One of the many things I did last year to prepare for our wedding was get my eyebrows done. Microblading had been something I wanted to do for quite a while, but the thought of a stranger tattooing anything on my face was nerve racking. So last spring I turned to an old friend, Ayumi, who owns Elevate Beauty Studio. She completely transformed my eyebrows and made me feel like a whole new person. Today, I’m finally sharing my ombre powder eyebrow experience.
WHAT IS OMBRE POWDER?
I thought microblading was my only option for semi-permanent eyebrows, but Ayumi introduced me to ombre powder. Ombre powder is a semi-permanent eyebrow styling technique that creates a soft shaded brow pencil look. It starts off slightly faded at the front of the eyebrows and gradually darkens ending with a sharp tail.
OMBRE POWDER VS. MICROSHADING
Ultimately, Ayumi recommended ombre powder and I trusted her opinion. Here are a few reasons why:
1. Ombre powder is less invasive than microblading. Ombre powder disperses pigment onto the skin while microblading involves making small incisions into the skin to mimic natural hairs.
2. Ombre powder lasts longer than microblading. Powdered brows can last up to or more than 2 years depending on skin type and other factors, while microblading lasts around 6 months-1 year.
3. Ombre powder creates a natural makeup look. If you fill in your eyebrows often, which I used to, powdered brows is the way to go.
4. Ombre powder is suitable for all skin types. Microblading is suitable for most skin types except for oily skin.
PROCESS
I went in for my first appointment on May 2 of last year. Ayumi and I discussed my preferred brow shape, size, and color. She drew precisely what my brows would look like before going in with the pigment. Although the 3 hour process does hurt, numbing cream makes the process painless. Ayumi made sure I was comfortable the entire time, and was patient with all my questions and decision making. Once done, my eyebrows were bold and intense, which is normal and temporary. For the rest of the day, my forehead felt as if it had been slammed into by a truck. My forehead remained swollen and red for the rest of the day too. By the second day, these side effects had subsided.
AFTER CARE
Caring for your brows properly afterwards is important for longevity. Healing time can take anywhere from 7-14 days. Once I started applying an ointment a few days after my appointment, my eyebrows started to scab. It takes a lot of self control to not rub them off, but the scabs need to fall off naturally so as to not cause pigment loss. The scabbing is why eyebrows are known to be patchy after eyebrow tattooing. After care also involves not getting brows wet. My healing time took about 2 weeks. I got a touch up on July 12 to fill in spots that had faded due to constant sun exposure from a trip to Hawaii. The touch up process was quicker and the healing process was much faster.
RESULTS
Once my eyebrows had finished scabbing and healed, I was left with soft, natural looking eyebrows. Check out my before (left) and after (right) above. It’s been a year since my touch up and my brows are still going strong. Getting them done has saved me so much time in the mornings and makes me feel so comfortable without makeup on. Initially, I only wanted them done for wedding festivities, but now I can’t imagine being without these eyebrows. Was the 3 hour process, after care, and price worth it? Absolutely! I’m looking forward to going back to Ayumi when my eyebrows start to significantly fade. Check out her Instagram @elevatebeautystudio and all her 5 star reviews on Yelp. She is currently taking limited appointments for August, so if you’re interested reach out to her on Instagram or email her.
