pretty natural. And again, going makeup-free quite regularly, I’m so happy to know that every day, without a scrap of anything else, at least my brows will look ‘done’.
