Microblading v.s. Ombre Powder Brows

Ever since I learned about microblading 2 years ago, I was interested. But I never did anything about it… until I saw Dee’s work on Instagram @beaudeespa. Her technique is so unique, delicate and simply put, beautiful.

Honestly I never even knew ombre powder brows were a thing until I saw her do it, and after that, I couldn’t get it out of my head. I was obsessed with looking up photos of ombre brows and scoured the Chicagoland area for someone who was comparable to Dee so I could compare techniques to decide who to go with… but no one even came close!

3 Kinds Of Eyebrows:

1. Ombré Powdered Brows is the newest shading technique. It is 100% customizable and is great for anyone who wants a soft and natural look. This method creates pixilated dots to mimic powder filled brows with no harsh front or outline. This shadow technique is minimally invasive, lasts longer and can be buildable from light to dark.
2. Microblading is creating 3D hair like strokes using microfine needles. This method is suitable for candidates who have plenty of existing hair to blend with the created strokes. Great for those who have darker hair and want more volume. For those who have light and fine hair, it’s not recommended as the strokes will heal to be a bit thicker and may not blend naturally. Plus, there is no ombré option for this technique.
3. Micro + Shading is the perfect combination of both Powdered brows and 3D hair-like strokes. This method uses both manual and machine techniques to create natural strokes with a soft, powdery makeup finish.

The Process

I sent photos of my bare eyebrows to Dee to see if I could be a potential candidate. Then I had to answer a short 6 question survey. When I was accepted, I was scheduled in her books and went in for my in-person consultation. The consultation is done the same day of the treatment so make sure to go in with photos of what you want.

The Experience

The moment I walked in, Dee greeted me warmly then applied numbing cream onto my brows. As the cream was doing its work, she explained how to care for my brows afterward to ensure the best results. She then drew on what my brows would look like so I could see exactly what the end result would look like.

Then she applied a topical anesthetic cream and we got to work on selecting a pigment color. Finally, she started actually filling it in. It only took 30-45 minutes per eyebrow and 2-2.5 hours for the entire appointment.

I posted the progression on my personal account @elainerau and got so many responses from random peeps saying they loved it!!!

I also posted the same story (minus one that didn’t get as much response) onto my professional account @ladybossblogger and got even more love!

This was my favorite response. The fact that this girl’s own eyebrow girl recommended Dee… I mean wow!!!

The Results

The results are immediate and the pain is minimal. In order for the brows to stay in optimal shape, there is a huge aftercare list of instructions that you’re supposed to follow, which I have included below.

I think that was what threw me off a bit. Getting them done is easy, it’s all the stuff you have to do afterward that I didn’t take into consideration.

OMBRE POWDER BROWS / MICROBLADING AFTERCARE

For dry to combo skin, apply ointment sparingly once a day. Just remember less is more. If you feel like you are still moisturized, you can skip a day and apply every other day as needed for the entire healing time of 7-14 days.

• Avoid getting your eyebrows wet for the first 7 days. If you do, gently pat them dry with a clean tissue immediately.
• Avoid direct sun exposure or tanning for 4 weeks after the procedure. Wear a hat when outdoors. (This may cause scarring and poor retention)
• Avoid all unsanitary environments for the first 7 days.
• Use a fresh pillowcase while you sleep.
• Be mindful of your eyebrows while you are changing out of tight shirts.
• Let any scabbing or dry skin naturally exfoliate away. Picking can cause scarring or loss of color.
• No facials, botox, chemical treatments or microdermabrasion for 4 weeks.
• Avoid hot, sweaty exercise for one week.
• Minimize shower time and water temperature and avoid long, hot showers for the first 7 days. (No steamy showers this will cause poor retention)
• Avoid sleeping on your face for the first 7 days.
• Avoid face-down swimming, lakes, and hot tubs until you are done healing and free of flakes/scabs.
• Avoid topical makeup and sunscreen on the treated area until they are fully healed.
• DO NOT rub, pick, or scratch the treated area.
• DO NOT pencil in the areas that are spotty during the healing time (This is crucial if you want detailed and optimal results.)
• Your eyebrows will go from DARK to LIGHT to JUST RIGHT : )

The Aftercare

A few days after my appointment, my eyebrows were EXTREMELY itchy and it took everything in me not to scratch them – they are open wounds so you have to be very careful not to get them infected.

That was one thing that I hadn’t thought about… the care it took to maintain it AFTER the appointment. I mean EVERYTHING was about my eyebrows, I couldn’t sleep right, I couldn’t wash my face right, I couldn’t take my regular long steamy showers (hehe), my eyebrows basically took over my life and every day seemed to drag!

Imagine having two caterpillars resting on your face every day and moving around from time to time making your face itchy, yep that is how it feels haha! I also started to notice something in the photos I took. I didn’t notice it in person, but in photos, my eyebrows were very arched and it got worse when I smiled.

Honestly, I had NEVER thought so much about eyebrows in my life… but the angle matters a lot! And after inspecting my photos, I couldn’t believe how drastic it changed the way my face looked. I also couldn’t believe how I didn’t notice anything during the appointment and how it looked so good there versus back home.

Even the distance from where I usually started to draw my eyebrows in made a difference. I looked so angry in my photos… and I started to regret my decision to get them tattooed! So I started scouring the internet trying to find a way to remedy it.

Turns out a lot of people have gone through the same experience, but in my case, I don’t blame my eyebrow beautician, I simply didn’t go into the meeting prepared in knowing what I wanted. She did a beautiful job, it was just the wrong shape for my face.

Here is a graphic that you need BEFORE you go into your appointment.

Make sure you know what brow you are – I wish I had this image handy because I know that I’m a soft arch but I definitely got the high arches tatted!

Fading Your Ombre Powder Brows

I waited until Day 11 of the healing process before I stopped with the aftercare instructions because by that point I felt like my eyebrows weren’t as sensitive so they wouldn’t get infected, plus prior to that, I had events to go to and didn’t want to mess anything up just in case!

The first thing I did was steam my face in a hot shower then used a makeup wipe in the shower to wipe off my brows slowly. For me, probably because my skin is on the dry side, neither of my brows had peeled or fallen off at all so it took a while to wipe everything off (about 30 minutes).

I was terrified that my eyebrows would be scabby underneath and when I wiped it off it would be patchy, since you’re not supposed to touch it at all, just let it peel off slowly on its own, but all that happened was the color that she had drawn on slowly came out along with a ton of my eyebrow hairs.

The photo below was taken on Day 11 at night -> Day 12 the next morning.

How To Quickly Fade Your Ombre Brows

• Exercise at least 3 times a week until you’re dripping with sweat or use a sauna if you don’t want to exercise that intensely – you’re basically trying to push the pigments out from the inside.
• Cleanse your skin morning and night with a gentle cleanser.
• Apply retinol serum in the evening to increase cellular turnover.
• Get microdermabrasion or facials if you prefer.
• Don’t get the touch-up! OR at the touchup, correct them as much as possible.

How To Cover Up Your Brows

In the meantime, as I’m trying to get rid of some of the pigmentation, I’ve started filling in the bottom of my brow to make it look straighter. While it’s not exactly what it used to look like, it’s definitely an improvement!

The photo on the left is without any eyebrow makeup, the photo on the right is filled in on the bottom, so even though the arch is still the same, it gives it the illusion of looking straighter.

Also when I wiped off my brows on Day 12 my brows were quite light, the next day, they became darker again. (See the difference from the photo above to the photo below).

On Day 14, I decided to fill in my brows the way I used to. In order to cover up the arch, I had to draw them a little thicker, but the end result wasn’t too bad! When I get my touchup, I’m going to have her fill in the bottom a bit more like I have been doing so that they look straighter.

My eyebrows still do rest a little higher than they used to, but I’m getting used to it.

The Touchup Appointment

Normally touchup appointments are supposed to be a month after you get your brows done, however mine was 4 months after because I was traveling.

My eyebrows had faded quite a lot since I first got them done. The photo on the right is without any eyebrow makeup and the one on the left is how I normally filled them in.

When I was finally able to make it to my appointment, I asked Dee to straighten out my brows and here are the incredible results!!!

They look better than how I used to do them, she was able to adjust the angle to what I wanted AND make them look exactly how I wanted. Now back to the healing process again… this time I’m going to follow the instructions and do it right to make them last!

Eyebrows can really make or break your face and these really bring out my features!

The Healing Process

One thing I noticed was that after both my ombre powder brow sessions, I couldn’t sleep.

I was so worried I would lay on them or accidentally touch them or my husband would swing his arm my way accidentally and bump them off hahaha! Totally irrational, but these thoughts kept me up at night!

What I’m NOT looking forward to is how itchy they get a few days afterwards. The extreme itch almost made me not want to go back and get them redone, yes it’s that bad…

SO turns out that the first time around it was much itchier, this time around it’s more like a mild itch that comes and goes.

However, getting your eyebrows done is a serious commitment… they TAKE OVER YOUR ENTIRE LIFE.

It’s been 2.5 weeks now and I still haven’t been able to exercise or get them wet at all since my eyebrows STILL haven’t peeled off. This is the current state of my eyebrows:

Additionally, the peeling process is UNPREDICTABLE and REALLY UGLY.

Make sure you allot a whole month to healing (especially if your skin is more along the lines of non-oily because it takes longer for us).

Also make sure you don’t get them done during the summer because heat makes them hurt.

It’s been 3 weeks and I just got agitated with waiting for them to peel off, plus I have an important event to go to tomorrow and I can’t go looking like this… so I washed them off (again) hahaha!

I turned on the shower super hot and ran my eyebrows under them for like 30 minutes as I slowly rubbed them off.

The color is patchy but I expected that since I did what I was not supposed to do… ?but I don’t care anymore, I’m so tired of everything revolving around my eyebrows.

However, I wish had I wiped them off with a makeup wipe slowly like I did last time instead of using hot water because the color wasn’t affected with that method.

Also I got a brand new camera over the weekend, look at the quality difference in my photos!!!!!!!!! Went from the iPhone 6s to the Samsung 10S+ woohooooo!!! You can even see the fuzz from my towel, craziness!

The color should darken in the next few days, we shall see!

So below is the final result after a week. The color actually stayed the same – here is what it looks like without any makeup.

Comment with your thoughts – would you consider getting OMBRE POWDER BROWS?