Jade Petkov, owner of PhiBrows by Jade Petkov – Microblading & Permanent Makeup salon, gives us the 411 of this trend.
“Micrblading is a form of cosmetic tattooing, the only difference is the application. With microblading, we use a hand tool, which creates little incisions to the skin. Hair-like strokes are drawn onto the skin to mimic natural hair strands. The pigments penetrate the skin, but don’t go as deep into the skin as permanent tattoos. It's an extremely meticulous process that takes around two hours to complete.”
If you’re still not sure how it’s different from threading and waxing, Jade explains that she works with the skin and not the hair. “With waxing and threading, you’re actually removing the hair and shaping the brow using the hair growth, whereas with microblading, you work with the skin and not the hair. Once I shape, I remove the excess hair but other than that, I’m purely working with the skin.”
Scared that a certain shape might be on trend now and not next year? Jade explains that you need not to worry about that. “The idea is to give you the most natural looking brow for you, so it’s not something that’s going to be in or out of fashion. So what I do is that when I shape, I shape according to your natural features and I try incorporate your natural brow as much as possible to give you the most flattering shape.”
“You need to prep skin by eliminating any substances that might thin your blood or skin like retinoids, aspirin or alcohol or a week prior to the procedure.” Explains Jade.
So what about the pain?
If you’ve ever experienced the pain of getting a tattoo, we’d like to reassure you that it’s 3 – 5 notches lower in terms of pain. Plus a topical numbing ointment is applied to the area throughout the procedure to dull the discomfort.
You will receive a post-procedure ointment to alleviate any irritation or redness. The brows look very dark on the first day but the colour should fade slightly. Take care not to do any sweat-inducing exercises or when in the shower, don’t exceed 5 minutes for at least a week.
Pros and cons of mircroblading?
Pros – It gives you minimal time in the morning, you never have to spend time drawing and shaping your eyebrows. It’s a time saver and it looks natural.
Cons – Because the microblading is quite natural looking, is does not last as long as normal tattooing. Also skin types play a huge role with how long the procedure will last. If you have oily skin, microblading can last up to eight months to a year and a half before you need a touch up. It doesn’t mean it will be gone, it means you might just need extra colour.
A special thank you to Jade Petkov, owner of PhiBrows by Jade Petkov – Microblading & Permanent Makeup salon. Visit www.phibrowssa.co.za for more info or check out Jade's Instagram page
