I’m a powder brow convert… and here’s why! For years I have had sad, thin excuses for eyebrows, and thought there was nothing I could do about it. I would never leave the house without filling my brows in. I actually never stayed IN the house without filling them in.
I remember exactly when and why I started plucking my eyebrows. I was in 7th grade, and had naturally dark and thick eyebrows (I could cry now, thinking about how I ruined them). I made friends with a girl who I thought was much cooler than I was, and she told me I needed to pluck my eyebrows into a perfect thin arch like hers. I followed the examples and directions in the fashion mags and plucked away.
My mother told me my eyebrows did not look good. I responded by plucking them even more. The thinner, the better! To her credit my mother never stopped telling me over the years that if I kept on over plucking my brows they wouldn’t grow back.
In my 30s, when thick, natural brows were suddenly in style again, I saw that my mother was right. I had over plucked, and was stuck with pencil thin brows that were decades out of style.
For years now I have filled in my brows, tinted my brows, and tried different thickening and follicle-stimulating serums to make the hair grow back (spoiler alert – none of them worked). I spent more minutes than I should every single day painstakingly trying to fill in my brows to look thicker and even.
Then, I heard about microblading – basically permanently makeup to fill in your eyebrows. Yes, like a tattoo. I knew a few friends overseas who had gotten it done, but didn’t know much about it or where to get it done locally.
On to google I went. I did some research, and found Sara Boudreau of Lash Perfect. She does ombre powder brows instead of microblading; powder brows is a gentler process, and causes less scarring. Her website was professional and her reviews were impeccable, and she seemed both kind and competent… but I was still hesitant and fearful. This was permanent makeup we were talking about! I also didn’t quite understand the difference between microblading and powder brows.
My main fears/hesitations were:
It is definitely worth the money. Permanent makeup is an investment, yes. My husband loves to tell me that “time is money.” So I can’t stop thinking about all the time I have gotten back in my day now that I don’t spend time filling in my brows. I also save money not buying brow pencils, brow tinting, and brow serums.
My fears about the way my brows would look were calmed even before I got them done. The first time I spoke to Sara she made me feel at ease. I was so impressed by the way she took the time to answer all my questions thoughtfully and in thorough detail. At my touch up appointment she made sure I was one hundred percent satisfied with my brow shape and colour. I felt like I was in the best hands possible.
It’s important that you follow the post powder brow instructions so the brows heal properly. I am a rule follower, so I took this very seriously. That meant no sweat getting on my brows (yes, that was hard as a fitness trainer but I did it!), and following the post brow cleaning routine.
I’m at the 8 month mark now and I’m so happy with my brows. Since my touch up, I now wait 18 months to 2 years for the colour to fade and then I go back for a touch up. I actually cannot wait! I love my new brows. They give my face a whole new look. I feel more confident.
So if you’re on the fence, I say go for it (and if you’re local, go see Sara!). It’s been completely worth it for me.