week 6 positive: eyebrow microblading.

Genetics are pretty powerful. So is over-plucking. Combine them, and you have my lack of eyebrows. And for as long as I can remember I’ve had to pencil them in. They’ve been all shapes and sizes – from thin to lopsided to dramatically arched to too close together. But the worst part of having sparse brows: The stress and time it takes to pencil them in every morning and worrying if they’re still on throughout the day. (My lack of brows were even the reason I didn’t start triathlon sooner, too… pretty lame, right?)

Week 6 positive: eyebrow microblading

So, last week I finally decided enough was enough. I had my brows microbladed. And because it’s a semi-permanent tattoo (on my face…!), it means no more Covergirl or Sephora pencils. More importantly, it means waking up with brows and feeling like a normal human. Goodbye, self-consciousness! 

The entire procedure – at Brass Knuckle tattoo shop in Minneapolis – took about two hours (there’s a touch-up after 4-6 weeks, too). After washing off my current brows and applying a topical numbing cream, the artist, Emily, and I discussed my why and what shape I wanted. She then freehand blocked a brow shape (they looked perfect!), and after my approval, she started microblading. 

The microblading itself wasn’t pleasant, but it wasn’t unbearable, either. It kinda felt like how I’d imagine a scalpel to feel as it lightly cuts through the top layer of skin. Uncomfortable for sure, but the end result – brows that look three-dimensional – is worth every second to finally have brows that looks real (and brows that won’t wash off while swimming!).