Alright dad, I have to confess, I have two tattoos. One on my left forearm and one on my face. Yes I've said that right, my face.
The Bay Area is expensive. Aside from monthly bills and weekend adventure expense, make up was getting too expensive for me...especially eyebrow make up (Thanks to IG and their Instaeyebrows, Pinterest for pictures, and YouTube for tutorials.)
Throughout the years, I've seen the trend of Chola sharpie eyebrows, Asian thin eyebrows, and thick rainbow eyebrows. Admit it, we've all done it at some point. So you're probably asking me how my eyebrows are, how I save my time in the morning, and how I keep f*cking sane with eyebrow stress?! Simple: I have my eyebrows shapely inked to match my own face.
It's been about two months now with my awesome eyebrows. I'm glad to say that so far, I have no regrets with either tattoos. I now save 10-15 minutes in the morning now that my eyebrows are done.
But trust me, I've done my research. I've watched TONS of YouTube videos of women getting their eyebrows microbladed. I've Yelped places where Microblading was done, and I've even asked a Dermatologist for their opinion.
Lanna is located inside my now ride or die salon, Bleu de Beaute. I was recommend by Lilly to give her a try. She speaks English and Vietnamese. You can either call Lanna or use Yelp to schedule an appointment with her.
I showed up on my appointment day with no make up on. I then signed my eyebrows away by filling out the papers stating that I am not taking any blood thinner medication and listing health conditions. She then takes the paper and explains the process of Microblading. The room is well lit, CLEAN, and her tray was still wrapped in STERILE packages. Next thing I knew, I'm lying on the table with my trust given to Lanna.
She first outlines my eyebrows with a brown pencil. This process took really long (30 minutes) as she measured each angle with whatever tool she used lol. She then hands me a mirror and confirms with me that the shaped she drew in was to my liking. Afterwards, the gruesome magic happens.
She begins to put topical Lidocaine on my eyebrows. She left the numbing cream to set for about 25-30 minutes. Next thing I knew, I had an Exacto knife scraping my brow bone. It sounded like someone taking a sharp metal edge and scraping it onto a car. There was no music whatsoever so I was trapped listening to a blade slicing my own skin. I knew it was over when she applied a second coat of ink on top of my brows. This layer was set for an extra 15 minutes, allowing the ink to seep through.
With all the anxiety rushing through me, I was anxious to see my new brows. She gently wiped away any excess ink, helped me get up, and directed me to the mirror. I was really damn impressed! It was definitely worth every cent and pain I've invested in. Permanent makeup has really changed throughout the years and I have no regrets getting my eyebrows inked.
Just a few FYI's:
- Arrive with no make-up on
- Bring your headphones and tunes
- Use the restroom prior
- Be prepared to lay down for about 2 hours
- Microblading lasts for about 1-2 years depending on maintenance. You'd have to get them retouched from that point on or your browser will fade.
You're probably asking what the pain level is from 1-10. Well, as stated before, I have a tattoo elsewhere and that pain was nothing compared to this. Pain Level on forearm: 1/10. Pain Level on Face: 8/10. Now that tells you something. Lol.
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Lanna does other services like Facials, De-aging jazz, and even eyelash extensions. I don't need any of her other services but I do like to praise that she's very well-rounded. read more