I started hearing about microblading a while back and was incredibly intrigued by the process. It seemed like just the thing I was looking for: tiny hair strokes are "tattooed" on (it doesn't go as deep as a traditional tattoo), leaving you with natural-looking brows for 1-3 years. I talked about it so often that my husband offered to pay for me to get microblading for my birthday 3 years ago (he literally wrote "eyebrows" on a piece of paper and handed it to me as my present)... but since I'm scared of needles and pain, it actually took me until now to finally cash in on my birthday gift.
Once I finally mustered up the courage, I booked in with Savanna Dillon at Studio Sashiko. It's a bit of a drive from Vancouver to Langley where they're located but Studio Sashiko is pretty famous in the microblading world and I was willing to travel for the best. This is a semi-permanent face tattoo, after all!
I started the process at the very end of December and now that it's complete, I can honestly say it was worth it. I love not having to do my brows anymore and I feel more "done" even when I'm not wearing any makeup. Savanna did an amazing job creating individual hair strokes where none existed before and I've had so many compliments on how natural they look (no one has known they were microbladed until I told them).
5.5 months after first session and 10 weeks after touch-up (no brow products used)
Since I spent so much time considering whether or not I wanted to try microblading and it's also an expensive process (some places offer cheap deals but in my opinion, it's worth it to pay more for quality so you know you'll be satisfied at the end), I made sure to document my path to perfect brows for the blog. It's funny looking back at pictures of my original brows because I kind of forgot what they looked like!
PROCESS AND HEALING
As I mentioned earlier, Studio Sashiko is located about an hour drive from Vancouver in Langley but it's a really open and welcoming space. Savanna made me feel comfortable right away with her warm personality and took the time to explain what she'd be doing. I'd also already stalked her Instagram account so I was familiar with her work and knew I liked it (highly recommend checking out your artist's social media beforehand).
Although it's a 2 hour appointment, the actual time spent microblading is not that long. In fact, most of my appointment was spent drawing and deciding on the eyebrow design and waiting for numbing cream to work. Thanks to the aforementioned numbing cream, I couldn't really feel the needles but there were a few sensitive points where there was some sharp pain. Overall, it was totally bearable. Savanna did a couple passes (numbing cream + microblading) before we were done.
Top: natural brows / Bottom: immediately after first session
Top: natural brows / Bottom: immediately after first session
The first day was probably the most painful... once the numbing cream wore off, my eyebrows felt really sore. You have to dab the tattooed area gently 5-7 times a day for about a week with lukewarm water and a disposable paper towel. This removes any plasma and oil build-up and prevents scabbing. There was a bit of blood when I dabbed on Day 1 but it went away by Day 2.
I was sent home with some detailed care instructions and a little pot of barrier cream that I was to apply with a cotton swab for 2 full weeks. The card also had this really cute meme on the back that described the general healing process.
Overall, I'd say the timeline was pretty accurate to my experience. The soreness was gone by Day 2. I didn't find my brows looked particularly dark & thick as they healed, as per the card, but I suspect this is because I have dark hair (they probably would look very dark if you're a blonde). My brows started to feel a bit itchy around Day 4 and flaking didn't start until Day 8.
Here's what the flaking looked like on Day 10:
Day 10 Post-Procedure
On Day 12, I started to feel concerned because my left eyebrow pigment looked completely gone. However, the full healing process takes approximately 6-8 weeks. Because the skin is constantly regenerating and naturally exfoliating, the colour does actually "bloom" later on and take on a new strength.
TOUCH-UP
A touch-up is highly recommended about 8-12 weeks after your first session. I know it might be annoying to have to go back and potentially pay more (the touch-up session at Studio Sashiko costs $150), but it's really important. It gives the artist a chance to assess how your brows have healed and fill in spots that didn't "take".
The process touch-up session was very similar to my first session and took about the same length of time. I noticed the after result was a lot darker than it had been after my first session since the new strokes built on the previous strokes.
Top: healed, 10.5 weeks after first session / Bottom: immediately after touch-up
Top: healed, 10.5 weeks after first session / Bottom: immediately after touch-up
In terms of healing, I also found it to be a lot easier this time around. The flaking was significantly less noticeable, likely because of the base colour already being there.
5.5 months later, I am still SO happy with my new brows. You can see the healed result didn't stay as dark as immediately after the touch-up since I know some people are concerned about having really noticeable brows. I'm not sure how long it will be until I have to get them redone but I care for them by avoiding using any abrasive/exfoliating products on the area (e.g. retinol) and applying sunscreen to protect them from fading/prolonged sun exposure.
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