microblading.

today's post is all about eyebrows! if you follow me on snapchat {username: sarahktripp}, then you know a few weeks ago i got my brows microbladed by Shelby at the Bronde Salon! microblading is a newer technique of getting your brows semi-permanently tattooed. it's a more natural look because it involves individual, crisp hair strokes! i absolutely love my brows and am so excited to tell you all why!here's how the process works: i arrived for a consultation and signed a bunch of forms. remember, this is actual tattooing. after that, Shelby then took the time to match a color for me & then draw the outline of where she was going to fill in my brows. this included measuring my brows/face shape from all different angles. some people may want more of a restructure than others {like a higher arch, a thicker brow, etc}. for me, we mostly just filled in and she even brought my left brow {pictured below} more towards my inner eye {apparently i've been too tweeze-happy with that brow!}. i would say this part took the most time, but it's probably the most important step. you want your brows to look exact & even!next, she numbed my brows with a numbing cream and let it soak in for about 10 minutes. remember, this is actual tattooing! after that, she begun using her hand tool to apply the hair strokes! the actual micoblading process took about 30 minutes. she did each brow three times, to make sure everything was filled in and even. after the second time, she had me look at them to make sure i liked what was happening. after microblading each brow, she would take the pigment and rub it all over that brow for it to set into the hair strokes she just created.as far as pain goes, i wouldn't say it was painful for me, although i'm aware everyone has a different pain threshold. was it uncomfortable? yes. it literally feels like someone is scratching away at your skin. Shelby told me most people describe the 'pain' similar to getting your eyebrows threaded. i've never done that, so i wouldn't know. definitely more 'painful' than tweezing, but nothing anyone can't handle. this is semi-permanent makeup, so it isn't going as deep into your skin as regular tattooing. if anything it's just uncomfortable, but only lasts about a half hour!Shelby then put healing ointment on my brows, gave me a small tube of it, and i was on my way! i was there for a total of two hours. i was instructed to use the same ointment {it's kind of like Vaseline and what i imagine you put on regular tattoos to help them heal} for the next week, putting it on my brows twice a day. in that first week, you're instructed not to put anything else on your brows besides water and the healing ointment. they might start to itch a bit from the healing process and exfoliation, but don't pick or scratch at them! i took my brows about five days to completely heal. after about a month, you return for a touch-up and to fill in pigment {or even change the color of your brows}.today marks two weeks from when i got them done, so i have yet to do the last step! but i've absolutely loved having brows that i don't need to fill in with brow pomade or tint! and since i also have eyelash extensions, i can easily not wear makeup on more relaxed days and still feel put together. because this is semi-permanent, the brows need to be filled/touched-up about once a year, but everyone is different.Shelby is so sweet and easy to talk to, and she's had her brows done as well! she's offering all my readers a discount on microblading, too! mention my post and you'll receive the service for $300! the running rate in utah is anywhere from $300-600, so this is an awesome deal! if you're thinking about getting your brows microbladed, i couldn't recommend it more! i'll snapchat the process when i head back in for my touch-up in two weeks, so you can see how it actually works.here's to amazing, semi-permanent brows! thanks Shelby! xxps: below is the immediate before/after photos from my actual appointment. these blog photos were taken last friday, so you can see how well they've healed just after a week! dress: ASOSsandals: 14th & Union {still available in stores}lips: besomicroblading c/o: Bronde Salon by Shelby Bahr

photos by Haley Nord