Carrie Santana Da Silva
So, the term microblading doesn’t exactly lead you to believe it’s a relaxing procedure. It has the word blade in it after all. Despite being a total wimp when it comes to hair removal, I was sure that after a couple of tattoos I’d be able to handle it!
It’s not that I was particularly unhappy with my eyebrows before – they were alright. A little sparse in patches (memories of ladies about to thread them telling me I should grow them out...after not having touched them for three months) and unkempt in others. But after seeing results of the wonderful Nez Hasan’s work on Instagram, I was certain she’d be able to fill in those gaps and create a shape that I’d be happy to wear on a daily basis.
Eyebrows are such an important part of the face, and the first thing that I’d reach to fill in in order to look like a human being. If that work could be done for me on a semi-permanent basis, I knew I’d get that “woke up like this” feeling. Looking more alive without even having to pick up a makeup brush.
I booked in with Nez a good six months before I was able to get an appointment – another testament to just how good she is! When the day finally rolled around, I made my way up to her spot in North London with just a little trepidation – what if I hated what she did?! But it didn’t take long at all before I was totally at ease. She couldn’t be friendlier, and I felt like I was in very capable hands.
The first step was to measure out and draw in my perfect brows based on my face shape. I looked up at the brows she’d designed in the mirror – a little thicker than I would have liked but she told me to trust her – the final product would look far more natural than the lines she’d drawn on my face! And then it was time to get started under the skin!
At this point, a tool is used to create your new eyebrow strokes, hair by hair, implanting pigment under the skin. I won’t lie to you – there is discomfort involved, a similar kind of scratching sensation that I’d experienced getting my tattoos. But it’s manageable, only for a short time and is totally worth it for the results.
When Nez was done drawing in my new brows, I sat up to marvel at them. Whilst my skin was still a little red, I could see what an amazing job she’d done drawing in the most natural of strokes, to the point I wasn’t sure what was real hair and what wasn’t!
I left with instructions for aftercare, wipes to use on them for the following 24 hours, some cream and a new set of much fuller eyebrows. I couldn’t stop staring in the mirror the whole way home.
Now, I’ll admit, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. I woke up the following morning in a bit of a panic. What had I done?! My eyebrows looked huge, and so much darker. I started Googling how long it would take for them to fade, and took approximately 200 selfies from all angles to try and get used to my new face. It was only after putting on makeup and talking to Instagram Stories about my new brows that I realised...hang on a minute...they look amazing.
I needn’t have worried at all, over the following week or so they faded considerably to a very natural colour. Nobody would have ever guessed I’d had them done, but I still didn’t need to apply any makeup to my brows. All my gaps were filled in a very realistic way. This period of time after the initial appointment is integral to how long your brows will last on you. You need to follow the aftercare instructions to a T, which includes not sweating or getting your brows wet as well as applying the cream you’ve been provided with at the right times.
After the healing period, a percentage of the strokes were a lot softer and some gone completely, but this is something that would be fixed at my top-up appointment (usually booked in 4-6 weeks after your initial procedure). I went for this appointment a couple of weeks ago, so in these pictures you’re looking at totally healed microblading with absolutely no makeup applied at all.
I’m hoping they last as long as possible, but depending on skin type, you can expect results from 6 months to two years.
I couldn’t recommend Nez enough – but as I mentioned above, she’s incredibly popular so you’ll need to be very patient if you’re looking for an appointment. Keep an eye on her Instagram in case, and read more about the process over on her website.