Maintaining your eyebrows is an important part of a woman’s beauty regime and we often underestimate the difference a well-maintained set of brows can make.
Not only do your eyebrows frame your face and enhance your features, but they also accentuate your eyes and play an important role in communication.
A great solution, says make-up artist Debbie Jean, is to get cosmetically tattooed eyebrows. This way your brows will be in a great shape and have more definition – no need to spend time filling them in and trying to balance the shape and colour Debbie has worked as a top make-up artist, both locally and internationally, for 29 years. She started specialising in eyebrow ‘makeovers’ using cosmetic tattoo techniques eight years ago and has a strong following in Cape Town and Knysna. She recently settled in Salt Rock and has a brow studio in Ballito.
“Cosmetic tattoo eyebrows are an ideal time saver for ladies with fading eye sight, thinning brows, sports women or anyone wanting to enhance, define and re-shape their brows and spend less time in front of the mirror drawing on brows and more time living life,” she says.
“There are many terms used to describe cosmetic tattoo brows: micro blading, 3D or 6D brows, micro pigmentation, permanent make-up, hair stroke brows, ombre and powder brows. I choose not to micro blade as I feel using a machine and needles delivers a superior result to using a blade, with less trauma to the skin. I feel the colour is also more stable and lasts longer.”
Debbie’s number one tip, if you decide to add pigment to your eyebrows. Choose your artist carefully. “Look at their social media pages and decide if you like what you see. I would encourage choosing an artist that does cosmetic tattoo full time.” Although there are various different terms used for cosmetic tattoo eyebrows, Debbie says it’s important to remember that they are all, essentially, tattoos. “Pigment (similar to tattoo ink) is implanted 1.5mm to 2mm under the surface of your skin and is therefore a tattoo. Even micro-blading is a tattoo.”
WHAT TO EXPECT
It’s important that you have time to chat to your artist at the appointment about the colour, technique and your expectations. Normally, Debbie says, this is done while your brows are numbing.
“Your artist should draw a suitable shape that you get to approve before they start. The first appointment is usually two hours and a touch up about one and a half hours. You’ll need to allow 7 to 10 days to heal. No perspiring (heavy exercise) during this time as the pigment needs to take hold and you also want to avoid infection. Your artist will give you after-care products to use as well.”
It’s important to wait a full month before you see the full outcome. There might be small scabs and the pigment can go quite dark at first. Do not pick at your brows. Sometimes, after the first week, your eyebrows can look quite light. The colour needs time to resurface and develop. “Having your eyebrows done is a two (sometimes three) part process. You are then good to go for at least a year or more before you need a freshen up.
(Also, if you do need to touch up with a pencil when it starts to fade, you’ll have the pigment under the skin to guide you, making it easier.)” Debbie says touching up after the main procedure is important to deliver a second layer of pigment into the skin to give a longer lasting finish. Touch ups are generally 6 to 8 weeks after the first session or when you see fading. At the touch up appointment the colour can be deepened if needed and the shape refined.”
Details: Debbie: 082 804 2748, email: [email protected], www.eyebrowmakeovers.com, FB @DebbieJeanMakeup, IG @makeupartistdebbiejean
