Article by Gemma Treby
I have always had ok brows; they seem to have a ‘good enough’ natural shape, but with the brow craze that is going down at the moment, I’d been feeling little left out!
Benefit recently launched some amazing products that work well: Gimme Brow, a fiber and pigment infused wand, and Ka Brow, a pigmented wax, but it does take time and is easy to get wrong if you’re in a rush.
When I started looking into a more permanent solution, the options seemed to be tattooing or the new kid on the block, microblading. The for and against camps seemed to firmly champion microblading for its natural look and fade. Tattooing is popular and lasts, but many comment on its fade, saying that the color tends to fade into a rather un-attractive blue /orange shade.
So, microblading it is! I chose to visit Emma Peters, who’d been recommended to me by a friend who has lovely brows, so I was confident that I would be in good hands. Emma has been in the beauty industry for 20 years, and also teaches beauty therapy in colleges in Cambridge and London. When I contacted Emma to book the appointment, she told me to expect a patch test kit in the post, and informed me of the price.
The procedure costs £220 and lasts for 18-24 months. If you have your brows shaped and dyed monthly, the £220 should seem like a pretty good deal! I had to wait a few weeks for an appointment, as Emma seems to be a busy therapist – again a good sign! – and I had to travel half an hour down the road to Melbourn. I didn’t mind, as there is a wonderful shop in Melbourn called Esse that is an absolute fashion mecca, and whilst there, I managed to pick up the most stunning beach kaftan… Any excuse!
Before
Emma’s salon is bright and airy with a clinical feel to it. After greeting me at the door, she and I sat down to revisit my medical history, checking that everything was ok and that I could go ahead with the procedure. At least an hour was spent defining and shaping my brows with an outlining pencil and making sure that at each stage I was happy with every potential hair stroke. Emma homed in on measurements and made sure that each angle was correct, in order to achieve the perfect arch. After some time we agreed on the look and were ready to go.
During
The technique of microblading is manual; a very fine blade, much finer than a razor blade, covered in pigment, is used to make fine incisions that mimic the look of a single hair. Anesthetic cream is used to minimize any discomfort, but really the procedure was not painful, just slightly uncomfortable towards the end. The nice thing is that you can take breaks if you wish, as the procedure is not continuous like a tattoo, so, when I was in need of a little ‘moment’, I could have a sit up and stretch my legs.
Once complete, I could not wait to see the results, and when Emma was ready to do the big reveal, I couldn’t believe how great my eyebrows looked. I was expecting them to be quite red and swollen, but nothing, I looked absolutely fine. I was also expecting some scabbing to appear, but with Emma’s expert after care advice and the lotion I was given to apply, this did not happen. The following day I had an appointment at the hairdressers, and all the girls were commenting on how great I looked, and asking what I had had ‘done’… presuming fillers or botox!
After
They do say good brows can be the equivalent of an eyelift!
Semi Permanent Make Up & Beauty by Emma
Call: 07787430284 or email: emyeoman@aol.com
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