FAQ

What is Microblading?

Microblading is the act of placing pigments in the skin in a stroking motion to mimic hairs. This service usually lasts anywhere between 1-2.5 years before needing a touchup depending on skin type, lifestyle, and aftercare. This service is best for clients with medium/light hair texture that is sparsely sprinkled over the whole brow area, dry to normal skin, smooth texture, and small pores. The benefits of microblading are that it can be ultra natural when paired with the ideal skin and hair type, giving clients an undetectable effortless look. The risks of microblading on the wrong skin/hair type are that the strokes can have pigment migration over time, causing the hair strokes to expand and blur. In an effort to prevent this from happening we have to make sure that there is skin left between each stroke, giving microbladed brows an ‘open, fluffy’ look. This this service is reserved for the ideal candidates only.

What is Powder Brow?

Powder brows dusts the skin with pigment in a pixelated method, giving the brows a soft makeup effect. This service can be customized to look anywhere from very subtle, to middle ground, and all the way to bold depending on what the client wants for their lifestyle. Powder brows are great on any skin type, is less damaging to the skin, and has a longer lifespan than microblading [typically 2-3 years before needing a touchup]. It also ages nicely in comparison to microblading, with no risk of pigment migration and a slower cool-tone effect over time. Both services cool off over time, this is why we recommend touchups to refresh your color/shape. This service is especially beneficial to complicated situations where a client may be missing entire areas of their brows, the client has dark coarse hair that has a thin densely groomed shape, or the client doesn’t have the ideal skin type for microblading [which is 80% of people]. Powder brows can look even more natural than microblading because of all of its benefits, little risks, and cleaner shaping.

What is Combo Brow?

Combo brows combine both techniques in one. There will be thoughtfully placed hair strokes along with the powder shading. This service gives you the best of both worlds, the undetectable strokes where you can have them and the depth of powder where it is needed. Aside from very oily skin types, combo brows are a great option for everyone else.

Will these services replace my makeup?

Yes and No. Makeup sits on top of the skin, coloring our skin and brow hair. Without the barrier of skin between our sight and the makeup, makeup will always appear more vibrant. PMU sits under the skin so it will be a softer look since there is a barrier between our sight and the pigment, and it also is not laying color on our real brow hairs like makeup does. While this service greatly reduces the need/time spent applying makeup to the brows, it will never fully replace the effects of makeup. These services are meant to give clients brows that will be there getting out of the shower, while swimming, while sweating during a workout, and for all those makeup free days! If my clients want to fill in their brows, it shaves the time from 20 minutes down to 2 minutes because your layout is already there for you and the guessing game is eliminated. Most of my clients are happily satisfied with their soft tattooed brows and they never fill in their brows, while the other portion of clients that wear full-face makeup often still enjoy not having to find their shape every day. PMU is not a 100% replacement for makeup. It is low maintenance, not no maintenance.

Do you accept corrective work?

Corrective work is done on a strict case-by-case basis. All corrective clients must first email me with photos of their existing brows and get an approval before booking an appointment. I do not touchup work done by other artists. Your first appointment will either be a New Set or Corrective, depending on the existing tattoo.

What will it look like immediately after?

Directly after the appointment and for the following 7-10 days your pigment will appear darker/sharper in shape/bold because of scabbing, this is normal. You may also experience some redness and swelling. Your scabs will begin to shed for a few days. It’s important that you not pick or scratch during this period as you could lose a chunk of pigment prematurely, resulting in a bald patch. Once your brows have fully healed, they may have a muted appearance, this will gradually diminish over the next couple of weeks and pigment will resurface.

How do we pick the shape and color?

Clients are welcome to bring at least two photos of desirable brows, but this is not required. Please understand that this is just for inspiration and your brows will be unique to your face. I prefer to stick closely to the existing shape that my clients have and use as much natural hair as possible because when we leave the hair by more than 2mm the tattoo becomes 2D, looking flat and shiny in the light. Staying close to your existing shape with minor adjustments can still be very impactful while giving you the best chance for 3D brows. Color selection is based on your natural brow hair and skin understones. Clients with cool undertones [ruddy skin, most fair skins, and blue veins in the wrist] need to have warmth in their starting color. Once the skin heals over the tattoo in 2 weeks the color will become neutral, we do this to prevent the brows from immediately going ashy/gray toned. The exception to this would be working on clients that sport their natural gray/silver hair, in this case we can use less warmth, so the healed brows are slightly ashy to match your hair color. Clients that have warm undertones in their skin [most medium to dark skins, green veins in the wrist] can opt for any of the pigment tones since we don’t have to worry about their tattoo cooling off as much. Everything will be agreed upon between myself and the client before any tattooing begins.

Am I a good candidate?

There are a few reasons why you may not be a good candidate for PMU. I am not able to work on pregnant or breast-feeding women. I cannot tattoo over raised moles, abrasions, eczema, or hair transplants in the brow area. All candidates must be able to prove they are age 18 or older. Lastly, I am not able to tattoo anyone that is positive for viral diseases/infections (HIV, AIDS, Hep) as these compromise your immune system, raising the risk for infection during healing and negatively affecting the results.

What should I do in preparation for the appointment?

Please refer to the Care Page for pre and post care instructions. These instructions heavily affect the outcome of your brows!

When will I need a touchup?

I require a touch-up around 6-8 weeks following the initial appointment and annual refreshers are up to the client. During the first session we focus on laying the foundation, getting symmetry, size, and shape down. While the second is a detailing session where we would make small adjustments, go darker if the client requests, add density, and address any issues that may occur in the first round of healing. In some cases, a third touch up may be needed, as everyone's unique skin will vary in retention. Long term, I won’t see my clients for another touchup until their brows are 40% faded or more. This time frame is typically 1-2.5 years depending on aftercare, lifestyle, and chosen pigment [blondes fade faster than brunettes]. It is important to let them fade by 40% or more because there is limited space in the upper layers of the skin and if we pack too much pigment into that small layer it will continue to push the pigment into the deeper layers of their skin, running the risk of gray brows. More layers of skin over the pigment equals gray coloring. Let them fade!

How long will my tattoo last?

Semi-permanent means that the tattoo will fade over time. Regular maintenance is normal for cosmetic tattooing and the goal is to have annual touchups to refresh the color and shape.

What methods of payment do you accept?

I accept cash, venmo, apple cash, and zelle as my preferred methods. I also accept all major credit cards if my client’s do not have the aforementioned.

What products does the studio use?

This is a fully single-use disposable studio to ensure top safety and sanitization. My blades, needles, and pigments are top of the line, made by Bowler Esthetics, Mast, Hanafy, and Permablend.