Betty’s new Brows

You know how the old saying goes — your eyes are the window into your soul, now if this is true, then brows must be the double glazed sash windows that make your soul look incredible from the outside. Nothing, not even your favorite red lipstick, says “I’ve got my shit together” quite like a set of full, thick, symmetrical brows, and when you have poor eyesight at the best of times achieving the symmetrical non plastered on look can be quite the challenge. Unless you decide everyday perfection is the only way forward.

In the quest for IT Girl brows, people search far and wide to find the technique and product that works best for them. Lately everyone I compliment brow wise has been singing the praises of eyebrow tattooing, and not just permanent makeup in general but the work of  Barbara ‘Mrs Make Up‘ in Glasgow. As a self-confessed ‘shit girl’ the concept of permanent make up just sounded too good to be true. Getting symmetrical anything on my face has always been a challenge to me due to my eyesight, so after the fourth recommendation I thought it was about time I bite the bullet and give it a go. Little did I know it was the best decision I’ve made all year.

My Au-Naturelle Brows, whispy, blonde and bushy

To some, it may sound quite extreme to have a face tattoo all in the name of vanity, but to me it was much more than that. Being a natural blonde with bright orange hair, if I didn’t draw on my eyebrows my whole face just read: don’t talk to me. Having a well-defined brow not only opens and lifts your entire face but also shaves crucial getting ready time as for me, brows take FOREVER. Growing up, I was one of the only tweens of the 90’s to not over pluck my brows. With the fear of looking like the teeny tiny tadpoles of my registration class, I decided to keep my plucking exclusive to the middle & never even tried to define any shape. Not only did I want to have permanently glorious brows, but I also wanted to have the shape all laid out for me so I have no excuse to upkeep my low maintenance look. So I made my appointment and after a consultation and skin test, my brows were ready for getting tattood.

The owner of Mrs Make Up, Barbara, opened the salon in 2013 after 15 years of working as a fully trained makeup artist. She could see that Perminant Make Up was going to be a game changer and not only help people who struggle to grow eyebrows and lashes, but also a non surgical option to add so much more definition to your face, right the way down to scar camouflage. I never even knew this kind of thing existed so was really excited to give it a go myself.

Numbbing Cream at the Ready! 

When I arrived at Mrs Make Up I was welcomed by a cuppa and some friendly faces before having numbing cream applied to my natural brow. I was really nervous at the thought of pretty much getting my face tattooed so knowing I’ll hardly feel a thing really put me at ease. After around 30 mins of the cream settling, Barbara took me into the room and pencilled in my ideal brow shape for me and my lifestyle. I told Baraba all about my lack of definition plucking so she kept this in mind when drawing on what would be my perfect shape. The outline itself looked pretty big, but Barbara told me that she would be drawing between the lines, rather than to them, it was with my OK that I lay down and she could start tattooing.

Brows Mapped Out 

Once Barbara started  I honestly couldn’t  believe how little  I felt. It certainly was less painful than an ordinary tattoo and I was super surprised to feel that a generic pluck was more of a shock to the system! I have really sensitive skin so after around 40 mins of tattooing, Babara decided to stop to let my skin settle and top me up after the 4 week check up. I looked in the mirror and I couldn’t quite get over how good they looked, my brows were photo ready and nowhere near the bold and brassy scouse brow disasters you hear people talk about.

After the first session

For about 24-48hrs after my first session, my brows felt quite itchy and warm like they had sunburn, but it wasn’t anything unbearable by any means. I was to keep them dry for a few days after, putting a light layer of Bepanthan gently on top to  help with healing. After a week, you saw the colour was a little faded and the top layer of skin began to fall off, similar  to a regular tattoo. After week two, the excess skin had completely gone leaving crazy beautiful brows framing my face sans makeup perfectly. After going back for my check up, Barbara checked up on my healing and made sure all gaps were filled and my brows were symmetrical. After just 30 more minutes of extra tattooing, my new  brows were complete and I am super delighted with the results.

The Finished Results – Soft Natural but Defined Brows

Before you decide if eyebrow tattoos are the right decision for you, it is important that you think over the following before taking the plunge:

1. Buh Bye Brow Brush: As mentioned earlier, the best benefit to eyebrow tattoos is the ability to finally be free from applying makeup eyebrows every day. You will no longer have to spend so much time trying to style and design your brows, simply wake in the morning and have a full eyebrow look with none of the hassle or effort. You can also wave goodbye to the smudging melting brows of hot summer days. This was the major pro for me…
2. Time and Money Saver:  When you think about the cost of eyebrow tattoos it is easy to get bogged down by the initial cost. However, in the long run you will be able to save time and money  by no longer having to invest in makeup, brushes and all the other things you need to fill in your brows daily. Running your own business, time does equal money and now I feel confident to head into town sans make up as my brows really add so much more definition to my before ‘piss holes in the snow’ look.
3. 1st time’s a charm: The thing that scares most people with eyebrow tattoos is trusting the person to get it right first time. If you are Scotland based I would honestly say that Mrs Make Up is the start and end of your permanent makeup search. Covering everything from brows to lip and eye liners, Barbara and the rest of the girls have got you covered in professional service and expertise. Had your brows done before and need them fixed? Who ya gonna call? Mrs Make Up.
4. Colour Copy: Just because you paint your brows dark  does not mean that you can get them tattoo’d that way. Any artist worth their salt will tell you straight up if something can be achieved. As soon as I walked in, Barbara told me the darkest colour she would use on me, explaining the colour theory behind people with navy and green brows. This put me at ease and explained I wanted a natural look which I can add to if I’m wanting a bolder night time look. Trust your artist, she definitely knows best.
5. Credentials and Reviews: If you have decided you want to go ahead with getting any kind of permanent make up, then you need to make sure your artist has all the credentials to boot. Not just any makeup or tattoo artist has the ability to give you eyebrow tattoos. A certified artist with special experience performing eyebrow and make up tattoos is the only one that you should trust for this type of procedure. It is always best to look through the full portfolio of any permanent makeup artists before you make a final decision. You can find Mrs Make Up’s Facebook here.

Definition: First and Second Applications 

So what do you think of my brows? Would you ever consider permanent make up? I must admit, after all the work on my brows, permanent lip liner is looking all the more appealing! Thanks so much to Mrs Make Up for the incredible opportunity and my new perfect brows! To make your appointment call Mrs Make Up on 0141 332 0960 and tell em’ Betty sentcha!