Here is a frighteningly close up shot of my eyebrows, because I’ve had them tattooed (again).
A treatment that’s definitely become more well-known in recent times, the reactions I’ve had from people this time around are markedly different to when I first had them done in 2014 (there’s a teeny bit of info in this old post). The main reaction a couple of years ago was “You’ve had them what?!” compared to today’s “Ooh, who did them for you?”.
In a nutshell, I am not blessed in the eyebrow department. I rely heavily on MAC Spiked to get me through the day, and over the years I’d like to think I’ve become pretty decent at drawing them on my face. There’s very little hair on the tail, and little to none at the front, which is where I spend most of my time drawing/cursing/brushing.
A girl called Chloe Walsh did my brows the first time around when she was working for a local salon in Dubai. She’s now freelancing and working from different salons around the UAE, and I was lucky enough to squeeze in an appointment with her at the newly opened Browz in Jumeirah at the weekend.
So here’s what happened.
I filled in a form answering various questions, and outlined the kind of brows I wanted. Chloe then applied a numbing cream to the brows and let it sit for 10 minutes.
We then chatted about the shape, style and colour I wanted, and Chloe spent a few minutes penciling them in. We went back and forth a bit, tweaking until I was 100% happy and then she began the tattoo process over the pencil.
The tattoo happens in two segments. First she uses the main tattoo with heavier pigment to outline the brows and get the right shape, then she uses the micro-blade to define and add hairstrokes, which give you that fluffy/natural look. This takes around 40 minutes in total.
It’s not painful, but it pinches occasionally. My big issue during the treatment is that I start sneezing when she tattoos the front section, as it seems to irritate a nerve! So I hold my nose and it stops 🙂
There’s a lot of wiping away of pigment and pushing and pulling the brows this way and that during the treatment, so they can look a little red/inflamed by the end. Some people experience swelling but I don’t, just a little bit of redness.
Chloe gave me the name of a cream to apply morning and night for the first couple of days to help the skin heal properly, and advised me to not expose them to the sun, or get them wet for the first seven days. After the first week they will start to fade rapidly, and will eventually have faded and softened by about 60% by the time I go for my top-up at the six-week mark.
At the six-week mark, a few more hairstrokes will be added, depending on how they have faded/softened, and then they should last a solid 12-18 months, depending on how my skin takes to the pigment.
The treatment costs AED3’300 approximately, and the top-up at the six-week mark is complimentary.
It’s a lot of money to spend on eyebrows – but I would happily spend it every 18 months because I love the results so much. I don’t have to fill in my brows anymore, I gain so much time, and I can never achieve the lovely shape and natural hairstroke effect with makeup alone. It’s also important to mention here that Chloe is a highly qualified beauty therapist from the UK, who specialises in cosmetic makeup. I wouldn’t let anyone else near my brows except her 🙂
If you’d like to make an appointment with Chloe, her contact details (and lots of before and after pics are on her Instagram). She’s also been kind enough to give me a discount code for blog readers, so just mention me when booking for a 10% discount.
And there we have it! If you have any questions about the treatment, please let me know. And if you think I’m mad, that’s OK too 🙂 (You can also see them in real life on my Snapchat: simonescribes)
Thanks for reading as always 🙂
